Speaker Spotlight - Tim Scroggs
Co-Founder and Head of Strategy and Design of Futures Bright
Month: March | Theme: Identity
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your practice.
I’m really an accidental designer by way of furniture repair man and wannabe rock star. I didn’t get a computer until I was 25. I’ve been designing on and off for 10 years. I have two amazing kids, 10 and 6, that keep me connected to the present moment in play and imagination—which doesn’t come as easy as it used to. My wife and I Co-Founded and run a design studio together. Basically my practice consists of constantly overthinking everything. I bite down like a pit bull and don’t let go until it’s right—that is what has made me the designer I am today.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
There’s a legendary story in my family about this. The story goes that when I was a little kid we were visiting family and were all having dinner together. For some reason the attention of the whole table turned to me and I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I responded, “A squash.” Then, after everyone laughed they told me I couldn’t be a squash so I said, “ok, I guess I’ll just be a firetruck then.” Honestly, I can’t remember ever wanting to be one specific thing for very long. There were so many things. But ironically, I never remember wanting to be a designer! And it’s not because I didn’t want to be one, I had never heard of it growing up.
Can you remember when you first learned about your field of work? How did you discover what it was, and how did you know it was what you wanted to do?
I learned about design after recording my very first album in 2000. I burned a bunch of CDs for a show I was doing at a coffee shop in Asheville called the Dripolator. However, I didn’t have an album cover. So I figured it out using Microsoft Publisher on a computer in the office of my Father’s church at the time. And that was the beginning of my hack-designer career! It was also the beginning of my music career which lasted for several years. During that time I was designing our show posters, t-shirts, website, etc. By the end of it I was burned out and vowed never to do design work again. And then then the music industry tanked, we ran out of band money and my family started growing. There’s a much longer story here but I ended up going back to college which helped me make things right with my designer side. There, at UNC Asheville I fell in love with design. I loved being able to designe for someone else other than myself. Through the connections I made and work I did in college, I launched a company with my wife Meagan and that’s how we started our design careers.
What is the best part and hardest part of your job?
The best part is the freedom to think big and get creative. The hardest part is talking money.
What on-the-job tools do you use every day?
Adobe Cloud for design
Google chrome for research/inspiration
Webflow for website development
Sonos with Spotify and Apple music
Flow (getflow.com) for team communications and project management
Slack for client communications
What about your community inspires you?
The openness and real-factor of my community makes me very inspired. Our community is made up of beautifully real people, and they’re kind. I don’t do fake well.
What is the best piece of business advice you’ve been given?
Grow where you’re planted.
Can you name a moment of failure in your business experience that you learned from or that helped you improve your business or the way you work?
Failure comes pretty regularly. And I used to fear the “ultimate” failure. You know, like when you fail on a project and no one will hire you again and you end up destitute on the side of the road. But looking back on my career I recently discovered and interesting truth. I have never completely failed because I didn’t give up. I had times where it felt like I wasn’t going to get it right but if I kept going I knew I would find it. So as long as you keep going your successes will outnumber your failures. Just don’t give up.
What books/resources would you recommend to someone interested in furthering their creative practice, or starting a creative business of their own?
The Art of the Pitch by Peter Coughter (selling your work)
Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (becoming one with your work)
Traction by Gino Wickman (making a business out of your work)
If you were magically given three more hours per day, what would you do with them?
Sleep
Who are your favorite creators and makers, local and beyond?
This is going to sound sappy but I’d have to say my kids—because it’s still so pure. I smile when I see their pure and utter freedom.
