Today we’d like to introduce you to Douglas Cardoso
Hi Douglas, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up, I consistently depended on creative outlets, which shifted in form throughout the years; drawing, graphic design, photography, video production, 3d modeling, etc. Over time, I noticed the codependent nature between science and art, which felt comforting as the son of a floral designer mother and a mechanical engineer father.
Unfortunately, many of my academic and professional interests conflicted, as society does not accommodate well for the aspiring polymath. So, I started mondegreen to pursue a career that enabled participation in both technical and creative work; after considerable time studying technical and artistic processes via mechanical engineering bachelors, integrated product design masters, and in-house / consulting settings across industry.
An essential inspiration, however, for creating mondegreen, was a late understanding that creative expression is restoratively therapeutic. I’ve wrestled with depression and suicide for most of my life. Creativity has reliably served as a sustainable coping mechanism. It is the mission of mondegreen to encourage “therapy through creative expression,” as we donate 50% of art sale proceeds to suicide prevention organizations.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Any path worth traveling will be riddled with adversity. A menacing and recurring challenge for artists (and creative firms) is to maintain a consistent sense of confidence. Its fluctuant nature leaves you feeling great about your work, at times, and feeling like a complete, confused imposter otherwise. Developing and preserving the discipline for self-belief is notably difficult, particularly in creative careers and when its compounded by the bounty of miscellaneous and unique small-business obstacles.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
mondegreen is an interdisciplinary creative studio based here in Austin; composed of artists, designers, & engineers. We foster community for local creatives, sell original art, design novel products, and offer our expertise to others. This expertise comes in the form of freelance / consulting services, including graphic, product, and concept design, but spans many areas of creative proficiency (e.g. branding and photography).
Our creative approach believes in simplicity, modesty, & elegance – which much of our original artwork and designed products aim to exemplify. There’s plenty of superfluous and unintentional noise in life (e.g. the average person makes ~35,000 decisions per day). It’s our responsibility, as artists and designers, to regulate, filter, and prioritize this noise for audiences. mondegreen derives more from less, via clean, intentional minimalism.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
[1] Manage your energy like you would time:
It’s easy to time block your schedule with tasks through an idealist lens. This hypothetical planning, however, does not consider the respective, required effort to complete a given task. Planning for time, without input energy considerations, inevitably will leave you fatigued and disappointed in productivity. Instead, the underrated practice of pairing effort/energy estimates with tasks can foster consistent efficiency and burn-out avoidance.
[2] Pursue opportunities that energize you (within your career and broadly in life):
It will do wonders for your holistic quality of life and fuel a sense of purpose.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mndgrn.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mndgrn__/
