The Crop Effect! Our Experience at Crop Con

Welcome and introductions

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0:44Joseph, what's going on, dude? Welcome to the show. Dude, thanks for having me. Excited. Right? Yeah, totally. As always. It took a creative conference that we've been able to go to now for many, many years to finally get on our side of the podcast here. And talk a little bit about it.

1:16But before we do, introduce yourself. Tell everybody a little bit about you. Sure. And we'll get in our fun conversation. Yeah, my name is Joseph. I have a podcast, so you may know me from there. I usually introduce myself as Joseph Israel Raul Bullard. I have two middle names, but Joseph is just fine. I am recently a podcaster for maybe the last two years. First, the podcast is called Students of Design. I interview a lot of great people like Nick. He's on the podcast. One of the very first interviews I did. Heck yeah.

1:46And in addition to that, I'm mostly an identity designer, so mostly living in the brand identity world, visual identity world. I've been doing that since I graduated in 2010, and I'm also an educator. Like Nick, for the last seven years, I've been teaching at a school in Austin, Texas. I just stopped doing that, so now I'm transitioning from teaching back into, like, full-time design job. That's good, man. You know, it's so neat that how many other people do we know that kind of have same variables in their job and in their careers that it almost is this thing that you can kind of custom make the blocks of what you want to be doing at any moment when you got three or four things to kind of choose from, you know?

2:27Sure. Yeah, and I think the experience is so helpful, you know? Like, if you've ever been in academia, the experience, you just learn so much from it, which translates very well into the design industry. And I think specifically when you wrap it around speaking with people and speaking to clients, there's a lot of skills that cross over very easily. But I think it mostly comes down to learning how to meet people where they are, wherever they are in their creative journey, getting better at not assuming things.

3:02Because when you work with really, really entry-level college students or someone at the beginning of their academic career, it's really easy to start to assume that people know things. So I feel like that's a skill that translates into the client world very well, is that you stop assuming that they know things and you get better at explaining things, which is extremely useful in our industry when you can just speak in an articulate way and sort of explain where you're coming from or where you're going.

3:35Yeah, I'm still learning that. Dude, we all are, always. Right? Never stops. Events like crop, which we're going to talk about and other things, teaching, I think for sure. If anyone ever asks me, like, how do I get better at this? I always say, like, teach a class, teach a course, do a talk, do something where you realize a little bit of planning and a little bit of spontaneous, personal, how you talk in general. That little mix is your secret sauce, you know?

4:06And then you can do it unlike anybody else, and it's your personal stamp. Yeah, but going back to your original question, I think absolutely it makes you a more well-rounded designer when you have that skill set that you can pick and choose from. So if you have any type of teaching experience, and I think this does sort of cascade down to what people are doing online only from either from an influencer perspective or just someone who is sharing content within the industry and about the industry.

4:39I think it cascades down to that. But, yeah, it's extremely helpful because you, I mean, you hear yourself talk in front of people, which is kind of a game changer. Especially if it's recorded. Right. Absolutely. Yeah. You hear how dumb you sound. Like, you pick up on your filler words. You start to understand the things you go back to as a place of comfort. You know, a lot of us have certain stories that we like to tell, and we like to go back to them, like, all the time because we feel comfortable going back to them.

5:12So being able to pick up on the nuances of how you communicate, I think, is an incredible skill set to be able to pick from and to dig into. Yeah. Awesome, dude.

The lasting impact of Crop

5:24Well, we're going to dive a little bit deep into kind of how we met, too, through an amazing conference called Crop. We've brought it up many, many times here. Our buddy Matt and Ariadne, they do the best job of putting together just, I think, a community that is worth celebrating, worth talking about. It's 90% of my Rolodex comes from the world surrounding crop. I can go on and on about it. And we're coming off a few incredible days in Austin.

5:56It's not really a recap, but Joseph and I were chatting, and we've been trying to find something fun to do, another kind of, like, co-podcast chat conversation about. And this just was perfect when we were kind of brainstorming this idea, and it's really about what happens when creatives get in the same room together, the conversations, the perspective shifts, the moments that stick with you longer than any, you know, slide deck or Zoom call, whatever, could ever do.

6:27And that's what we wanted to talk about a little bit is, like, kind of the aftermath, because these moments where I feel like in these last five years, once everybody's been good with conferences and getting back to these things and whatever, the power of them, to me, is just amazing. I come back so refreshed. I come back frustrated, too. I come back, like, I'm looking at every aspect of the career, you know, and so with that in mind, let's talk a little bit about it. I mean, we met, what, like, was that three or four years ago?

6:59Can't remember how long. It must have been. It was around there. And I think it was, like, the last night, you know, we'd kind of bumped around, but we were hanging out at one of the after parties, and, man, we were just enjoying each other's company, kind of going, whoa, can't believe the similarities and what we get to do and all these things. And we just keep coming back. And for those of you who haven't gone, CROPS in Austin, Texas, they just celebrated their 10th anniversary. And I think it's like a who's who in that world of, like, I'm a fan of them.

7:30I'm a fan of Creative South. I think what Mike and both Mike and Matt do are just unbelievable for our community. Your first impressions coming back, man, what did you actually get out of CROPS maybe this year that you didn't expect? Anything stand out for you? Sure. I just got back. Our trip is longer than most people's. Yeah, it's an extended trip. So we were there for 14 days. So I just got back about a day ago. And we're about a week after CROPS actually taking place.

8:04Okay, so you're me about a week ago. Sure, yeah, yeah. So I sort of feel like I'm just now processing the entire event and the experience and how it's similar and different from previous years. What I left away, like the kind of big level idea here, I left away feeling like it went by so freaking fast, man. And I didn't have time to spend with everybody I wanted to spend time with because it's a really – once you've been a number of years, it becomes a bit difficult to balance the time you spend with people you already know.

8:43Oh, good point. Versus the time you spend with people you're meeting for the first time. And the more years you go, the larger the list of people you know becomes, which cuts into the time you're spending with people you're meeting for the first time. And then it's a delicate balance of like, okay, I've been in this conversation for like a half hour. Now I want to kind of bounce around, see who I run into, sort of bump elbows with, who I might meet next. So I sort of left with this overall feeling like, man, like how am I going to get better at balancing the time I'm spending with people that I want to catch up with because I want to continue building those relationships?

9:25Or I just flat out enjoy the conversations we have and the time we spend together versus new people and just trying to think through how I can get better at that in future years. Yeah, that was me last year. I think I left with that frustration that I didn't balance my time right. Everything you said hit me big time. And I realized this year, I think I went more on like autopilot and let it just happen. And it was a little bit, it's a lot less stressful.

9:58It was more like I did my thing. I did. I love the balance between new and previous people that we've gotten to meet over the years. I thought it was interesting when Matt had asked how many people were here for the first time. And that was the first time it was over 50% were new, new folks. And yet I still feel like I, everyone I've ever met was there with the exception of a few of our friends that obviously couldn't make it. And I wish they could have, you know, we have, I think both you could, you and I could probably name five right off the bat, but it's like they've been before and they're there in spirit.

10:31And it's like, you just go with the flow. Sometimes I think conferences are tough because I, you do want to have those magic moments with everybody. And thankfully, like with our Slack and with the IG kind of like crop channel, you, you could be in a daily conversation. And I think sometimes that's great. But then did you notice that sometimes like you ran into someone who's like, well, I talk to you all the time. So we don't, we don't need 20 minutes here at crop. Sure. It does change. Right. How, how desperate you feel to like get FaceTime with certain people because the constant communication throughout the year.

11:08And that was just a brilliant idea last year after crop to form some type of crop IG chat group, which is a bunch of people who went to crop last year in 2025. And it really worked. Like it really bridges a gap between crop. Like I was going to crop. It really did bridge the gap. So there were, were people in that group that I would see them and I was like, oh, I have time to kind of circle back and reconnect with them later, but also felt like we had been in constant enough communication or we're at least seeing communication from each other that it feels like you've sort of been spending time with them.

11:44So I definitely felt that exact way. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usaa.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply. This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business.

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Bringing first-timers to the fold

12:33Isn't that wild? I had, I'd say my number one thing that I, well, I was hoping for and it came, it came true. But for many years, I've told so many of my either previous students or other designers in the LA area, or even folks that, like Blake, who just joined our Slack channel and literally within 20 minutes convinced him to go. And my thing was, I couldn't wait to see the people who I had sold this event to go and experience it for the first time.

13:06And so many of them, it was like, again, it's like going to Disneyland with a young kid who's seeing it for the first time. When you see it through their eyes and you're kind of seeing how much they're enjoying it. And particularly people that are looking for the community. And I really stress that to everybody listening. If there's anything you're looking for, there's got to be something close by. If not, make it happen. Even if it's 10 or 15 people. But the value they got out of this. Walking around. Talking to people. Introducing themselves.

13:36Sometimes I would introduce them to someone and walk away. And it's the most beautiful thing in the world to see new friendships and new community building. Like right in front of your eyes in a dive bar in the middle of, you know, Austin, Texas. It doesn't get any better. That was my favorite. Sure. I'm glad you brought that up because there's a sense of responsibility. Do you feel that when you hype a crop to someone who hasn't been there? They buy a ticket. They end up there. It's almost like you feel this responsibility to connect with them, meet them in person and say,

14:10hey, like now I got to like make this trip worth it. So like we assume, like we become ambassadors for the conference, man. Yeah, exactly. And the community and cruise directors. I know. And it just, everybody wants everybody else to have such a good time that there are a lot. This is one of the amazing things about a design conference and especially and specifically crop is that people go way out of their way to make sure that you're having a good time and you're enjoying yourself. And that you're not standing in the corner alone.

14:43Like you're involved in some type of conversation or that you're meeting somebody new. So I think that's, for anyone who hasn't been, I think that's a big part of the community and the experience is that you don't fully understand that until you experience it firsthand. Of just how willing people are to invite you in and to include you. So I think that's an amazing benefit of going to a design conference like crop. Yeah, I oversold it so much to people that I felt so obligated that I said, don't worry, you're in our crew.

15:18Like you're in when we see you, you're in, you stick with us for the remainder. And that that's a great confidence boost, but everyone I told that to came right in, but then was a seasoned pro within one night, you know, and now they're kind of at a, it was neat to see everybody kind of having their own time chatting with some folks that I know they, I wanted them to meet. And it's, it's, it's also that connectivity of like, like-minded folks that live in different cities.

15:49If you get a chance to meet, imagine the possibilities, the collaborations, the, just the conversations that will happen in the years, you know, after that, that you just didn't have. So if you had to boil everything down to just a one word gut reaction to crop, what is it?

16:10Satisfied. Yeah. I think this is the first year that it all, it all just fell into place. And again, it was that autopilot mentality. I, I didn't, I, I, I guess the last three or four years I go in with so much expectations because I want to have time with this person, have time with this person, buy this person a drink, whatever it is, learn from some speaker. This time it was the autopilot-ness of like, just, just dive in and the water was fine.

16:41You know, everything was great. It was like, good, good move. What's your, what's your one word? Oh, I think it. I want to say community. I'm sort of torn. I'm sort of torn. Community. That's sort of a giveaway answer because I think a lot of people feel that same way, which is not a bad thing. But it's, it's still the most powerful part of this. Absolutely. Absolutely. And we've already, we've already spent a few minutes talking about the community that is at CROP and the community that they've built with this event and around this event.

17:12I also think humble. I walked away, I walked away feeling pretty humbled. Just like the insanely talented people, like to collect this number of talented people in one, one room. Wow. I never thought of it that way. And to, and to just to talk to them and to see their work, to get like an insane number of like handouts by people, you know, like giveaways and takeaways, like stickers and, and small journals and things that were designed originally by them.

17:42And like the things you take away from it, like just the things you're not buying, right? Like people just giving out like their sticker packs and stuff like that. Like that's such a big part of the like art exchange, the design exchange, or just exchange of creativity.

17:59It just leaves me walking away from that event, that event feeling really humbled. Like the realization, like, man, I should be creating more. I need to create more. You know, that's maybe the biggest downfall of, of running a podcast and having a podcast and just the amount of time it takes to interview people and prepare for interviews and things like that is that it takes away from the time I have to make things for myself. Yeah, that's a tough one, man. I went in with just one thing that I was giving away and it was, to me, it was one of those things where it was like, it's like you learn over the years, don't go empty handed to these, to this thing.

18:38And even if it's your first one and you're going solo, I would highly recommend, you want to be memorable, do the quickest little sticker. You don't have to spend a lot of money, whatever it is. You know, sometimes I think the most meaningful ones are the ones that are a little bit more like the creative spark in them or the heart in them in some way, or just the handing out. I think we both talked about the, um, the trading cards that that one guy had last year, um, how good that was. And I highlighted that in a few things that was a, I saw the packet in people's bags and I was like, I have to find out who made that thing.

19:14Cause it's just as creatives, you know, you throw something like that in front of me. I'm like, I want to know more. How'd you make them? What, what, what, what led you to make these? Like what a creative thing to do. And this year, I know, man, I got, even with my one giveaway thing, I still felt like I was empty handed because everybody was so overstocked with stuff. Yeah. Yeah. And it's, it's, it's a challenge. Like even, even with, you know, people like us that have, you know, a decade plus of experience, it's still difficult to not look at the insane amount of talent and not, not feel humbled by it, but also feel like so much imposter syndrome of like, yeah.

19:57Why am I even accepted in this community, in this group? Like, what am I even doing here? Because what I'm surrounded by is like so intimidating, but equally inspiring that you can easily fall into the comparison trap. Well, there's nothing better than a, a environment like crop. I want to say that equals the playing field amongst all who are there. I think it's the city. I think it's the spots that Matt chooses that are very community driven.

20:29They're very creative. The town is very creative. Even laundromats have incredible branding. You know, it's like, it's so, that's what one thing I love about that. It's there. But when you see that there's no level of ego, there's no, everyone's talking to each other on the same level. And that is what I heard from a lot of my junior folks that kind of came with our crew that were a little worried about how that would go. And that's just shattered in the first day because everyone, if you're sitting at a table and you're hanging out with some folks and you find out this person is someone you've been following for a long time.

21:09And maybe because they go by a different name than, you know, their actual name. To me, that's so amazing to see those moments happen. And then there's an exchange on LinkedIn or exchange on Instagram. And there's, there's, there's, there's such a good boost that everyone gets from those moments. It's not just the junior to the senior, you know what I mean? It's everybody. Yeah, definitely. And I think it's, it's really interesting to me because.

21:37Like the stuff I was mentioning about it being intimidating. It's this weird balance, like the entire event and the community and just the vibe of everybody. It's this weird balance between everybody caring about what you do and nobody giving a damn about what you do at the same time. Right. And it's more about like leveling the playing field. Like we all feel equal. Like we're just hanging out, having a good time. We're talking about the industry. A lot of the times we're talking about things that are not design related at all, but it feels very much like you're in a room full of friends versus competition.

22:14And that's sort of where I was going with like, everybody cares about what you're doing. Everybody wants to celebrate the work you're doing. Everybody feels great about praising other people for their work. Like it's part of us as a collective community, supporting each other. And at the same time, it doesn't matter if you would, if you have bad work, it doesn't matter. Like you're still a part of the group. We still want you involved and included in the conversation. So everybody cares.

22:44And at the same time, no one gives a shit. And I think that's amazing about the attitude and the personality of the entire group. That spectrum is so wild the way you put that. It's so true, dude. What I saw too that I thought was really neat is there's a reason that happens. I think the reason that happens is you got happy, satisfied folks in this industry. And a lot of times I'm a big, I'm a big advocate for not, not bashing the industry, you know, certain social media, things like that will be like, oh, this is so killed.

23:19Or, you know, the industry is dead because of this, whatever. It's like, oh gosh, just get your click and move on. You know, I look at this and say there were three, four hundred people that are incredibly happy, love their job, obviously aspiring for more. Everyone is. But that's why you get what you just described. It's because there's no threat. There's no threat from high, low, whatever it is. It's just like you said. Let me celebrate you as someone who does something that I do as well. That's as simple as that.

23:49Yeah, there's almost nothing more enjoyable than putting someone else on a pedestal, you know, like whether you're introduced like Blake, for example, Blake is brand new. And one of the slack groups you were mentioning, you immediately convinced him to go to crop. It was like two weeks later that I was like, who's this Blake guy? I'm going to interview him on my podcast. So then we had a conversation and then we meet in person. And son of a bitch is so tall, too. Fuck him.

24:19I knew he was tall, but I was like, damn. Dude, I can't even be seen in a conversation with you. There's a picture of the three of us. And I'm like, can I tilt that to make Joseph and I look a little bit taller? Yeah, we're like hobbits. We're hobbits next to Blake. There's no AI that'll fix that. Dude, totally. And the same way with Jesse Taylor, who's in like the group here in the Springs. Like they're equally the same. I love it. So yeah, when I'm around Jesse, I'm like looking up and I'm just like, man, I hope that one captures this on film. Just because it looks comical.

24:49Yeah. Yeah. I know. It's that big of a difference. Right. But you're right, man. Like that was a what a neat little progression of how we introduce ourselves to each other and where where these little extensions and things go. I was talking to some folks and they were telling me I was asking them, what did you get out of this? Who did you talk to that you loved and whatever? And surprisingly, I didn't even know they had spoken to a few of the people that they mentioned. And they brought up things that they talked about and tips on how like this person knew social media better than what this guy.

25:20But then when they talked about branding, this guy was like, I know more about branding and maybe I can. So they found these interchangeable ways to chat and help each other out and say, send send it my way. Like this doesn't end here. And I think that's the thing that what I've learned over these years is I used to be like, oh, I'd be so like, like sad when you got back. And now I'm going, not at all, dude. I'm moving forward because of what I got. And they'll be the next time. And that's the one thing we've always chatted about on this podcast is the sense of community.

25:53And are you doing something to do it? And the whole reason Joseph and I want to chat about this was to kind of like give you that push. I'm sure with the summer months ahead, there'll be certain things maybe in your area or close by. Reach out. Go by yours. Have you ever have you ever gone to one by yourself, like a creative conference? Not a conference. I've always known. Like a meetup. I've always known enough people that it has always felt like I wasn't there alone. Yeah. But I've been to other like smaller, you know, I think a good example would be like an AIGA event in Austin where there actually wasn't anybody I knew.

26:30And I went there solo expecting to run into people I knew, but I didn't at that actual event. Yeah. So that that has happened to me in Austin, which is kind of hard to do in that community because it's pretty strong. And it's like medium size, like it's medium to big size. Okay. So it's, it's happened before, but it's really, it's really hard for it to happen now just because I've been going to events for years and it's really hard to not continue meeting people as you go.

27:00But definitely earlier in my career, I, I would say I was intro, I was extroverted enough to go alone, but I never felt alone, even if I didn't know somebody. But I know that's not everybody's experience because if you're like extremely introverted, then you're probably not going to go to begin with, which I recommend taking, taking a buddy with you or try to work out some way to meet up with somebody that you might know there. But I know that's not everybody's experience.

27:30So I don't really feel like I've ever been on the receiving end of feeling alone or feeling too isolated at one of those events. Yeah. I might've had one or two where I felt that way, but it was probably more my, uh, the, the wall that was in front of me going like, just break out of it, man. Just walk up to those people, say hello. And, you know, you, you know, you're going to have instant stuff to talk about. So a lot of times it was only in my own head, but you're like, even the first, first time I went to crop, Matt was the only person I truly knew.

28:04He invited me and was like, you got to come on up. And, uh, it was, it was exciting. Cause I was like, yeah, I want to go to these things. I want to, you know, I want to dive into them or whatever. And yeah, if it wasn't for kind of the comfort level and the ease of walking in there, I met so many folks that first time. And sure, there were times where it was like, maybe you weren't in the right place at the right time, but you just learn how to navigate these things. Every time you go back and everyone needs that, that hour or two to like, you know, kind of charge up again.

28:36And this was the first time that I was like, my social battery. I understand that, that term now. I never got it. When someone would be like, I got to head back to the hotel room. I've, I've just had enough. I'm like, what are you talking about? At this time it was like, there was so much going on. And I, I was extending mine through the weekend with some friends in town. So it was like, I knew I had one to two more nights ahead of me that I was like, play it easy long ago. Like this is, you're in it for the long game, but it was great. It turned out like a perfect balance.

29:07I'm curious, was there anything that made you stop and say, I needed to hear that? Did anything kind of stand out?

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Writing and messaging as design tools

30:14Terms and conditions apply. I don't know if it was I needed to hear that moment. Or see more of that or something. Sure. Anything that you thought, that's got to stick with me. Yeah, I would say, so during the Young Jerks presentation, there was, I don't know, it was a through line throughout the entire presentation. But they really leaned into messaging and how they're super playful and the messaging they create and specifically the taglines they write.

30:46Oh. So, man. Amazing. I'm just like, man, holy cow, man. These guys are incredibly clever with the taglines and the writing and the messaging. And since I've had a podcast, I've been thinking about writing more, which is something that I've always viewed as a weakness for myself. So, having a podcast is pushing me to do more writing, but also I'm getting better at it slowly. And when I saw their presentation, what stuck with me and I think what the main takeaway from their conversation was, for me, was that it's a place you can be really, really creative.

31:23Writing and messaging. And that ties into strategy, as we all know. So, but it's a place where you can be extremely creative and you can bring in the things that make you uniquely you. You know, like you can bring in some fandom. You can bring in stuff that you like to nerd out about. That's another place we can do it as creative people. And I think I'm mostly talking to designers who don't view themselves as writers. Like we feel like it's, like I called it a weakness.

31:55I think a lot of us feel like it's a weakness, so we shy away from it. And we don't ever really fully explore the opportunity that messaging and writing can give us to be creative or, you know, in that frame of mind. And so what I walked away from was, man, I need to think a little bit more deeply about writing and how I can be creative through writing and look for opportunities or make opportunities for creative and like clever taglines and messaging to be a part of what I'm doing for clients visually.

32:30And sort of try to blend writing in a little bit more so that it does some of that heavy lifting or helps so that it's not all just visual. But seeing really great examples of people who do amazing work and have great strategy in their approach to all these projects, bring it all together with like a couple of like really clever taglines is super, super powerful. Yeah, that was a standout for me this last year. I've been pushing my students to incorporate Easter eggs in a lot of their work.

33:03That's kind of how I've been like describing it to them. And it is 90% of that is maybe the copy with a fun little icon graphic or something that's like this little hidden thing, particularly on packaging, branding, but it could be anywhere. So you're right. I was really happy to see their take on it. And it was so nonchalant, right? It was just so like, what the hell? Let's just put this in the in on the packaging and see what the client thinks. And, you know, you're that's taking risks. But that's also showing confidence. That's also showing a whole other stretch of creativity that might not be expected of you as the visual designer.

33:39And there you are adding this wonderfully put together sentence that just wraps up the entire concept. That was such a standout for me. I definitely needed to hear that for sure. So I'd say my biggest thing was you kind of tapped on it, too, with a lot of the speakers. And I didn't realize it until this one that what I think I really do love about the crop. What makes them so similar is Matt always chooses very different and unique individuals to talk and one might be right up your alley and you're like, oh, I get you.

34:18You're in my lane. And then the next one is such a departure, but still in a creative lane. And I think what I love about as you walk away and you go, whoa, like there is no like imposter syndrome. Like if all of them got up there and they were all packaging for food and beverage designers, you know, I'd walk away with some extreme imposter syndrome. But the fact that it's balanced means I walked away with more confidence and more, man, I need to hear more people's stories that aren't in my exact lane.

34:49So I realize we're all just trying to do our best and no one if you show up like this, you got nothing to worry about. You're learning from more people. You're hearing their stories. You're getting their little tips. If you and I can get a tip for like a photographer, right, like where else would that happen? You know, yeah, I love. Yeah, we have to reach for that inspiration sometimes.

Speaker lineup and perspectives

35:13Yeah, what you're touching on, I think, is really important to the success of CROP. Yeah. I think who they choose to speak on stage. And I think another big thing that makes CROP successful is that they give speakers a lot of freedom with their talks and what they want to present about, which leads to some diversity in the presentation styles and the content. So like for me, like Ram Reyes was my favorite speaker on stage.

35:48And I interviewed him on my podcast and I just had such a good time figuring like learning about him and digging into his work and exploring his content on Instagram. In my opinion, he has like such a different approach than a lot of other. Yeah, it's refreshing. Yeah, a lot of other creators in the design industry. But also like he's chaos, he's organized chaos in like the best way. He's 100 miles an hour, but he has something to say and he's not afraid to take a stand, to have a stand, take a stand, and then be public about his feelings about certain things.

36:25So that really aligns with me. But this is what's so brilliant about a conference and this sort of setup is the balance, the ups and downs, the fact that one person's presentation will resonate with me deeply, but someone else's just won't hit the same way. It's like the beauty of the conference. And it's like none of them are bad for any reason. You just find different kinds of value and different styles and different approaches. And the contrast for me from this set of speakers, it would be like Ram, I was very aligned with what he was communicating and how he was communicating.

37:04On the opposite end, I think Brad Stoneking was like, it was a little too edgy for that early in the morning and to be at a design conference that it didn't resonate with me as much. But I loved Brad's one-liners. He had a ton of great, just like heavy-hitting one-liners in his presentation. And I also thought visually his presentation was one of the best. Like simple. Yeah. Yeah, simple. Big old words. It was mostly typography. Yeah. I like that a lot.

37:34And someone with really bad vision and like me in the back of the room, I'm like, thank you. Thank you for making sure there's color contrast on your slides and that the type. Big, fat, bold letters. Yeah. Exactly. The type is well said and it's readable from a distance. Like I really appreciated that about his. But he had a lot of honest sort of like one-line moments that sort of stuck out in the moment. And I was just like, oh, yeah, we need more people in the industry saying the things he was saying. I agree. I thought it was a good kickoff because sometimes, man, I don't know if it's first impressions or what have you.

38:14But like if something comes off a little surprising with an energy that's not usually meant for the kickoff or that early in the morning, let's say, that's the thing that ignites me for the rest of the day in a lot of ways. And I kind of needed it. I think it was like, I was like, oh, yeah, I forgot. We're here at a conference because we'd already had two and a half days of pre and workshops and portfolio review and everything. And I was like, oh, I forgot. We're here to hear stories and get punched a little bit, you know, and not that his was that.

38:46But I think I needed to hear a lot of that, too, because my favorite things are those common sense things that you need to hear someone else say. And they're gems. You know, they're little things about reminding you why you do this or reminding you what it's all for. Or someone was next to me and didn't understand what he was talking about when he said 90% of what he does is not in his portfolio. And I had to explain to someone that, like, yeah, what pays the bills is sometimes the things that aren't on your website.

39:17And you got to get good with that. And I know a lot of our listeners are in that same zone, too, where it's like this might pay the mortgage. And what you see on Instagram might have been free, you know, so I love hearing the truth. And I want to hear I want every younger generation designer that's there to hear some of these these truth bombs that a lot of speakers, you know, chatted about, which I think was great. So that to me, I love and I love the honesty. I love the uniqueness of everybody went right into sin.

39:50And she took it more of a heartfelt thing and showed off her photography and everything. I got to speak with her two years ago at a thing in Miami. And so to me, it was like I wanted to see her next her next storytelling. So there's little there's so many of those things you like. I love it when it's a complete stranger and then someone that you really, really know right after each other. And that to me is like really neat to see in under one roof. Right, right. And I like the juxtaposition. But but also I wanted to to take a step back when I was talking about Brad, like starting the conference off with a lot of edge.

40:27It's also a choice. The sequencing of the speakers is also a choice. So that was brilliant. That was brilliant for them. To choose Brad to open up the event, because that's a choice of who you have set the tone for the entire day. And sometimes if you've been to CROP, you know, there is some late, late nights. Like Nick and I, we were eating pizza at 3 a.m., you know, like the night before, you know, there's some really late nights. With a workshop the next morning. Exactly.

40:58Yeah. So like you need to shout out to Hoboken. Exactly. You need something to hit you in the mouth, like really early in the morning. So it's really smart to have someone like Brad open up the event because it can set the tone. It can get you laughing. It can sort of revitalize you from the very get go. It makes you proud to do what you do. I think that's the other thing. When I hear someone that might be doing a totally different thing, but then you have this common denominator of an experience, either good or bad, you can only leave a little more fulfilled and be like, whoa, there are other people out there that are doing this.

41:35But I also love that these things also tell me there is so much work out there for us. So as everyone kind of screams and goes like, what's going to happen in the future or this or that, whatever, you know, to see what everyone is working on, big and small, you know, artistic and edgy computer versions or whatever it might be, tech versus organic, digital versus analog, you know, there's everything in the mix there.

Analog experiments in the classroom

42:01And I, that's the one thing, like, if there's one thing I kind of felt like I'm going to take away is this idea of like, I'm not doing enough analog and I'm not, I'm doing too much digital. And what I did, I turned it in, not only did I turn it into something, but for the sake of my students, I came back with this idea for a project the day after and I launched it and there it's due next week and they're killing it right now. We did this thing called brand your passion.

42:34So whatever you're passionate about, turn it into a subculture and you've got to turn it into somewhat of a brand and an identity and some touch points that they would do. And I went out and bought a brand new printer, scanner, brought it into the room and they were like, what's going on? What's this device? Why? Yes. What's toner? Like, you know, no, they knew exactly what I was doing. And I said, we're going to, you're going to print something out. You're going to Xerox it. You're going to move it on the thing. You're next thing I know, they've got their phones with the flashlight and they're, they're beaming on with the lid open while it's scanned.

43:11And they're going like this with the light. And I'm like, just experiment, do something you're not comfortable with. All you're doing is put it on paper. Right. And I wanted to almost call this like the crop inspired lesson because it really, it gives me that vibe when I see Tony and he's doing the, the, the, you know, the, the silk screening and everything every time, you know, at crop, I just leave with more of that. I don't do enough of that. My students aren't doing enough of that because God knows work, they're on laptops.

43:44We have no printers in sight anywhere. And so when I saw the chaos that happened in this room with torn up paper and everything, I'm like, this is like a crop workshop. I'm so excited. I brought it to LA. So that's like that, that takeaway to me was something I can do immediately. I'm, I'm still, my biggest line is don't ask for, you know, forgiveness, ask for, don't ask for permission, ask for forgiveness. And this, that's what I feel like crop crop is.

44:15Sure. There's no rules. Yeah. I like the, the, the experimentation part of that, but that's a great example. It's a great, it's a great story of how you've taken something from crop and implemented it back into not only your life, but into students' lives in your classroom and, and figuring out how you can extract value from the event. Because I'm a huge, I'm a huge fan of the concept that the conference is really as valuable as you want it to be.

44:48It's as valuable. Oh, a hundred percent. It's as valuable as the amount of effort you're willing to put in to extract value from the event. And it's different for everybody. Yeah. You know, we all find our, our value in different ways and we all define value in different ways, but how much of it is actionable versus not actionable, I think entirely depends on us. Like how we choose to process that information and finding ways or creating ways to incorporate it into our workflow or just our design lives.

45:22So I think that's a great example of how you took something away that not everybody's going to take away because not everybody's an educator. Not everybody, um, is in the middle of a college semester. So they just don't have the opportunity to bring something like that back and spin it in the way you did. Yeah. But I think it's the differentiator between people that go to events like this and don't feel like they got their money's worth versus the people on the opposite end of that gamut. And are like incredibly fulfilled and they feel like their creative cup is full and they walk away feeling the way you should after going to an event like that, which is feeling refreshed.

46:02This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at Accenture.com slash Spotify.

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47:04I agree, dude. I think you could turn it into anything. It could just be open up that sketch pad a little bit more and get back to basics. You know, you don't need a class. You don't need something to kind of be the end all. It's just getting your frame of mind in a little bit of a situation different, you know? That's kind of what I feel like happened.

Portfolio reviews and mentor chats

47:28And how about those students that we got to portfolio review? Yeah. Pretty awesome stuff. We had probably 19 to 20 local students come in. That was great, man. And a bunch of professionals came in, got to kind of do some quick, fast, fast, like 20-minute portfolio reviews. It went really well. What were your impressions of some of the work you saw? It's amazing how little of the work I actually looked at. Despite being a reviewer.

48:01And it's interesting. Once you've done enough reviews, you start to then sort of swap, switch up your strategy. So this time around, my strategy was like, I'm just, I'm going to, well, first of all, I was like, hey, is there anything specifically you want me to cover? Do you want me to look at a specific project? Do you want me to critique your typography specifically layout? Is there anything you want specifically so that we can at least, like, check that value box for you? So, especially if they walked into the review with goals in mind, which I recommend that for anyone who's listening.

48:36If you're going to a portfolio review, spend some time thinking about what you need to get from the portfolio review that is specific to you beyond just kind of, like, general inspiration and feedback. Like, dig one layer deeper and think about what you think you need to improve on. And sort of evaluate your work beforehand so that you can ask some much more specific and targeted questions of the people reviewing you. But coming back around to my approach, I didn't look at a ton of the work because I was just having industry-related conversations with the students.

49:13That's great, dude. What a good balance. Yeah. And I was just like, hey, like, I like to say, hey, show me your weakest work instead of showing, like, the opposite. Like, show me your strongest piece. Like, I do, like, hey, show me the thing you're least confident in that's in your portfolio. Because it says a lot about their, just their confidence level. But most importantly, I just want to hear how they're talking about the work they don't think they're confident in. Because there's so many different branches from that one project or that one question.

49:44And how they choose to talk about it and what they choose to focus on that gives me plenty of directions in, like, where we can take it from there. And then I connected back to the industry in different ways or my own experience. But this time around, the portfolio review, I maybe looked at two projects max for the students. And we just spent time talking about the industry and job seeking and what interviews, what that process is like. And what I think some of the most important intangible qualities a job candidate could have and show or demonstrate in an in-person interview or, you know, over Zoom, it doesn't matter.

50:29But I focus on those things. And I did that because I don't think that's the most common approach. So it's also going to dish out some knowledge that's a little different than focusing specifically on the visual work or the strategy behind it. So I like to balance out the two. But that's where I was going with the comment about, like, you'd be surprised how little work I actually saw. That's great. Because we spend more time just talking about the ins and outs of the industry and, like, the current state of the industry from, like, our opposing perspectives.

51:02Yeah. It's a good idea for an alternative version to portfolio review where no portfolios are even being used. It is more like mentor chat, you know, just these quick little things. And if you can get three or four of them in as a student, which they all got, I think there was probably four to five sessions. So they got four to five different perspectives. Who knows? The next person might have gone right in and went right into the details and talked about it and everything. And what an invaluable thing to get. And then I love your approach, too, because I'll do that.

51:34I'll read the room when I'm doing any kind of a portfolio review. And I could tell if the person needs that little self-esteem boost or more of a one-on-one time. The work is there. You know, it's like in a lot of ways they'll get their comments on it. But that's a great way to consider that when you have those kinds of people in the room. Why not do that more often? I'm going to try to find a way to bring that into the next one as well. We did that where we just did at the end of our portfolio review here at school. We did this cool thing where I just kept everybody where they were.

52:06I had one reviewer in each room be the facilitator. And I emailed them 20 questions that are just of the moment in the industry. I said, you have 45 minutes to chat with all of them. Get them talking. And everyone said that was their favorite part. Yeah, it's a great idea. Like, I don't want to use the term speed dating. It is very similar. It's similar to that. But I'm imagining, like, it's called mentor sessions. And it's just like these speed dating slash round robin sit downs with people who have more experience than the participants.

52:42And it's all about just industry chat.

52:46Like, that would be super sick. Mentor mania. Mentor mania. Yeah. I can see it. It's going to look like WrestleMania. It's going to have that, like, there's our vibe. There's our collaboration, dude. Mentor mania.

Shifts in the design industry

53:01On the topic of design industry, we can end on this kind of note here because the industry real talk, I think, is super kind of cool, particularly coming from here. But did you see anything at crop that reflects kind of where the design industry is headed or is it giving you more of a sense of where we've been? Like, I was trying to answer that question and I'm seeing, I feel like I'm getting a lot more comfort and, like, the hug thing than I am, like, projection of the future.

53:34What do you think? Like, yeah, it's interesting because I think different years of crops sort of, like, they sort of trend one direction or the other for me. Sure. This year was, like, it's 10th year anniversary. There was a little bit of a different energy in the air, but there was just, like, a ton of love. Like, everybody was showing love, everybody was open arms, everybody was super inviting. Overall, it just felt like really great friendship, love vibes. Yeah. I think. I agree. Yeah. So, man, remind me what your initial question was.

54:10Did you see anything at crop that reflects where the design industry is leading or heading to? This is an interesting question, and I think it goes back to the portfolio review for me and something that I've noticed over my teaching career is the number of women in the industry now. So throughout my seven years of teaching, I haven't really done the math, but I think it's, like, 80% of my students have been women or people who identify as women. I'm the same. And so I think the industry is shifting.

54:42Like, the gender breakdown in the industry is starting to become closer to 50-50. And in an industry like most that is obviously, you know, just, you know, is dominated by cisgendered men, specifically Caucasian men, I would say. So to see that balance shifting over time, I think is an indicator of where the industry is going. And I think there will be many more women in the future who are in creative director roles, who are in the highest level decision-making role at agencies and on in-house teams and things like that.

55:17I think women are going to have and occupy more of those roles in the future, and it's going to help to better balance the gender breakdown. And the portfolio review was another instance of me observing that. The number of women who are in the room. 80-20. Yeah. I think it's... Easily. Yeah, it's something that is trending. Like, it's something that's always been there through my teaching career. And you see it in the room, too, at CROP, you know?

55:47Totally. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Considering from the 8th, I went the second year. And, yeah, it was 90-10, man. Easily. You know? And now you see that balance. And it's so cool because it's, like, everyone has these stories and it has nothing to do with, kind of, like, where it comes from. It's just, I want more. Absolutely. You know? And I want different perspectives and everything because it could be where you live. It could be the folks that you typically hang out with.

56:19To get a different perspective sometimes is obviously such a good thing to come back with. I think that's really unique. You know what I saw that I thought was really in line with where the industry is headed? I'm convinced, you know, in the next 5 to 10 years what we'll be is we'll be creative, you know, maestros. We're going to be conductors. We're going to be basically even your specialty people, I think, are going to find ways to broaden. So if you look at the way Sin talked about photography leading into motion and leading into video, then you look at, like, the young jerks talking about how copy and everything has become such a vital part of what they're known for and why they're hired.

57:02I saw that, like, the broadening of the things you're going to be able to do as an independent, as a hireable person as well, you're going to be that person that's conducting many different things like a band. And so, like, to see everyone almost unconsciously, like, probably not aware of that trend happening, and we still don't know, but isn't it interesting to see how many people were wearing so many different hats within whatever their job position role ownership was, you know?

AI as a tool, not a replacement

57:34Another interesting thing I felt during this version of CROP this year was it felt like people were more willing to include AI in their conversation, which I think is super interesting. There was, like, a through line throughout even the speakers, but also off the stage in conversation. I feel like now people are more comfortable talking about AI because it's been around a little longer.

58:05We've all had a little bit more time to figure out how we can incorporate it in different ways within our workflow. So I felt like people were more willing to talk about AI, and there's a—I think we're right in the middle of this. But there's a shift, I think, in the attitude towards AI of sort of accepting that it's here, but a little less fear from AI and what it can do to harm us, and a little bit more of accepting it as a tool and just a tool,

58:39but also acknowledging that it's never really going to replace the way we think as human creators. So it's weird. It's like double-edged. People are talking about AI more, but I think in a good way, and almost saying we don't really need AI. Like, we're in the middle of, like, reclaiming some of the things that AI has taken from our identity or how we view or think about our own work. I feel like we're in the middle of taking some of that back.

59:13Finding the balance. Finding the balance, but it's leading to people being a little bit more open about their own experience with AI. So that was something I noticed this year. In comparison to last year, I don't think a single person on stage last year said AI once. Like, it was almost non-existent. I sent a text to someone saying there was not a single mention of it in a good way, you know, and it didn't need to. And even this time, you know what's happening, dude, is I don't – I think AI is in the mix.

59:45It's no longer – it won't – it's the same way you won't – you never – you don't call it desktop publishing when everything switched to Mac and PC in our industry. It just became the way, and now it's just another tool, and I don't think it has to have the spotlight on it to be chatted about. Plus, you have so many people, and I know many that, you know, four or five years ago were heavily curious but against it, and they're now finding that they've used it, and they see how incredible it is for certain aspects,

1:00:17and you get to choose, I get to choose, you know, where it goes. But as a great summary to that, in my workshop, I gave them the opportunity to use it in case study kind of like application creation. And when that – what I wanted to do before anything was show them how I have used it to take my work that is handmade, crafted in Illustrator or whatever it might be, and then applied into AI to take it to the next level, either by an application or a touchpoint or in the real world kind of lifestyle image that I want in my portfolio.

1:00:51There wasn't a single, like, hesitance. They all went right into it and started taking the work that they brought on their computers and enhancing it in there. And thanks to even Adobe, I got credits for Firefly for everybody, and they all signed up. I was even – right before it, I was a little hesitant leaving the little card with the code on their desk because I was going, will this be accepted? And again, it wasn't that no one – it's like no one even said anything.

1:01:21It was just an ease in, and I think people are realizing they still have the control. Like you said, I feel like as long as we keep those guardrails in the right way and we still do the work, we're using it as an aid. And it was really evident to me that I think you're right. That's where the industry is heading, and you're seeing it creep into that audience. Right. It was just so interesting to hear more about it this year, people a little bit more willing to talk about it. Sort of regardless of where you stand and how you view it as a tool,

1:01:52there were just more people talking about it, which I think is going to benefit the industry long term. I agree. So, yeah, it was really interesting about this year. So good, man. All right, well, we've got a surprise at the end of this for our friends at Crop. So I'll just leave it at that. But you and I can give our quick little thank yous. What would you like to say as a thank you to the years you've gone and what you've gotten out of it, Joseph? This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows.

1:02:26Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales, using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at Accenture.com slash Spotify. Are your ad campaigns lighting up the dashboard? But not the pipeline. That's bull spend. And marketers are calling it out in dashboard confessions.

1:02:57My boss asked for results, so I opened my dashboard for the only positive-sounding metric I had. Impressions. Cut the bull spend. See revenue? Not just reach. LinkedIn delivers the highest return on ad spend of major ad networks. Advertise on LinkedIn. Spend $250 on your first campaign and get a $250 credit. Go to LinkedIn.com slash campaign. Terms and conditions apply.

Gratitude for the community

1:03:18Well, I think I've learned a lot more about the value of community through CROP. I think that's sort of at the top of the list. Also, just sort of debunking some of the misconceptions. Like, it's too cliquish, or like, I need to know somebody to get involved, or I need to be in the inner party to even show up. Like, I feel like the people who feel that way are the people who are choosing to remain on the outside, or for whatever reason, right? Maybe you can't attend.

1:03:49Like, that's totally fair. But you just don't understand what it's about until you experience it. So, going to CROP so many years, all the way back to my first, the first year of CROP in Baton Rouge, me and a couple of friends, we drove from Austin, Texas to Baton Rouge. And by the end of the night, like, me and a bunch of other, like, Tony Diaz from Industry, and Matt, and Ariadna, like, we were all in the middle of the street outside of Hotel Indigo at like 3 a.m. just talking about how the day went.

1:04:21And that was incredible, and they are still the same people 10 years later. And I spend a little bit more time talking to them this year than I normally get to. I feel like Matt, I usually only can connect with, like, five minutes, and he's, like, running around with his hair on fire, and she's doing the same thing. So I don't ever feel like I get a ton of time to just express my gratitude in person, which is something I really love to do. So, but I had a little bit more time this year, so it was fun to just sort of reflect

1:04:54on that first crop, and it sort of came up naturally and organically in my conversation with the two of them. And, you know, I keep saying the two of them, but the crop family is so much bigger. There's a ton of volunteers, Bart, Kibbe, I've known for years and years and years, and the people at industry, known for many years, and Howard Hall is amazing. He doesn't get enough. He doesn't get the credit he deserves as an emcee. He was at, like, the original crop. He was great. He's fantastic. But overall, community.

1:05:25Our buddy Steve. Yeah. Absolutely. Same folks coming back every time. Yeah, he was at the tables. That tells you everything. Yes. And, like, the family stays intact, and it continues to grow. People sort of, you know, you miss crops sometimes, but you show back up to the next year, and you pick up right where you left off. So, that level of community and being able, it's like riding a bike, you know, like, it feels like no time passed since the last crop when you're at crop, because you're right back into the groove. And I don't think every community is like that.

1:05:57I haven't been to every design conference that exists, but I don't think every community has that, the same personality, the same vibe. They're all different in different ways, but that's what I love about crop. And it's some of the things that have meant the most to me throughout the years is feeling included, feeling like it's a group of people who are like-minded. And even if there are disagreements, everybody's coming to the conversation with something that

1:06:27adds value to the conversation. Yeah. And I think the community needs that. And I think our industry needs that. And even our, you know, our, our small conversations. Yeah. All of those conversations, all of those groups need that type of balance and the push pull between like what you agree with and what you disagree with. But where we meet in the middle, I think is where the nuance of the event is and how we extract value from it. So overall, like just learned so much about community building and most important to me

1:07:02are just the people I have built relationships with. You know, being able to reach out to somebody that I don't know, interview them on the podcast and then meet them in person at crop and then get to spend two or three days just continuing the conversation like that is so valuable for me. It's like what's at the top of my list. It's like what's at the top of my list. So is crop worth it? This is why crop is worth it for me and why I continue going back every year is because I get this type of value, but it's the quality of the relationships that are being formed and being built or being continued that makes me keep going back year after year after year, you know?

1:07:42And then it's all inspirational too, right? So then you just throw that on top as a bonus and then it creates this well-rounded, well worth it event that, you know, keeps pulling me back in. Yeah, it's all heart, man. It's really all heart. I think from going the first time to this time, I don't know how else to describe it, man. It was like it became a model that I started seeing each time I went and it kind of was like unfolding more and more as you get more into it and as you go more frequently, as you meet more people.

1:08:17And to me, it's like one of those things. It's like I think of it as a vacation. I think of it as a break. It happens at a perfect time of the year where I can, even though it's like moving the schedule around and make it happen, it's so worth it. And I think you get, like you said, you get what you get out of it. You have to put in the effort. You have to go and you have to. And I love the vibe of it's like autopilot now. You go. I have such an amazing list of people that I can reach out to for anything. If it's mentoring a young designer that I know or if it's vice versa.

1:08:52If they need someone to link up with, I got the right mentor or whatever or senior that maybe could help them out as well. So it really becomes the people, 100%. It's the opportunity, I think, too, because I know when I come back, I'm much more wired into what I do. I get a refreshness of kind of the excitement of what we get to do and meeting all these people and seeing that, knowing that they're doing it at the same time. It's almost like a gut check of how everybody in our industry is doing.

1:09:26And this was the most optimistic. These last two, I think, were just the most optimistic, amazingly feeling things that when you come back, you just can't help but be a better person. And I'm going to make such an effort to keep in touch with those folks so that it doesn't have to be the heart-to-heart for 15 or 20 minutes like me and Jackie had. I love Jackie. She's one of my favorite people in the world. And just introducing her to a few of my young kind of like they're in their fifth, sixth year out of school and they're going to their first conference and they're meeting these people and they're getting all these different perspectives.

1:10:01It's just wonderful. And, you know, and Matt's just become such a great friend that all of them, when him and his family came out here and got them to come to our glyphic, that was the probably one of the best moments of the last few years. Because it was like giving back and giving Matt the stage because he so deserves it and he's so humble in his time with, except this year, man, he was awesome. I was like, who is this Matt up there? I was like, he's killing it. But it was so awesome to say I have a, I'm trying to build the same thing here on a smaller scale.

1:10:34And it's so inspiring, man. We just, knowing we have this, this lock on these people and they're parts of our lives and how we can do this. It's just amazing, dude. I can cry because it's just, again, best heartfelt thing I could do. And, again, can't wait for you guys to see what's coming up next. Joseph and I reached out to a lot of our friends and they had, we had no problem collecting these guys, but we have some thank you notes for you guys as well. And I hope you enjoyed them. Joseph, thanks for joining us, man.

1:11:07Super appreciate it. Go hit, take his, get his Students of Design podcast on your favorites. You'll enjoy every conversation as well. Thanks again for joining, dude. Happy to be here, man. Thanks for including me. All right. Stay tuned. Here's some thank yous.

Tributes from friends of Crop

1:11:22Hey, Matt. I just want to say thank you to you and your wife for an incredible experience at CropCon this year. Ten-year celebration was off the charts. And, you know, I just want to congratulate you guys on all the hard work you've put into this year in, year out. It's a special place. It's a place where all of us creatives can call home. I know it's meant so much to me and my creative career. It's opened up so many doors of opportunity for me. And I'm so thankful to this event.

1:11:55I look forward to next year. I look forward to continuing to find my people, being my authentic self, and a place to celebrate each and everyone's work. I know everybody loves to come to this event. And thank you to you and your wife for another wonderful experience. We appreciate you guys so much. And I look forward to next year. Hey, Matt. It's Cam. I just want to say again, thank you so much for having me at Crop this year. I've been doing graphic design professionally for ten years this April.

1:12:28And I'm coming up on 7 full-time freelance. And for the most part, I've done it just by myself, kind of learning from the outside. Crop was an amazing experience for me just to kind of actually hang out with a lot of my peers who maybe I've met before, but a lot of them meeting for the first time. And so it was really fun to kind of be a sponge, learn what I can. And I just want to say I had the time of my life. And I'm definitely coming back. It's good to be a part of the Crop family.

1:12:59And we'll see you next year. Hey, guys. Jeremy Friend here, lettering artist and type designer out of York, Pennsylvania. I just wanted to say thank you to Matt and everybody else that helped put CropCon 2026 together. This was my first CropCon. And I was blown away by this experience and just meeting people I already knew and meeting new friends, making new friends, and completely nerding out with other like-minded creatives. This was a very special experience.

1:13:30And I'm really hoping that we get to do more of these in the future. I will be coming to more of these in the future. So I really appreciate all the hard work and effort that went into making this happen. So this is just a very special thank you. And can't wait to see you all again next year. Thanks so much. Matt, congratulations on 10 years of Crop. Wow. If I had to pick one thing I enjoy about Crop the most, it's probably the authenticity.

1:14:01The workshops are great. The speakers are great. But those times where you're just hanging out with people around you, meeting new people, that's the best. So I've only been to the last two. But I can tell you right now, from here on out, I am going to make every single one of them. So I guess you've got to put up with me some more. Thanks. Hey, Matt and Aradna. First of all, I just want to say congratulations on your 10-year crop anniversary. Such a fabulous milestone, and I'm so glad that Liv and I got to be part of it.

1:14:33Little did I know in 2019, when I attended my very first crop, that I would have my whole life trajectory change. And change the way I saw myself as a creative and as just a person in general. The love, support, heart, and soul that you put into this conference is absolutely mind-blowing. And to all of us who attend, we are so grateful that we have you to lead the way and to form this community that we have together. I love you both so much.

1:15:04I want to thank you for being part of my chosen family, for allowing me to be part of this crop family. And I will be there and support you and attend every single one as long as I can and as long as you'll have me. So I love you both so much. Thank you again for a magical and my favorite week. And I will hopefully talk to you soon.

1:15:27Crop Con to me is one of those rare things that feels real.

1:15:34It's no frills, not trying to be anything that it's not. Just a grounded community built kind of creative conference where people genuinely care about the work and the people behind it. Um, what stands out most is the connection side of it. Meeting new creatives, reconnecting with people you haven't seen in a while, having real conversations that actually mean something. Um, that part hits for me, especially being in a place where the creative scene isn't super deep and developed.

1:16:09Um, and you're kind of doing your own thing and a lot, a lot of the time it can feel isolating. Um, so having something like crop where you can, you can plug into that, uh, be around like amount of people, talk shop, get inspired again, that goes a long way. Um, whereas like sometimes big conferences, you, you get away from a lot of that. Um, it's just one of those spaces that reminds you why you do what you do in the first place. And kudos to Matt, um, who, who really believes in, in, in gathering people together.

1:16:41And, um, and he's just a great guy. So like crop con is one of those things that I will continue trying to find a way to get back to. And, um, hopefully for years and years to come and, uh, as long as, you know, Matt wants to do it. So, um, yeah, crop, crop means so much to the creative community, um, across the nation and especially the South. And, um, yeah, so there you go.

1:17:11What's up? I have attended crop for the last two years. And for me, crop is always a humble reminder of the insane talent that's out there. And it's all about being inspired by that talent instead of feeling like you have to compete with it. And it's also about finding people who are passionate about the same things you are and making friends with them. So thank you, Matt, for putting on such a great conference the last 10 years. I never thought that I would find such an amazing community in a conference and love it so much.

1:17:47But I feel like crop is a place where I can just come and totally be myself and be accepted for that. And that shit's rare. You can't find that everywhere. So thank you.

1:18:01They say the key to life is to find people with shared values who push you to be a better person. Crop, it's more than a conference. It's a community. It reminds me of everything that I'm good at and inspires me to get good at the next thing. Where your attention goes, your focus flows. And the ideas and conversations had at Crop stick with me all year. I'm so thankful to all the volunteers and everybody involved and all the hard work they put in to make Crop possible.

1:18:33I really hope that 10 years from now we're celebrating the 20th anniversary. Because I can't imagine doing what I do without Crop. This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync, everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales. Using automation, analytics, and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business. The result? Less time spent on operations. More time connecting brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most.

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1:19:37Go to LinkedIn.com slash campaign. Terms and conditions apply. Hey, Jen, Hoot Design Studio here. I just wanted to give a heartfelt thank you to Matt for putting CropCon together. Can't even tell you what it means to me. The connections, the conversations. I've never been around so many like-minded weirdos and nerds in one place. It's just, it's awesome. I feel seen. I just feel filled with inspiration and ideas.

1:20:11And I'm so grateful for this community and friendship. It means a lot. I feel, I feel as full as a centipede's sock drawer. So I can't wait for next year. I'm already counting down the days for Crop 2027. So thank you so much.

1:20:33Crop doesn't feel like a conference. Um, it's more like the best party with the best people who also happen to be in the creative industry. Um, you get to meet insanely talented people. You get to meet your heroes. Um, and there's just zero ego in the room. Um, everyone's just there to share, support, talk shop. Um, it's genuinely welcoming and authentic. Um, that means a lot in this industry.

1:21:03This industry can be overly competitive, um, pretentious, and just downright intimidating at times. So huge thanks to Matt and the Crop team for creating a place, uh, where us design nerds can, uh, learn, feel supported, get inspired and party. Uh, so congrats on 10 years and I'll see y'all next year. I think what makes Crop so special for me is the sense of community. I've, I've known a lot of these designers and illustrators who go to this event for many

1:21:35years and it wasn't until going to Crop that I actually got to meet them in person. And, and it was everything that I, I would hope I got to not only just talk shop, but I got to actually get to know everyone there. And, and it was the right amount of people and talent to, to where I can not only become friends with a lot of these folks, but, uh, share knowledge and also learn from them as well. Cause I think there was just such a, an open arms presence of, uh, you're one of us come

1:22:09on in. And, and I definitely resonated with that. And I believe in that too, of, we have to be a community. And I think what Crop does very well is it brings the community together and makes us stronger. It makes us more creative. And honestly, it's just a lot of fun. It's a lot of fun to be around other like-minded creatives and, and thanks. Thanks Matt for this. Thank you, Crop. Thank you for everyone who got me to, to go there. And, and honestly, especially this year being my first time doing the workshop and, and

1:22:42debuting that was really special. So thanks again, Matt. We love you, man. We'll see you at the next one. Hi.

1:22:51Sad to miss you guys this year on the 10 year anniversary, but wanted to just send this note over of gratitude and love, uh, for what you guys have built with Crop. This is the only conference that I really attend. And it's really because I don't need anything else. The, the people, the speakers, the, the community, the 900 beers I drink every year, it is such an incredible experience and you guys have really built an amazing thing. Uh, I've said this to you directly, Matt, but, uh, please, you know, whoever is enjoying

1:23:22this video, send it to the rest of the Crop crew. Uh, I wanted to note that what you guys have built and what you guys do every year literally is impacting the lives and the trajectory of careers of hundreds, if not thousands of creatives, whether they say it or they're just thinking it, uh, you guys are having really profound impacts on people's career. Uh, mine in particular with the opportunity to speak early on in my career, 2018 or 2019, it really gave me some confidence moving forward. And for that, I am forever grateful. So if you guys ever need anything, um, don't reach out to me, hit up the other people and

1:23:57then hit me after if they're unavailable. Uh, just kidding. Just want to send some love. So appreciative of you guys and I'll help you all have a great day. Bye.

1:24:08If this conversation helped you think a little longer term about your creative career, hit like, and subscribe. It helps more than you think. And if you know a creative who's trying to figure out their next move, share this with them. That's how we get this community to grow. NFL football season is here, which means when you switch to Verizon, it feels like... Touchdown! Because you get NFL Sunday ticket from YouTube on us when you buy an eligible 5G phone on select unlimited plans, which means you can watch every out-of-market game every Sunday

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1:25:22Thanks. I'll see you next time. I'll see you next time. I'll see you next time. I'll see you next time. I'll see you next time. I'll see you next time. I'll see you next time. I'll see you next time. I'll see you next time. I'll see you next time. I'll see you next time. I'll see you next time.