This article is part of a series where we want to highlight you guys, the readers. If you want to see all of the interviews we have done, go check out the landing page for the series here.
Michael Hamilton is one of those readers that doesn’t just consume content. Oh no. Nor does he just leave comments, reply to us on social media, and shoot us awesome emails, of which any one of those things is amazing. The man is hilarious and may go down in ChurchMag podcast lore for his no-arms YouTube video which you can see here.
Here is my interview with Michael.
- One social media account you use the most?
I’m a designer by trade, so Instagram and the Behance Network are always going to be No. 1. Then Twitter and Facebook are a very tight second. - Have you ever served in your church’s tech ministry?
YES! That’s how I got my start actually. I was a young Christian, and my Pastor needed a position filled so I stepped up. From there I met some really awesome people, and grew my network of friends, mentors, and some clients as well. I’m not paid by my church, I’m 150% volunteer and that’s perfectly fine by me. - What biggest need do you see the Church having with technology and creativity?
For creativity, the biggest need is in our storytelling. The secular world can tell such compelling and unique stories to drive people to watch, listen, and interact. My question is, why can’t the Church do that? While I definitely feel that we have the ability do so, I also believe it’s been a real struggle for us for a long time. It’s getting better, slowly but surely.In technology, I think the Church’s problem is just trying to spread itself too thin. When something new comes out like VR or augmented reality, we tend to blindly jump on board without really thinking it through, asking ourselves “how is this going to help us serve people better”. Instead we throw the spaghetti at the wall and hope it sticks. - What nerdy thing do you love right now on television, movies, or the web?
Okay, so this will sound a bit weird but, I LOVE old monster movies. Especially Kaiju moves (Godzilla would be the most well known from the genre). The older stuff was the best. Takes me back when I was a kid. My wife and I love The Walking Dead, but other than that we don’t watch a lot of tv. I’ll watch videos produced by Lynda.com, Udemy, or Skillshare. I love to learn and grow as a designer so that’s what I focus on. I’m currently teaching myself the Foundations 6 framework. - Favorite podcast and why?
This is not a fair question because I have so many I look forward to every week. Besides the ChurchMag podcast, I’m gonna say The Resourceful Designer podcast from Mark Des Cote. I love this one because Mark talks about what it’s like to own and operate a graphic design business, while giving some pretty practical tips and tricks.Honorable Mentions include: 99% Invisible, WP Innovator, The Gospel Driven Entrepreneur, The Deeply Graphic Design Cast, and This Week In Tech. - What is the last great article you read on ChurchMag and why did you enjoy it?
I’m very bad for getting behind on my reading, but the last one I read that I thought was a great one was “Social Media, Depression, and the Holiday Season” by Phil Schneider. First of all I enjoy Phil’s writing style. He’s plain spoken and get’s to the point that’s what I love. This article was great because I was able to share it with several friends that really struggle during the
holidays. Either because of a loss, or just because they don’t have a really strong support community around them. So the fact that this article could have a chance to help someone is awesome.
Michael Hamilton says
Hey thanks Jeremy for reaching out to me to do this. It was fun!
Donna Hamilton says
Great interview with Mike, he’s our son and of course we’re very proud of him and the work JESUS is doing in his life. I’ve never seen churchm.ag before, but I’ve enjoyed it, and will be looking in from time to time from now on.