Interview Series: Zach Nelligan

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Pursuing your passion and turning it into a career is the American dream.  In this interview, Zach Nellian, tattoo artist and businessman, shares his life and what drives him.

Could you fill readers in on your background?

My name is Zach Nelligan.  I’m 26 years old and a life-long resident of Austin, TX.  I’m a tattooer and I work at Triple Crown Tattoo Parlour.  I have a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin.  Note of interest for people that might care:  AJ and I have been friends since the 3rd grade, and he’s always been a top notch dude.  Thank you so much for taking me into consideration for this.

When did you realize you wanted to be an artist as a profession?

Dolphins?
Bring ‘em on!  I’m also here to get paid, haha.

Weirdest?
I do a lot of weird tattoos.  It’s a niche I’ve broken into.  See the answer above, and I also did a skull eating a @#$%&# in this dude’s armpit.  That was an interesting challenge.

But, I Paid My Dues!

This man (Lloyd, assistant with a Stanford MBA) can quote from the entire stack [of movie scripts], that is what he is willing to put in for his own success. He’s paying his dues. When have you paid yours?- Ari Gold, Entourage

I don’t think often we are aware of when we are “paying our dues.”  When people make the claim that they’ve paid their dues, it smacks of self-entitlement.

As if something is owed to them because they did something they felt warranted whatever reward/promotion they sought.

No one owes you anything.

True, one should be aware of the value and contributions you bring to an organization, and not be afraid, tactfully to bring those to the attention of the powers that be, but generally, if your good, if you’ve got “it”, you will be recognized and elevated.

But not before someone believes you are.

Get that.  You present through actions, someone else decides that you have paid your dues (though you could decide to quit, I guess).

I like analogies, so here’s one.  You want to make varsity on your ______ team/squad, so you train, hard.  You miss out on dates, you miss out on family time, you have only one thing on your mind.  And when the time comes, you don’t make varsity.  You may think “But I did everything I was supposed to, I paid my dues!”

It doesn’t matter.  The coach, for whatever reason, didn’t believe you were ready.  You don’t decide when enough is enough (if you are choosing to work in an organization or firm).  You do evaluate your past moves, adjust where necessary, and persist towards your goal (this is fundamental in life, and in your career).

At 26 years old, I’m still in that “verge zone.”  And I enjoy it.  Along the way I’ve accumulated some great (at least learning) experiences.  Have I paid my dues?  I don’t know.  I do know I have made hard decisions concerning my career goals.  Where they the right ones?  Only time will tell.

Remember this: It’s not a matter of dues being paid, but of you becoming someone who is worthy of that next step.

//A.J.

Five Points on Persistence (Mine)

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“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” -Calvin Coolidge

Five Points on Persistence:

1.  Action

• Persistence requires action.  You don’t think about being persistent, you ARE persistent.  So you go knocking on doors.  You make the phone calls and emails.  You cultivate a network.  DO something.

2.  Create wins

• We all get down when set backs occur.  What helps is to re-frame your goal from all or nothing and into parts.  Imagine it broken down into pieces of a puzzle.  Each piece you gather and lock into place is a small victory.  A victory could be getting a five minute phone call with a potential mentor, or it can come by way of a “defeat”, like not getting THE job.  But say you made it to the second or final round.  And that had never happened before.  That’s a win.

3.  Be realistic

• Don’t be lofty.  OK, be lofty, but reasonable.  Being realistic can prevent you from burning out, or becoming disheartened when things are not going the way you imagined they would.  While one should “go big” in achieving their goal, it is easy to get caught up in the emotion of the idea of the goal.  For example, I can be as persistent as I want, but I will most likely not NEVER ever, play in the NBA and NFL.  Just out of the realm of possibility.  Conversely, completing a triathlon would not be.  However, I’m not going to be able to complete one tomorrow.

4.  Have enablers

• There’s the saying that you are the company you keep.  The collective traits of your friends and associates can rub off on you for good or bad.  In the context of persistence, having peers with this trait can be helpful for days when you aren’t feeling as motivated or just plain down about the whole process in achieving your goal.

5.  Follow-through

• Persistence means taking 1,000 steps if necessary, not just one or two.

Hope these help!

//A.J.

Back and RISE

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BACK

Greetings!  To say I’m glad and relieved to be through (hopefully) with the Texas bar *knock on wood* is an understatement.  Controlled fugue state comes mind.  The two and half days of testing intense flashed so fast.  In any event, it’s out of my life for the time being.

So what now?

Filling the void left by the export of so much (alleged) legal knowledge from my mind is a high task.  But a few goals surfaced this weekend that had been shelved for bar preparations.  A major one, and an endeavor that has been on going since coming back to Austin is community involvement.  There’s still so much about my town (since the 3rd grade) that I’ve yet to take part in.  Which brings me to RISE.

RISE

RISE is a week long series of “free conference[s] for entrepreneurs of all types, providing a forum where you can connect and exchange ideas that inspire the entrepreneurial spirit.”  I heard about this coincidentally at my first post-bar event at Goodwill of Central Texas’s Hall of Honor.

While not an entrepreneur, yet, there is still a lot to be gleamed from attending a conference or two.  First, you expose yourself to new ideas.  Second, you have the opportunity to NETWORK with like minded individuals (or not-so-likeminded individuals).  And lastly, because the cost of attending any of the RISE conferences FREE.

Yes, FREE.

You will have to put down on $20 deposit when you register, but you only lose it if you fail to attend.  A fair deal.  Conferences are hosted all over Austin, and you can view them by numerous categories but key are location (mine are all downtown) and time (all of mine are first thing in the morning, 8 am).

I’ll be attending three, “Gaining Momentum Through Public Relations,” “Design Your Value Proposition To Separate Yourself From Competitors,” and “Bootstrap 101.”

I believe in these uncertain times, for everyone, but especially for Gen-Y, knowledge, along with your networks, is the most powerful tools in your employment arsenal.  But not just a certain knowledge and specific networks, but those that are cross-blended among many fields; better suited to optimally receive opportunities presented, and contribute value to others in your networks (along with yourself).

So, check out RISE, find something your interested in, and check it out.  For FREE!

Glad to be a part of the world again.

//A.J.

The Bar Grind

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Hello all!  If you’ve noticed a slight break in my somewhat reliable posting frequency, it’s because I’m stuffing my brain studying for the very important Texas bar exam.  In the midst of this I’m also attempting to follow through on another high priority goal.

Between these, trying to stay in decent shape at Life Time Fitness, and a quick nap here and there; I have little time to contemplate new posts, let alone draft them.  That being said, I will be posting infrequently (hopefully twice weekly).

Thankfully, this will all be over at the end of next month.

In conclusion, thanks to you all for visiting my blog, reading and leaving comments.  Please continue to do so.  I will be back to normalcy soon!

Prayers for my success on the bar, and most importantly donations to my post-bar fund (non-deductible) are welcome!

//A.J.