What If Taking On One Project Could Change Your Whole Career with Amber Asay | The Typecast Episode 58
What does it look like running your own design studio that works with names like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Poosh? In this episode, we sit down with Amber Asay of Nice People to discuss the winding path that led her from scrapbooking experiments and show choirs to launching a successful design agency and a creative podcast.
Amber shares the reality of landing big-name projects (and why you sometimes have to view them as long-term investments), the pros and cons of building a flexible studio model, and how she has learned to adapt her business during challenging times in the industry. (yes, everyone is feeling it, you are not alone!) We also dig into creative experiments, from launching a podcast to Airbnb hosting and the importance of slowing down, setting boundaries, and choosing sustainability over hustle.
If you’ve ever wondered how to navigate client pricing, keep your creative spark alive, or find balance between parenting and running a studio, this episode is for you.
All that and more when you listen to this episode:
The inside story of working with high-profile clients like Poosh
Pricing challenges: balancing opportunity with sustainability
Building a flexible “expand and contract” design studio model
Why overhead isn’t always the dream (and how flexibility keeps you resilient)
The slowest freelance year: adapting to industry shifts and diversifying income as an artist
Starting a podcast as a creative side quest and what it really gives back
How planting “seeds” years ago is still paying off today
Rethinking social media and marketing when you can’t post every day
Why slowing down, setting boundaries, and working shorter hours can actually help creativity thrive
Connect with Amber Asay
Website: https://nicepeople.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberasay
Nice People’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicepeople/
Women Designers You Should Know Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-designers-you-should-know/id1741408177
Mentioned in this episode:
The Kernference https://thekernference.com (use code TYPECAST!)
Ralph Tyndall Designs https://www.ralphtyndall.com/
Poosh Project https://nicepeople.com/Poosh
Prisma Markers https://www.prismacolor.com/markers
Royal Talens Pantone Markers https://www.royaltalens.com/pages/talens-pantone
Baseline Shift Book https://www.amazon.com/Baseline-Shift-Stories-Graphic-History/dp/1648960065
Women Designers You Should Know Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-designers-you-should-know/id1741408177
Dribbble https://dribbble.com/
Adam vicarel https://www.instagram.com/adamvicarel/
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