Interview with Deanna Burks: How to be more confident as a creative

Once you read this article, you might feel the need to reevaluate the way you view yourself as a creative, because this has a direct impact on how your clients perceive you and your brand. You will look over your portfolio and your pricing model. You will want to reconsider your priorities, the amount of time you spend doing work and the boundaries you set with your clients. Most importantly, you will learn how to put yourself out there, be more confident and charge what your work is actually worth. Let’s dig in.

Deanna, tell us a little bit about how you left your corporate job 20 years ago - what led you to that decision and how did you know (or didn’t know) what you wanted to do?

Back then, I was working as a creative director for a large bank. At one point, I felt like I really wanted to do my own thing, so that I could express my work the way I wanted to, without being confined to just what the bank had in its marketing department. So I decided to take a leap of faith, get out there and try to get clients. When I decided to start off on my own, the bank I was working for was really kind to me! They actually helped me get new clients and start my business - they were really supportive, which was super unusual. Plus, I was lucky enough to have clients who showed interest in my work. Overall, I think being a business person was just a natural fit for me. Both my parents were entrepreneurs, and I think that was something I was familiar with. I always wanted to work for myself anyway, just because I was brought up to this. It’s a totally different perception when your parents work for themselves versus when you’re being raised by people who work for other people, if you know what I mean.

What was it like for you in the beginning? What did you struggle with the most? What did you enjoy the most?

The thing that I struggled with the most was taking on too much work and putting in way too many hours. Of course, I didn't have children back then, because my husband and I were still newly-weds and I would let myself work way too much. Sometimes, there was a struggle with setting boundaries with clients - trying to educate them, mostly about design. You’re the designer, you know better and that’s why they are coming to you, right? I know a lot of people struggle with how much to charge - I never really had this problem. I’ve always asked exactly what I needed to charge, otherwise I’d never get it. I think almost every business person that I know, whether a creative or not, struggles with the “asking for money” part. What do I charge and how do I ask for money? It’s never made me uncomfortable to ask for what I felt like my work is worth.

What I enjoyed most about running a business was the fact that for me, the whole experience was very liberating. Just to know that, yes - I hold accountable to my clients, but I dictate my hours, my prices, when I work and how I work. Mostly, I am just thankful to have so many opportunities to grow and I think anyone can do it! If you’re willing to work, if you have a great work ethic, if you are driven, if you are ready to get out there and do it, the opportunities are great! Just get out there and do it!

How do you feel you’ve changed as a person, in the past 20 years while running a business? 

I’ve gained a ton of insights as far as being a business owner - I definitely learned how to establish boundaries, as I was saying before. I learned how to create opportunities for myself, how to help my clients, how to be valuable for my clients and how to be a resource for them. I think one of the biggest things that have changed me over the years is that I’ve explored a lot of different creative roles. For example, I started off in fine art, and then I continued into graphic design, then I learned how to do floral design - and all of these things ultimately ended up helping me evolve and develop the style that I have now, which is kind of my authentic, true style. Instead of looking to other people to mimic their style, I learned to establish my own style. You just try and try new things and constantly evolve. 

Talking about different roles in life: We know that besides being a business owner, you are a mother, a partner, you have three dogs and you do weight lifting (wow). Do you feel like there are huge expectations for you to stay on top of your game and how do you deal with them?

That’s a good question! My thing is - I try to be very real and honest with people, and I try to not sugarcoat things. My priority is my home, so THAT comes first. My main priority is what is expected of me from my husband and my children. I don’t really care what the rest of the world thinks, I don’t care what people think about my looks, my figure or about my work style, I have my priorities straight. If people don’t like the way I handle my business - they are free to go somewhere else (laughs). I know I have a lot of responsibilities, I set my priorities for the day and I do those. If the rest doesn’t get done - I try to catch up on the next day. While everybody strives for perfection, it’s really hard to get that. So what you can do is simply try your best.

What tips or rules can you share on how to keep balance when you have so much going on?

They are always changing for me, well because life is constantly changing. I have children that are school-aged, and their lives are constantly changing, so I have to keep up with that. Last year my husband had a heart attack, so that changed everything in our lives. The thing that I took away from this past year and my number one rule is that I have to be fluid. I have to roll with things and be willing to accept that I don’t have control over all of these different situations, I just have to find a way to adapt. It’s important to have the planning in place, but you need to realize when the plans don’t go right, it’s perfectly fine. You don’t just scrape everything out, you say “OK, I have to build around the plan now”, and you just keep on going.  

The creative industry demands that you’re always inspired, create beautiful things and it can be quite draining. How do you recharge and where do you find inspiration?

I’m kind of like a butterfly, I’m inspired by nature - when I go on walks and look at the tree branches, I think to myself “Oh my gosh - that’s amazing!”. I get inspired by my kids, since they are little artists, too. I try to get out there in the world (the real world and the digital world) and follow people that I like and get inspiration from them. You guys inspire me - I’m in awe of the things that you all create! There is a photographer that I work with, her name is Alaina Rocque - she has a great visual eye and is super inspiring. I follow and look up to Shellie from Silk and Willow, Kiana Underwoods from Tulipina Designs - she is a floral designer, and over the top inspiring!

As far as recharging - I refuel when I exercise, also when I have my quiet time because I’m an introvert and I need a lot of quiet time - I’m sure many can relate to this.

Tell us a bit about your business model, are you a solopreneur? How did you develop your business to this direction and how did you come to choose Squarespace?

Primarily I work alone. Usually, I’m the one that comes up with the vision and then I bring people in. Whether I need a watercolor artist, a calligrapher, or a photographer - something that I can’t do myself - I bring all the different creatives together. As far as for the graphic, digital work - I do that all on my own. You see, the reason I am where I am right now is because this is where I want to be, this is what I like doing, this is what I most enjoy. If you’re going to work, you might as well be happy and do the work you like. 

The reason that I picked Squarespace is because I’m always attracted to things that are stylish. I was attracted to the simplicity and style of SS, and since I’m a very loyal person, I haven’t changed it. If I find something that works well, I stick to it. Overall, I like how Squarespace is progressing, how they constantly stay on top and make sure that things work well, they communicate great, and they are just a great company to work with. Their platform is really easy to use and super flexible, as well. I’m not as advanced as you all are when it comes to the super techy stuff, and thank god for companies like Squaremuse (laughs)! I have a good sense of style, but not so much when it comes to the backend, so you guys are a great help! When I started making websites, I would design them in Flash and Dreamweaver, yeah, that was forever ago. Not very pretty websites came out in that time of my life, haha, which was super frustrating and I was thinking “Gosh, there has to be another way to do this!” and that’s where Squarespace came in - I thought “Wow, thank god I can make something pretty without trying to figure out complex coding. This is so much easier and I get a beautiful result!”

gobarbees.com - website built by Deanna Burks with Classic Pricing Kit

How does Squaremuse chime into that? Do you have any favorite SM products? Tell us a bit about your experience with OUR company.

I am constantly googling and looking for ways to make things better, but when it came to Squarespace solutions, I could never find anything that I really liked. I could find a lot of people who knew tons about SS, but none of them had the aesthetic that I liked. And not to sound rude - but none of them seemed to have even an awareness of aesthetic. But Squaremuse possesses the attractive aesthetic that appeals to me, so I was like “Ok, this is something that I could work with.” So I tried one of your Pricing Kits and I thought “That’s perfect, I love it, it’s beautiful, it’s easy to understand, so easy to implement!”. I tried it with one of my clients and it just kind of started from there. I learned so much with your products, things that I never realized could even be done in Squarespace. I love your sliders - like the ones I have on my homepage, of course I love Elise that you just released, Porto - it just depends on what mood I’m in. I’m just really into the classic style, which you have in most of your products and I love it!

pearlwed.com - website built by Deanna Burks with Classic Pricing Kit and Custom Elements

Thank you so much! Do you have any other favorite tools that you use day-to-day?

Yes, I use HoneyBook to manage my clients - book and communicate with them, plus I use Acuity from Squarespace - for scheduling. I use Adobe Illustrator and Indesign of course, and Moyo Studio - to showcase my web designs. I’m a big fan of Grammarly, I use it religiously when I write. You know, sometimes my brain just fills in my blanks, and I have my husband proofread texts for me, and he is like - how did you even get this wrong? (laughs). So Grammarly it is!

What is a piece of advice you can share with all Squarespace (and not only) designers and creatives who are just starting out? What do you wish YOU knew back when you started?

I would tell them to really take their portfolio seriously. If you are worried about pricing - take a really hard look at your portfolio and make sure that you’re showcasing your best work, so that you feel confident in the pricing that you’re asking for. Make sure to not undercut your pricing, I think that’s unfair to the whole market - when you underprice people just to get jobs. I know some people just have to do that for work, to pay the bills, but I think that ultimately it ends up hurting everybody. And I know it’s scary, but try, just try to be confident in your pricing. If you’re constantly being told no, there may be a reason why you’re not getting the price you’re asking for. Really, you have to develop your own pricing based on your own needs. Evaluate what your own model is going to be, based on your overheads, and go from there. And like I said, put your best work out there, put your best pricing out there and win the day! 

pearlwed.com - website built by Deanna Burks with Classic Pricing Kit and Custom Elements

Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any other insights?

I don't think enough people know about you guys and I think more people should. I try to tell a lot of people about Squaremuse. You offer really great products that are so easy to use. And oh, your new Installer, it’s so amazing and easy to use - what a great idea, I love that! And oh my gosh, it gave me five hours of my day back, it’s super, super amazing, I’m very much in awe of that! And, I think you all should raise your prices, I really do! (we both laugh)

***

If you work in the creative industry, whether you are a photographer, floral artist, designer - whether you work with Squarespace or another platform, any type of artist, really - it’s so important to remember your true value. If you do your best, if you truly help your clients, if you put your best work out there - it deserves to be seen and valued accordingly. Do not sell yourself short. And like Deanna said: If people don’t like the way you handle your business - they are free to go somewhere else.

Deanna, thank you so much for opening up, for your wisdom and for these amazing insights!

Creatively yours, 

Squaremuse Team