You Don't Need a Motion Design Job - You Need a Life | FutureProof '26 Keynote

Joey's keynote at Ringling College's FutureProof '26 isn't really about business - it's about a question most motion designers never stop to ask: what do you actually want?

The talk walks through why building your life around a job is backwards, and what to do instead. Joey shares his own story - from teaching himself Final Cut Pro in a dorm room to pre-selling a course that didn't exist yet - and pulls out the patterns he wishes someone had shown him earlier.

Along the way he covers:

• Why "I want a job at [dream studio]" is the wrong answer - and what to replace it with

• The "perfect day" exercise that helped Joey redesign his own life and career

• A real-world example of why shipping something ugly beats waiting until it's perfect (Frame Rate vs. Frender)

• How Joey pre-sold Animation Bootcamp before recording a single lesson - and why that move saved the whole thing

• Why most people aren't afraid of failure - they're afraid it'll actually work

• The traits Joey says are the clearest signals you're wired to build something of your own

There's also a solid Q&A at the end covering toxic clients, using "student" as a secret weapon for networking, and overcoming perfectionism.

Ready to start designing your career intentionally? All-Access gives you every School of Motion course - so you can build the skills that support the life you actually want.