From Freelance Grit To Children’s Lit: A Designer’s Charleston Story

How are we doing? Who do you want to learn from next? Text us with notes and ideas.A fired-then-flourishing designer, a flying carriage horse, and a city that rewards creative grit—this conversation with Andrew Barton is a masterclass in turning curiosity into a career. We swap polished origin myths for the real story: cold calls from a phone book, a first agency break with a so-so portfolio, and the moment he decided to bet on himself after an ill-fitting leadership role. What follows is a candid look at freelancing in Charleston, where relationships travel faster than résumés and a carefully crafted email beats a dozen scattered posts.Andrew walks us through building a client base without chasing every platform. His secret is deceptively simple: make your newsletter actually useful. From printable cards to small illustrations, he treats readers like clients and clients like collaborators, bringing them inside the design process and proving that clear writing drives great visuals. That clarity-first approach shows up in his most beloved project—Hayward the Horse—where a flying tour guide helps kids and newcomers fall in love with Charleston’s history. We break down the self-publishing playbook too: pricing for retail, choosing print specs that elevate the product, and doing the unglamorous work of distribution.We also tackle the question on every creative’s mind: where does AI fit? Andrew shares the fog he felt when image models took off—and why he now sees AI as an amplifier for writing, code, and production polish rather than a replacement for taste and trust. If you’re a student, solopreneur, or marketing leader, you’ll walk away with practical ideas: get an internship, ship personal projects, invest in community, and obsess over clarity. Subscribe, share with a creative friend, and tell us: what’s the next bold step you’re taking after listening?South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) is a public, nonprofit organization that fuels South Carolina’s innovation economy by supporting technology-based startups, academic research, and industry partnerships. Through funding, coaching, and its investment arm SC Launch, SCRA helps early-stage companies grow, commercialize ideas, and scale within the state’s key innovation sectors.Support the showTitle Sponsor: Charleston American Marketing AssociationPresenting Sponsor: Charleston Media SolutionsAnnual Sponsor: ‪SCRA; South Carolina Research AuthorityQuarterly Sponsor: King and ColumbusCAMACast Cohosts: Stephanie Barrow, Mike Compton, Rachel Backal, Tom Keppeler, Amanda Bunting Comen, Silicon Harbor Hot Take Host: Stanfield Gray, https://digsouth.comProduced and edited: RMBO AdvertisingPhotographer | Co-host: Kelli MorseScore by:  The Strawberry Entrée; Jerry Feels Good, CURRYSAUCE, DBLCRWN, DJ DollaMenuStudio Engineer: Brian Cleary and Mathew ChaseYouTube...