Forty Under 40: Justin Delaney Williams

Justin Williams, 34, has five jobs, but not the one he covets.

Williams — maybe best known as one of the minds behind Pixelbenders, an award-winning multimedia design firm — also serves as the marketing coordinator at Springdale-based SynergyTech, works with the Northwest Arkansas Art Directors Club (a group he co-founded) and has teaching gigs at Fayetteville’s New Design School and Nadine Baum Studios.

But what Williams would most like to be is a self-sufficient artist.

“The problem is the Church won’t come and hand you a boatload of money to paint the ceiling these days,” he said.

Welcome to the funny and frenetic world of Williams. It’s been that way at least since he left a branch of Oklahoma State University after three years.

He did so after asking a professor if his portfolio was good enough to land a job.
“He said yes, but told me I’d never keep it,” Williams said with a laugh. “And he was right. I was out of my mind.”

That’s the way Williams described a time when he had a very active social life. He later settled down enough to help form Pixelbenders, and has been busy ever since.

Now his challenge is finding time for hobbies, which include grilling and disc golf.

Williams also wants to write a children’s book and market a concept and logo for a line of Christian clothing.