20 Puzzle Maker
What is it Like Being a Professional Puzzle Maker
On this episode of the Unboxing Careers Podcast, Greg Zakowicz unboxes the career of a professional puzzle maker with Jodi Jill.
Guest: Jodi Jill is a professional puzzle maker, writer, syndicated columnist, and speaker. She loves to share her experiences of the world as she explores how the world works. Jodi is also the founder of National Puzzle Day, an annual holiday celebrated by millions of people all in the name of puzzle fun.
Connect with Jodi:
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What We Discuss:
Introduction and Types of Puzzles
Jodi's Journey into Puzzle Making
The Easiest and Hardest Puzzles to Make
Finding Balance and Creativity
The Most Rewarding Part of Puzzle Making
Breaking into the Puzzle Making Industry
Dispelling Misconceptions about Puzzle Making
Pursuing Dreams and Overcoming Setbacks
This episode of the Unboxing Careers podcast episode features Jodi Jill, the founder of National Puzzle Day, and explores Jill's journey as a professional puzzle creator, detailing her passion for puzzles, the process of making different types of puzzles, and the challenges of building a career in the puzzle industry. Jill shares anecdotes about her unique path to literacy, and offers advice to aspiring puzzle makers about navigating the industry, finding their niche, and developing their craft.
How Did You Get Started Making Puzzles?
Jodi Jill, creator of National Puzzle Day and professional puzzle maker, didn't learn to read until she was 16. She found that games and puzzles in the library helped her learn to read. Puzzles gave her a way to challenge herself without letting anyone know she struggled with reading. The library was the starting point for her puzzle career that has spanned over 30 years.Jodi didn’t know anyone who liked puzzles as much as she did, so she started making puzzles for others to enjoy in honor of National Puzzle Day. She credits consistency as being extraordinarily important in the puzzle business.
What is the Most Challenging Type of Puzzle to Make?
While the difficulty of making a puzzle varies depending on the person, Jodi finds crossword puzzles to be the most challenging. She explained that this is because crossword puzzle enthusiasts are often so skilled at solving them. Jodi says, "It's all on how much skill set the other person has and how much skill set you have when you're actually looking at the puzzle that you do."
She further explained that a lot of research goes into describing something in a way that will make the solver think. When constructing a crossword puzzle, she strives to make them as challenging as possible, and is always surprised by how quickly some people can solve them.
What Does a Typical Week Look Like for a Puzzle Maker?
Jodi's week as a puzzle maker is quite varied.
Early in the week, she focuses on the creation of puzzles. For example, she recently spent a few days creating a batch of Brain Bafflers. She begins by determining the word structures for the puzzles, and then places the words into graphs, types them up, and reviews them. After she reviews them, someone else reviews the puzzles.
She also dedicates time to community engagement. She visits libraries to learn about the puzzle preferences of the community. Throughout the week, Jodi also connects with high school students and visits libraries to talk about puzzles. She brings puzzles and plays games with them to spark their interest.
A significant portion of her week is devoted to research, which she enjoys immensely.This research helps her determine factors like the number of pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, the target audience, and the printing process. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the emotional experience people have while working on puzzles.
Jodi also manages multiple puzzle websites.She updates her websites regularly, uploads new puzzles for free play, and engages with users who provide feedback.
Jodi carves out time for herself. She enjoys scootering with her dog on the Pacific Ocean boardwalk. This time provides a break from work and allows her to find inspiration from the people she encounters.
What is the Most Tedious Part of Being a Puzzle Maker?
The most tedious part of being a puzzle maker, according to Jodi Jill in her Unboxing Careers podcast interview, is proofreading. She proofreads every puzzle multiple times to ensure that there are no errors because even a single mistake can ruin the solver's experience. For instance, if a crossword puzzle is missing one letter, it won't be solvable. Jodi mentioned that she plays each puzzle three or four times herself and has at least five other people play them before she considers them finished.
Jodi finds proofreading especially tedious because she doesn't want to disappoint puzzle solvers with mistakes. She sometimes struggles with spelling because she didn't learn to read until she was 16 years old. Although Jodi finds proofreading to be a very tedious process, she acknowledges the importance of it. She explained that she has a process to ensure that each puzzle is the best it can be. Once a puzzle has been played six times, she said that she has to "kick it out the door" because worrying about it won't do any good.
What Do You Wish You Knew Before Becoming a Puzzle Maker?
Jodi Jill said that she wishes she had known the people in the puzzle business sooner. She thinks it would have been helpful to connect with others in the field and learn from their experiences. Jodi noted that puzzle makers tend to work independently and don't have a lot of time to collaborate. She thinks this is partly because there are so few full-time, professional puzzle makers. She also acknowledged that the field can be competitive because people don't want others to copy their ideas.
Despite these challenges, Jodi believes that the puzzle-making community is becoming more connected. She has noticed that events like speed puzzling competitions are bringing puzzle makers together. She also mentioned that puzzle solvers are demanding more interaction with puzzle makers, which is encouraging more collaboration.
Takeaways For Those Interested in a Career as a Puzzle Maker
There are various types of puzzles, including word teasers, crossword puzzles, word searches, jigsaw puzzles, and puzzle games.
Jodi Jill's love for puzzles started when she learned to read as a teenager and found solace and inspiration in puzzles.
Connecting with people who love puzzles and seeing others enjoy her creations brings Jodi the most joy in her work.
Proofreading is the most tedious part of Jodi's job, as she wants to ensure that her puzzles are perfect for the players. Align yourself with the right audience and find unique outlets for puzzle publication.
Don't be discouraged by setbacks and keep pursuing your dreams.
Puzzles come in a wide variety of types and are used in various aspects of life.
Jobs that may seem unrelated to your dream career can still teach valuable lessons and provide unique experiences.
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(Summary provided by NotebookLM. May not be 100% accurate.)
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