I've made the jump to full time

[hdesign]

First, I wanted to start off by thanking everyone for their support, loyalty and extreme patience while I attempted to balance both my Industrial Design job and my obsession for custom car art and design. Without the great people I've met and had the opportunity to help along the way this would have remained only a dream for me. While I'm at it, I want to extend a special thank you to Larry for providing the perfect environment for for car guys and artists alike.

This is a very nerve-racking venture I'm embarking on as many of you can attest to I'm sure. A steady paycheck in a great job is a tough thing to walk away from especially with a family and a mortgage. However, I've always believed in the philosophy that "the biggest risk is never taking one" and I certainly don't want to reach my twilight years looking back and saying "What if....?"

That said, I made the decision to give my notice yesterday afternoon and I'm ready to move forward. I simply got sick of forcing my very patient clients to wait and the constant all-nighters were really taking a toll on me. It wasn't fair to my family, my employer, or my clients. So, I have some loose ends that need to be tied up for the next couple weeks but after that I'm on my own.

My plans are to finish up all of the projects for people that have been waiting FOREVER first, then onto the development and launch of my completely overhauled website courtesy of Scott at Lateral-g.net. There will be an updated gallery, press releases, an online store for prints and shirts and whatever else you guys would like to see. I'd love to hear your input.

So, thanks again everyone for your interest and encouragement over the past few years! I look forward to hearing from you anytime!:bow:

Ben

[WS6]

Hey congrats on taking the leap. I hope it works out for you. You do excellent work and I think computer renderings are really coming into their own as a way to save a lot of time and money for people who may be wavering on a certain feature. This could be the start of something big. I'm glad I have a front row seat. Good luck Ben.

[96Z28SS]

Awesome, Congratulations
Well you know that we (my real job) try to keep you busy and most likely why your so behind on alot of work. Hey but it aint my fault.

Oh and don't tell John your doing full time. He'll be calling you all the time. Caller ID will be your friend.

[vipercuda]

Anyone thinking of using Ben needs to know what a great job he does, I never knew how he juggled both deals. He has great ideas and vision. I would recommend him to anyone out there. Please feel free to call me if you have more questions. I will tell you from my experience with him all you need to do is point him in the direction you want to go and he will get you there with a car that will be beyond your expectations. He literally blew my mind with the Cannibal. I wanted a cool 72-73 charger, I had a 73 charger as my first car and he created in my opinion-the best looking charger ever-out of a 72-73 charger... Best of luck Ben but you won't need it.

Thanks
Mike
Time Machines
813-789-6719 cell

[1968CamaroSS_Sam]

Congratulations on your next move. You have produced some amazing work. I am certain you will be just fine in any of your endeavors. Good luck and best of wishes.

[cmraman]

I did the same thing only out of necessity. I had a full time gig and I was shooting car features for PHR. When I got laid off Feb. 07 I decided to go for it fulltime. It hasn't been without it's struggles, but I am glad that I did. I have such a great opportunity to work with the best in the biz, namely, Johnny Hunkins, Troy Trepanier, Jim and Mike Ring, Alan Johnson, Brent Jarvis, just to name a few. I have grown into 2 other mags and hope to get into more this year. It is difficult with mortgage and kids, i know. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Good luck. Hope to see you at some event sometime. :6gears:
__________________
Robert McGaffin
McGaffin Digital Photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rkmphot...7594214498126/

[TonyL]

Congratulations! Starting your own thing can be scary. I hope we get to work together on something soon!

[69TAPoser]

Congrats Ben! :twothumbs

Some apparel would be really cool!

Phil

[trapin]

Congrats Ben. The new website should be off the hook. Gulbranson does some mad work.

[68/CamaroFL]

Congratulations Ben! Wishing you all the best! :yeah:

[ProMC1]

Congratulations Ben,
I also did not know that the car design thing was an after hours only thing for you. I think it is important to do what you love. I have been self employed since I was 21. That was 20 years ago and I can honestly say that the only thing I regret was probably not taking more chances. I have a little advise. If car design is your business and not your hobby then you need to treat it as such. It is more about goals and planning than it is about what you charge for your services. Also, please try to find yourself a mentor. Not a partner, but preferrably someone with a business background that you can bounce ideas off of and that you can trust. Good luck and I will talk to you soon. Weldon Whitehurst

[wiedemab]

Congrats - that's awesome. With the quality of work that I've seen you put out, I'm sure you'll more successful that you can imagine. Keep up the good work!

[paulk68]

best of luck Ben, seeing your work i think that you are going to have no trouble at all getting work. a couple of the automotive art things i would like more of
1. t-shirts (really nice looking protouring t-shirts)
2. wall art (pictures posters banners)

look forward to seeing the new website

[HotWhls]

I hope everything works out for you. You gotta have a lotta guts to start new.

[rob07002]

Truely the American dream! Someday I hope to join you as my own boss and become an entrepreneur.

I wish you all the luck in your new venture!

[Tony_SS]

Ben - Big Congrats!!

I made the plunge to go part time at my old full time job about this time last year, then a few months later, I went balls out and put in my 2 weeks notice. I couldn't be happier.

Good luck to you & PM coming your way.

[GHOSTDANCER]

Congratulations :cool:

[Chevrolaine]

Congrats! I wish you the best of luck.:cheers:

[Martin71RS]

Cool move to make your passion your work! good luck!
Martin

[Bigblue73]

Congrats Ben - I actually thought that you WERE doing this full time by all the magazines you have been in. Since you are now full time, you will eventually need more business. Put me in line....PM sent.

[Larry Callahan]

Congrats going full time. I'm pretty sure you will be able to keep busy.

Ben does great work and I love the rendering he did for me.

https://www.pro-touring.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=14556

[Turbo67camaro]

Cannibal and MotiV8R renderings look outstanding !

Work hard and smart, and with your talent, success is inevitable.

Greatness comes from relentless pursuit of your passions.

Mike

[BA.]

best of luck Ben, seeing your work i think that you are going to have no trouble at all getting work. a couple of the automotive art things i would like more of
1. t-shirts (really nice looking protouring t-shirts)
2. wall art (pictures posters banners)

look forward to seeing the new website


Congrats Ben!! Best of luck man!!


I may be the ony one thinking this, but how COOL would it be to have a banner of your car's photo-chop up in your garage!!

Way cool. You really should look into offering other ideas like that!

[novanutcase]

Congratulations Ben! Good luck on your new venture! I know how you feel as I also did it this year and thank god it's turned out OK!

John

[hdesign]

Thanks for the encouragement and advice!

Lots of great ideas for the online store too. I will definitely have prints/posters/banners, and apparel to start. At some point I want to get into billet and composite parts along with some wheels. We'll see how it goes...baby steps!

[PRRC]

Ben, Congrats. We know first hand what its like to walk away from a well paying job and stick your neck out. Both Jim and I did the same thing. You have the talent you need to succeed. I'm sure we can send you plenty of work.
Tim & Jim

[Scott Parkhurst]

That's awesome Ben!

As a guy who recently went freelance full-time, I understand your concerns.

I wish you all the very best, and like the others here I'm confident you'll have great success!

PS- How about some love for the Chevelle guys? LOL!!

~SP~

[hdesign]

Scott, plenty of love for A-bodies and Chevelles here! I'm actually shocked by how few I get a chance to work on. I did the butternut yellow 69 vert for V8TV last year and I did a 69 hardtop for Pass Performance last fall. Both were fun projects!

[23corner_blitz]

congrats :cool:

[Lessk]

Congrats and I hope everything goes as planned and then some! Your work is something I wish I had the talent for. I'll be happy to see more of your work going public.

[67turbostang]

Congratulations Ben!! Now you can get some more sleep:lmao: . Im sure the business will do great. You have great talent and a real good eye on design.

[hdesign]

It's official, today was my last day. It felt a little strange leaving today but I look forward to what the future holds.

[markd]

It's official, today was my last day. It felt a little strange leaving today but I look forward to what the future holds.

Ben:

Congratulations on your first big step towards your new career! Don’t look back; focus on the future and I am sure everything will work out

Good luck,

Mark