“At the Table” is a series of interviews and spotlight conversations with people I admire from within and outside of the wedding industry. These conversations focus on topics related to building an intentional, relationship-first business alongside a present, connected, values-driven personal life.
Introduction:
I was introduced to Mike through Pat Furey, and loved the chance to learn from someone in a different creative discipline. I know you’ll enjoy hearing from him, too!
Follow Mike via his website & IG. Photo by Claire Furey.
THE INTERVIEW
→ First of all, tell me in your own words what you do for work, and why you do it?
The short answer is that I’m a graphic designer. And I don’t think I could ever be anything else. I deeply love design, and basically started my own company just so I could make whatever I want forever.
The long answer is that my wife Chara and I run Smith & Diction, a design studio that creates thoughtful identities for imaginative clients. That’s just our fancy way of saying we build brands, but we paid for the trademark on that tagline, so I gotta sneak it in anywhere I can. I lead all our design, and Chara runs all our strategy and copywriting. We’ve worked with some great brands, big and small, and we really love doing it.
→ What does a typical day look like for you?
I usually get to the office between 6 and 7. Morning is when I’m at my best, no question. I get most of my best work done before 10 am, when we meet with our full team to talk through the day’s work. Our meetings are usually at least an hour, because everyone on the team shares what they made the day before, then we talk through what’s ahead for the day and do a ton of brainstorming and messy concepting. Then the afternoons are spent on more designing, client meetings, admin, etc. until I leave around 4 to go pick up my daughter from school. No matter how busy I am, I always put a hard stop on work in time to pick her up, because I just think it’s so important that I get to see a little window into her world when I get her from school, then have time together on the way home, when I can ask her all about her life and whatnot.
→ In her book Dare to Lead, Brené Brown says that every person has just two core values that shape everything else that they do or believe. Do you agree with that idea? If you could boil your values down to just two, what would they be? How do those influence how you do your work & live your life?
I don’t think I could limit it to just two things, actually. My work draws inspiration from basically everything. And I think that diversity is super important. We’re constantly working with new clients, and we work really hard to make each one reflect the values of that specific organization. So we have to find inspiration in as many places as possible.
But, if I had to pick one thing that I just couldn’t do without, it’s art.
→ The British author Alain de Botton has this famous quote: “There is no such thing as work-life balance. Everything worth fighting for unbalances your life.” I tend to agree with this idea, that work-life balance is an unhelpful goal, and we should instead think about aligned values and healthy rhythms in all spheres of life. What do you think about the phrase “work-life balance?” How do keep healthy rhythms & momentum going in both work and personal spheres?
Work-life balance isn’t really the right phrase for me, because with Chara, our work life and personal life are so deeply interconnected it’s impossible to separate them. We talk about work at home, but also talk about the kid at work. It all blends together. If we need to come up with the concept for a new brand, we go out on a date and talk it through.
But I do think it’s important to find a balance between creation and inspiration. Taking time to get inspired—to see art, listen to music, spend time with people who inspire you, follow other creatives you admire, take a walk, just breathe in some natural air—that will always make the work better.
→ Some people argue that a focus on people and a focus on profit are competing priorities, but I love talking about the ways that running a relationship-first business aids in building more profitable, sustainable businesses. What do you think about this idea? Are they competing ideas? Why or why not?
Our business is entirely driven by reputation, referrals, and word of mouth. So treating people well is absolutely at the core of what we do. Our entire business depends on it.
→ What are some ways that running a people-first business has benefited you? How has it benefited others?
For us, it all comes down to trust. When a client signs up to let us build them a brand, they’re putting a lot of trust in our taste, creativity, and team. We take that very seriously. So we try to repay that trust by doing our absolute best to deliver excellent work.
Our line of work requires us to work realllllly closely with our clients—they tell us their deepest business challenges, and share their biggest hopes and dreams for the future. Working with us is a big, important decision. And it’s also an emotional one. Good creative work should make people feel something. So it’s important to see all our clients as people, and for them to understand that we’re human, too. We’re just a handful of people working together to try and make the best work possible.
→ Our culture and our industry is fast—trends come and go in the blink of an eye, and there’s just so much noise, especially on social media. It can be tempting to believe that the only way to stand out is to add to the noise, to follow trends, to make a bigger flash than our competitors. But what if you’re a quiet brand? I have written about the difference between Fireworks and Fireplace brands here. Would you say that your business is more of a fireworks display or a fireplace? How does that influence how you market?
For us, it doesn’t really matter whether you’re a noisy brand or a quiet one, it matters if your brand has depth and meaning. Don’t be noisy just to be noisy, or be quiet to project humility. Be who you are. Be what’s real. I wouldn’t describe us as flashy, but we’re also not understated. We’re super transparent, incredibly honest, relentlessly creative, and overall just pretty human. Not sure where that puts us on the fire scale, but it’s probably somewhere in the middle.
→ How do you stay authentic when it often feels that “fake it ‘til you make it” energy is rewarded?
We only take on clients we’re excited about. Our clients work with us for usually about 4-6 months (sometimes longer), and it’s really hard to “fake” being interested in something for that long. That false enthusiasm leads to burnout REAL quick. So instead, we choose clients who are making things we can stand behind: a cool hotel outside of Yellowstone, an incredible coffee shop, a digital product that’s changing the way people work, an art gallery, a museum—it could be anything, but it’s gotta spark our imagination. Because when we’re interested in the end result, the creative work comes a lot more easily.
→ What is bringing you joy in your work right now?
This never changes: the more time I spend designing, the happier I am.
→ If we were to meet here a year from now, what do you hope we would be celebrating?
One of the things we love about the specific business we’re in is that it’s impossible to answer that. I couldn’t tell you who our clients will be next year or what we’ll be working on—and that keeps things endlessly interesting.
→ Final question: what is the number one book you recommend to every creative entrepreneur?
Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers, by Leonard Koren. Our version is highlighted and underlined about 4 times over. You can get through it all in one afternoon, and it’s inspired so much of how we think about design and life.
Or if you want something with more practical advice about running a creative business, look at Freelance and Business and Stuff by Jennifer Hood & Amy Hood, and Art for Money by Michael Ardelean.