I can, but wouldn't that just lead to more questions? ;)

Nope. Coffee and water only. I've never liked soda of any kind.

I've never understood how anyone can answer this (or an equivalent question) with anything other than the ability to fly. Flying would be incredible.

Thanks for your kind words. I feel very fortunate to be where I am.

I was contacted by a recruiter who was familiar with my work and was asked if I'd be interested in exploring opportunities with Apple. I was flown out to interview with what is now my team and I guess they liked me.

I work with some really fantastic people and am excited to get to work each day. I can't be any more specific than that, sorry. :)

I'm 19. I'll be 20 in November.

Dribbble and other community-oriented design websites are often home to great work, but when it comes to user interface and interaction design, it's often hard to get a good sense of what is/isn't successful without playing with an interface in person. If I find an application that does something particularly well, I'll find myself holding my iPhone (or other device) a little too close to my face as I explore how a designer's solution handles different scenarios and potential edge cases.

As always, constant observation is key.

Thanks for your kind words. :)

Knowing when you're done with something is a skill that must be developed through trial, error, and experience, just like any other aspect of design. No matter how many iterations one goes through, the end result is never perfect, and you as the creator will see thousands of flaws that no one else does, because it's your work.

That said, when something is done is not always a subjective question--it's sometimes not your decision, especially if you're a designer working in client services. With experience comes the ability to recognize when you've refined something as much as you yourself can and have met the goals you set out to.

I had to Google "Formula 1" because I had no idea what it was, so I don't really have one.

Build a strong portfolio. It's never too early to build one's skills through both professional and personal work.

This is totally normal. The best advice I can give regarding finding the right artistic direction for any project is to never allow yourself to become utterly devoted to one visual style or artistic direction before you've tried a few different things.

Everything is iterative. Your first concept likely won't be as good as the one that comes after it.

As for freezing and getting scared, this is completely normal too. Part of the creative process is often getting frustrated and figuratively pounding one's head against the wall, but it's those who learn to work through that aspect of being creative and embrace it that produce great things.

Louie summarized my thoughts on this nicely in his response, but I would add that you should determine how you charge before starting work and delivering assets. How you are compensated as a freelancer/independent contractor needs to be established and agreed upon up front with your client(s).

I highly recommend Mike Monteiro's "Fuck you, pay me." talk at CreativeMornings in San Francisco regarding contracts, payment, and client relationships. The recorded version can be viewed here: http://vimeo.com/22053820?utm_source=swissmiss

I work primarily with vector shape layers and layer styles in Adobe Photoshop, though I occasionally draw paths in Adobe Illustrator and have been working with 3D modeling lately.

Sketch your initial concepts out on paper before you jump into executing on your ideas. It doesn't matter if you're "not good at sketching", that's not the point. You'll find that iterating on and refining the ideas in your head before executing in whatever application you use will make the design process a lot smoother.

Lastly, frustration is almost always part of the creative process--it's how you work past it that determines whether you arrive at a successful solution.

It sounds cliché, but just be yourself. You'll find it's not hard to strike up an interesting conversation in the company of others as interested in design as you likely are. Being comfortable introducing yourself to people you don't know is a skill, one you get better at with time.

As I'm sure you know, Minneapolis is a huge advertising town. I'm probably not the best person to ask about working as a freelance advertising/marketing designer in Minneapolis, though, as that's not what I do.

What I can say as someone who used to freelance while living in Minneapolis is that the vast majority of my clients were remote and I had only a handful of local clients. In my experience, being a successful freelancer is much more about forging positive connections with clients and peers through your work more than living in close proximity to one's clients.

Do good work and more work will come.

I love SmartWool socks. Give me a cold, overcast day, warm socks, and a hoodie and I'm very happy.

I'm currently in the process of moving to California to work for Apple as a designer. Previously, I worked as an independent visual and user interface designer primarily on Mac and iOS applications.

I loved the 500 series Apple PowerBook my mom handed down to me when I was young. This makes me a complete nerd, I know.

It's definitely changed as Apple's products have evolved over the years, but currently I'm still deeply in love with my iPhone 4. The industrial design is beautiful, the build quality fantastic, and iOS is awesome.