Herson Rodriguez

I'm on Backyard Designers and I think it's awesome. This place attacks everything all day, and a few people made a fun thing that brings some joy back. Support stuff like that. But I understand the feeling of being left out too. No one loves feeling forgotten or unseen. You're in the circle or you're not. I've felt it most of my career. I freelanced for all the big startups but was never "part of that crowd." A lot of "influencers" here think I'm that weird guy. I'm the shy quiet kid who got told to smile more, who got asked why are you so quiet, until people made me feel wrong for just being myself. But I like being weird. I like being different. Nobody invited me to speak at Adobe MAX but they hired me to design keynote stuff for $75,000. Nobody invited me to speak at Config, but Figma paid me $10K to tweet about it once. The only time I ever spoke at a design conference was because I was already there filming a documentary and a famous CEO had to cancel last minute. Few hours notice, zero prep. One of their best talks ever so I'm told and asked me to come back immediately to every conference. Oh, and Drew Wilson asked me to talk about health once at Valiocon, not design. Meanwhile I was the most featured designer on Behance and top 20 on Dribbble back when Dribbble was cool. But I was "just a freelancer." Epicurrence existed because these people never invited me to talk about design. I got tired of being left out, so I built my own thing. And hosting it became my biggest struggle: people hated me because they never got an invite, or hated me because the events were built around surfing and snowboarding, "not for everyone." Every list breaks somebody's heart. I've been on both sides. So don't be upset you're not on BYD. Be upset if you wanted in and didn't do anything about it. I was stuck in TN wanting to be where the action was, so I moved to SF... for 15 years. Brian Lovin and Bryn Jackson moved to SF knowing no one and started a podcast together. Became two goats that were immediately connected. Most of you don't even know who Shane Mielke is, the greatest designer of all time. Literally if there was a GOAT of web design it's Shane. Guess what...not on BYD. He literally designs interfaces for rockets. Not being on Backyard Designers doesn't matter. Me never getting invited to MAX or Config didn't matter. What matters is what you do with the wanting. Make your own fun thing with somebody. Or just be nice, show up, and network your way into friendships. Literally do anything but be upset at people doing good stuff. "Easy to say, you're on it." I am now. I wasn't before. I worked hard, stayed weird, got liked, got hated, and took all of it because that's what comes with being yourself and putting yourself out there every day.