Today we’d like to introduce you to Tammy Huynh.
Tammy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In college, I pursued a Sociology degree but consistently worked and never took Graphic Design class but always wanted to work in the field of design. So, I worked as a freelance designer from design internships to a couple of small gigs — this helped me build and understand not only design but business.
Working in this field allowed me to work with multi-level prospects from higher education to small businesses to help them brand and market themselves which also exposed me to Atlanta’s Art and Culture. This inspired me to open The Creative Folks as a blog, which aimed to provide digital resources for Atlanta’s artists (specifically freelancers). From writing about my experiences to my own tips, I figured that’s all I wanted The Creative Folks to be.
Later, I met two contributor writers, one from the U.K. one from Atlanta who were interested in writing for the blog to have a platform of published work, this sparked a new direction for The Creative Folks as it now moved over to a publication with staff writers and contributing writers.
We now run as a publishing/creative media online, but I intend to push for initiatives to provide more event-based resources such as niche-specific networking.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road because of the nature of being in the position that runs the business. From the little things like getting flyers printed or applying for art shows/press passes and bigger things such as managing team workflows or the process of getting interns.
Secondly, I think of the struggle of continuing a passion project and to keep that passion burning for it. But, every day I remind myself about why I started it and I truly learn everyday when working on this business while still making daily mistakes.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Creative Folks – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
The Creative Folks started off as a blog that was dedicated to just digital resources for Atlanta Artists, specifically freelancers. Many of the posts were focused on pricing, branding, tips and tricks to doing well in freelance, and giving the hard truth of freelancing. Eventually, The Creative Folks turned into a creative media company as more freelance artists joined on board to write and others became interested in building The Creative Folks into something bigger.
Then, The Creative Folks became a functioning team that wanted to provide more for artists, we’re taking initiatives so that by the end of the year we’ll be full-functioning. As of now, we’re still in the planning and building foundation process.
I’m most proud of the dedication everyone has for a common goal. Aside from this, I think we’re like other media companies in Atlanta, but we’re built from a team of millennials who see that artists in Atlanta need more exposure, support, and platforms for their art — we want to be the one that provides it for them.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We have a lot of things in store, but sometimes when you speak upon them, they might not come true. For sure the little things, such as a newsletter, more campaigns, and fundraising to big things such as hosting events, creating an office space for our team, and networking with others in the Atlanta area.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thecreativefolks.org
- Email: letstalk@thecreativefolks.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thecreativefolks
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecreativefolks
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