Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Hoffman
Hi Matt, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve played music since I was 11 and it’s always been something that I loved and was really passionate about. Once I got to college, I started playing in bands and needed design and photos to promote our music, so I figured out how to use Photoshop, how to work a camera, and how to promote and market those bands to new people.
Fast forward a few years, I started taking on freelance projects for friends and families, and some small businesses. Started learning a lot about storytelling and messaging and how to take really complex ideas and distill them down into something simple and clear. Doing $50 logos started to turn into developing thoughtful identities for brands and I’ve just never looked back, really.
I’ve worked a lot of different jobs over the years, had some really amazing clients and I’ve been fortunate enough to be part of some amazing and inspiring projects. Now, I’m living on the east side of Cincinnati with my wife and our three kids, building my own brand and doing photo and design work for my own clients; from coffee roasters to churches. It’s not always the easiest path, building a business, but the freedom I have to develop relationships with my clients, spend time with my family, and make something timeless is all I need to stay motivated to keep going.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
To be honest, a lot of the turbulence in my life has been superficial and probably could have been avoided. I’m a creative person who gets caught in dreamland sometimes and I forget to manage the cogs. I’ve gotten better and those things as I’ve gotten older, but I don’t know that it’ll ever truly be a strength of mine. No matter how stressful work gets, or how tight money gets, or how tense relationships can get, I’ve just always had faith and believed that everything would work out. Having a perspective that’s focused forward and upward has allowed to keep a pretty level head in tough times.
Just like everyone else, though, I’ve suffered loss, been unemployed, argued with people I care about, and have had less in the bank than I needed. Everything always works out in the end and I’ve always got everything I need, really. I believe that God is close to the brokenhearted, and there’s just nothing more comforting than that.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a Graphic Designer and Photographer passionate about capturing and sharing the heart of a brand. What the heck does that even mean?! Well, we all have those little details about us that influence how we operate, how we make decisions, and how we see the world. Those details are the things that make us interesting as people.
Brands have those things, too, and uncovering what those are and sharing them increase their relatability with whoever they’re trying to reach. I believe that the more transparent and authentic a brand is, the more approachable they become. I like to say “I create timeless and approachable visuals that help you reach your people.” I’m adaptable and my design style stretches to whatever my clients need, typically.
When I’m focusing on my own brand, my personal style is sort of moody and texture-heavy. I’m a huge fan of anything rusty, tarnished, weathered, and worn. Old things have soul, they have stories to tell. I tend to mix that aesthetic and short phrases to grab attention, and wax poetic when I have your eyes and ears. I actually think I’m probably an artist who learned how to utilize digital tools to tell stories for other people.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I hate heights. The idea of falling puts a knot in my stomach that I can’t easily shake. I’m not into those sorts of risks.
I do believe we’re created to create, though. I think there’s a call on my life to be fruitful and multiply, and whenever you’re putting new things into the world, there’s a chance it won’t work. It’s a lot like a garden – you put those seeds in the ground, make sure they have everything they need to sprout and grow, but not every seed gives you fruit. That’s just how it goes, and if we decide that it’s not even worth digging the hole because the seeds might not produce anything, that just seems like a hopeless and sad way to live.
I’ve taken some risks in life, mostly around where I’m working and how I provide for my family. I’ve invested a lot in some of my own ideas and some of them nearly cost me the things in my life that are more important. I just know that, and maybe this is cliche, I don’t want to look back on my life and have to reconcile the fact that I chose safety over adventure.
I want my kids to be bold, to work hard at the things they enjoy, and learn skills that will move the needle forward for them. More than being focused on the end result, I want them to fall in love with the process, even if that means it hurts a little or that they could fail. That way, when (not if) they do fail, they’re failing forward and they’re not alone in it.
You shouldn’t risk everything in life, but most of what we’re afraid of losing really isn’t that important in the big scheme of things.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.hoffmanmade.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/__matthoffman__
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthoffmanmade/
