Hey Reader! Glad we can meet again đź’«
Finally back from what was supposed to be a lil’ holy-work-day break… though I guess it was never a real break-break. I ended up diving into the reintroduction of Dan Mall’s “Pricing Design,” which, let’s be honest, is pretty darn exciting—so who’s complaining?
Before diving deeper, I still want to wish y'all a slightly belated but nonetheless warm and fuzzy welcome to the new year. I hope you and everyone you care about are well.
As an introvert, I’m not really the big family-reunion-kind of person, but there’s something in the air when a new year is just around that corner that energizes the heck out of me.
It makes me refocus on the things that matter, the things that will matter.
Hitting Pause on MONDAY WORKDAY
Let’s talk MONDAY WORKDAY for a moment. I launched it back in late February with a double goal:
- To loosen my death grip on perfectionism (any fellow perfectionists out there?).
- To give back to the community by handpicking the most interesting creative opportunities in Belgium and The Netherlands.
For 11 months straight, I devoted three hours every Sunday evening to curate 25+ creative gigs, design quick visuals, and sneak in one tiny improvement each time — maybe a fresh layout, maybe an After Effects template that shaved off 20 minutes of busywork. These baby steps kept me going for a good while.
But by the end of 2024, I had to admit that adding more bells and whistles wasn’t really adding more value. I mean, sure, I could polish the website further, or cram in every job listing tag under the sun, but it wouldn’t raise the bar in a big way. Plus, despite building an impressive audience (thanks to all of you!), many companies just didn’t seem to care or respond.
On top of that, I’m eager to dip my toes into a more international market. I feel this urgent need to grow — as a person, as a designer, and especially in my work. If I keep devoting three hours a week to hunting for job listings in Belgium and The Netherlands, I’ll lose precious time and mental space I want to invest in leveling up my craft.
So What Now?
So, I’m pausing MONDAY WORKDAY in its current form. Does that mean I’m finished sharing gigs forever? Nope. If a sweet opportunity crosses my path, I’ll happily pass it along. It just won’t be the main event every Sunday evening.
I’m thinking and working on spinning up a (mostly) weekly newsletter, a blog maybe. Focusing on my creative adventures — ranging from design tips to behind-the-scenes process and maybe a cameo from the occasional job post. If that’s your jam – and I hope it is – please stick around. For those who mainly want the Monday job stuff, check out Tom Cole’s “yaymonday.be.” Tom’s still out there doing the thing, and I love that someone’s keeping the Monday dream alive.
I recently learned about The David — this idea that progress isn’t always about piling on more; sometimes it’s about removing what’s unnecessary so you can reveal the masterpiece underneath. For me, that means recognizing when a project has reached “enough for now,” giving myself permission to move on, and making room for new horizons. That’s exactly what I’m doing.
On That Note… Pricing Design with Dan Mall
Speaking of new adventures, I recently partnered with Dan Mall to reintroduce his book Pricing Design. This second edition goes beyond the original 2016 release and is now freely accessible online. Dan explains:
“In March of 2024, A Book Apart closed their doors and gave authors back the rights to their books. Around the same time, more designers than ever needed guidance on pricing their work. So, I decided to release a second edition of Pricing Design… It’s been almost 9 years since I wrote the book, so there’s a ton more I’ve learned about pricing that I want to share!”
I had the absolute pleasure of crafting the new Pricing Design website. The idea is to make it super accessible — online-first, with a paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions on the way. I couldn’t be more excited to help Dan empower designers worldwide in taking control of their financial futures.
If you’re a freelancer (or thinking about taking the leap), head over to snag the free PDF or read the book for free at pricingdesignbook.com.
Anyway, thank you for joining me on this journey. Whether you came along for the job listings or because you vibe with my all-over-the-place design ramblings, I appreciate you. Here’s to new horizons, fresh newsletters, and giving ourselves the freedom to say, “I’ll let this rest for now.”
Talk soon (with all sorts of new stuff)!
PS: next to Dan's Pricing Design, I also got to work on a new branding for The Belgian Canadian Association of British Columbia. Project now live on Dribbble.
PPS: Updated the portfolio. It'll be the home to a whole lot of new projects. Like a blog for instance, or opusd.ai đź‘€.
PPPS: VRT NWS is hiring a Motion Designer in Brussels (hybrid)
​https://bit.ly/3DTM9rz​
PPPPS: Kapmes is hiring a Creative Marketeer in Hasselt (hybrid)
​https://bit.ly/4jjfR9J​
PPPPPS: WeWantMore is hiring a Production Manager in Antwerp
​https://bit.ly/3CCAIE4​
​
​