This is Made By James and friends…
and we are on a mission
We are building an educational space that is built for real designers, created by real designers and supported by real designers....
...so you know that this carefully curated environment will give you the knowledge and value you need in today's design world.
I have personally been in the design industry for two decades and continue to practice my craft with my team over at Lincoln Design Co. I have been lucky enough to live my dream as a designer, but its been fucking tough going.
There is so much noise, gatekeeping and overpriced crap out there when it comes to design education, so my friends and I have decided to take a stand.
Here is our no-nonsense
Approach to Design Education
No gatekeeping
We understand that the knowledge we have absorbed has been learnt through others, It is therefore not ours to hide from others.
No egos
We never place ourselves above others. We admit when we are wrong and we always listen to the people we are creating for. We have a community - not an audience.
No Shortcuts
We are not built on weak foundations or quick wins. We are here to help people build a career in design and will give them the tools they need for longevity.
No fluff
We never overcomplicate creativity, we always share knowledge as simply as possible. Our job as an educator is to make the familiar strange and the strange familiar.
No judgement
We always meet people where they are and not tell them where they should be. We never judge people and our only focus is to elevate them to their version of success.
No Overcharging
Accessibility is one of our key differentiators, we give away what most experts charge for. We always go above and beyond and deliver more than is expected.
What does it mean to be A
no-nonsense designer?
We champion others
We get energized by the success of others as we know how hard they are working to support themselves and their families. We are the people that, when in a room full of opportunities, say the names of others.
We gift what we can
We never gatekeep knowledge that we have learned from someone else. We are happy to guide, nurture and elevate others with our own interpretation of the information.
We remember why we started
We committed to the creative world because of our innate gift. We are here because we love what we do and we have fun while we do it. We will always keep our childlike sense of play and wonder… we think like artists but we execute like designers.
We only compete with ourselves
We understand the unique value that we own as individuals and we always strive to design our own way. This makes it easier for us to run towards our own version of success.
We focus on the truth
We know that the truth is the only thing that matters. We ignore the noise, the design influencers and the bolshy experts. We know what's real and we focus on it.