Pay-what-you-can Mentorship
One-on-one, 45 minute mentorship sessions and lettering feedback open to everyone
is this for real?
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Earlier this summer, like many people this year, I got laid off. Being unemployed in the middle of a pandemic is not easy, but I’m doing okay because I was able to put aside money, because I’m an expat in a country that has worker-friendly laws, because I had a relatively highly-paid corporate job that gave me a great leaving package (which I got because of my professional training and experiences, which I completed because I had the possibility to move to NYC at 23 to pursue my dream of becoming a designer)… In short, because of my privilege.
Self-perpetuating cycles of privilege are why I am living my unemployment much, much differently than most and why I will probably get back on my feet without too much difficulty. Though I worked hard to get to this point in my career, I am well aware that many have worked just and hard (and often harder) for same opportunities only to have doors shut in their faces because of their race, sex, gender identity, name, upbringing, age, religion, disability, etc.
I understand that access to learning opportunities is far from equal. High-quality workshops and online courses are often prohibitively expensive and/or based in urban centers, out of reach for most. I want to try, in my own small way, to close this gap.
I’ve taught workshops to over 300 designers, given talks at conferences in the US, France, and Australia, and guest-lectured at SVA, Pratt, and Parsons. I invite you to take advantage of this opportunity, to allow me to share my experience with you, to use me as a resource to help you reach your career goals.
You don’t necessarily want to book a session, but wish to support this project?
Nick could see nuances that I inherently knew needing fixing, despite not being exactly sure how to get there. His technical comments streamlined everything I had been fiddling with for too long with so much ease and precision. It gave the project that last push, allowing me to feel confident passing it along to the client as "final," while giving me the confidence that I had achieved what I intended.
—RACHEL MICHAUD
What we can talk about?
I ask attendees to come prepared with a question or topic to discuss. Some options could be:
Your vision for your career, regardless of when you got into lettering/design
Running a small design business (invoicing, keeping track of projects)
Going freelance and perhaps getting an agent
Pricing and licensing your work
Curating a strong portfolio or Instagram account to get more of the work you wan to do
Starting a successful passion project, like I did with Fauxsaics.
Otherwise, we can get very specific and discuss a particular project you’re working on, I’ll give you practical, detailed feedback to improve the typography and lettering of your piece and the resources to help you push it farther.
As you can see, lettering suggestions and tips are hyper-personalized and can get very, very specific. Design by Samir Naimi
Who is this for?
Sessions are open to anyone from seasoned professionals wanting to get another set of eyes on a particularly challenging client project to students of all ages needing a bit of guidance as they start their careers.
I honestly felt so inspired after talking with Nick. He is incredibly articulate and thoughtful and found patterns in my work that I couldn't see. He immediately identified the strongest pieces and showed me how my message was getting muddled by the way I was presenting my work. He helped me strengthen and clarify my social presence, and within a few weeks my freelance requests skyrocketed. It gave me a ton of confidence and much clearer focus on the path I want to take. I can't recommend Nick enough, as an artist, a mentor, and a person.
—KATIE JOHNSON
OTHER FAQs
How much does it cost? You should pay only what you can (if you need a suggested pricing guideline, scroll to the bottom of the page). If you choose to give more than the suggested price below, the difference will be given to a non profit of my choice (more info on that below)
Even $1? Yes! Though I ask that you give an amount that is appropriate to your means. Doing so allows me to continue offering this service.
How long is a session? 45 minutes.
Do you only offer sessions in English? No, in addition to English, we can also speak Italian or French.
How do I book a session? Once you click on any of the “book a session” buttons (or right here), you’ll be taken to my schedule where you can find and purchase a slot that works for you. When the time of your session comes around, log into Skype and I’ll call you!
Can I book multiple sessions? I ask you only book one session at the time. If you’d like to continue working together, you are welcome to book another session. However, sessions must be at least 1 month apart from each other.
What happens if I need to reschedule? Because of demand, I can’t offer the possibility to reschedule. If you can’t make your session, please let me know at least 48h before, so I can free the slot for someone else. You are then welcome to rebook the next available slot.
What if I’m not happy with my session? My first priority is that these sessions are as useful as possible to you and your career. If you are not happy with your session, please let me know and we’ll work something out.
What if I don’t have Skype? Skype is free, super easy to use and can be downloaded here.
Suggested pricing
Please keep in mind that these sessions are pay-what-you-can and fully based on the honor system. There is no shame in paying $5 or $10 or even $1 if that is honestly all you have at your disposal at this time. I mean that!
All students, regardless of how much they pay, will be treated the same and get the same quality 1-on-1 session.
That said, if you feel like you are able to pay full price, or if you don’t know where to begin, here is a suggested pricing chart
SUGGESTED Full price for professionals $75
SUGGESteD REDUCED price for STUDENTS $45
As a reminder, if your finances allow you to pay over the suggested amount, the difference will be given to a non profit of my choice (see section below)
The small print
I reserve the right to end a session at any time
Refunds are not guaranteed unless I am unable to show up or need to cancel for any reason. Outside of that instance, refunds are handled on a case-by-case basis
I reserve the right to change my schedule or end this program at any time
I reserve the right to refuse a session for any non-financial reason. In other words, I may refuse a session if our last one was less than a month ago, but I may not refuse a session on the basis of how much you paid for it.
I can change the charity I donate whenever I want, but it will always and only be benefitting one the following communities: BIPOC, LGBTQ+, migrants or immigrants, or animal rights.