(Photos by Colton McKee, coltonmckeephotography.com and Max Hudlow, Instagram @maxdesigned) 

BY TRUMAN BARTMAN. THEMAVERICKS.CA

From afar, athletes are built up to be larger-than-life figures. They’re characterized by their play on the field, rather than who they are once they leave the battlegrounds. An athlete’s life is often unknown, hidden behind the threads of a uniform. For Medicine Hat Mavericks pitcher Max Hudlow, a substantial part of his life away from the mound is dedicated to his passion for graphic design. 

Hudlow’s baseball roots began as a young kid in the small town of Rockford, Minnesota, where, from the beginning, he knew that playing baseball would be in the cards. 

“My parents got me into it. My birth announcement was actually in the form of a baseball card. I always joke with my dad that he forced me to play baseball. But really, I just fell in love with it, and that’s all I wanted to do as a kid. I started playing around four, I remember my hometown wouldn’t let me play T-ball at four years old. So I had to play a town over to play at that age.”

Baseball was at the forefront for Hudlow until he discovered a new passion away from the game in the fifth grade. Graphic design grabbed Hudlow’s attention while spending time browsing social media. Soon after, he took a liking to design, and from there, a new career path took shape.

“I was just sitting on my phone and looking at Instagram. I saw ESPN posting some graphics, and I was like, that sounds like it could be fun. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and started making things on my phone, and it became my side hobby.”

After a short period in high school, where Hudlow stopped editing, he reinvigorated his love for the craft once he arrived at Bellevue University in Nebraska. It was there that he and his roommate, former Okotoks Dawgs shortstop Brendan Luther, bonded over the hobby, leading to Hudlow giving design another shot. 

“Things started back up two years ago. I got a computer and a free month’s subscription to Photoshop. I thought, you know, what? If nothing comes from it, so be it. The next thing I knew, I was running the social media for my school last year, getting internships, and working for DraftKings.”

The design process is different for all, and Hudlow admits that there isn’t one singular creative process that he follows. In many cases, he begins on the couch, watching baseball and continuously playing around with ideas. His commitment to developing his skills comes from hours of practice and years of experience. 

“Usually, I just get an idea and run with it to see how far it’ll take me. After that, I re-evaluate and see if there’s anything else that can be added or taken away. It takes a lot of practice; you’re going to have a lot of things that you don’t like, or you’re going to have days where you feel like you have no creativity or desire to do it. You’ve got to work through it and realize it’s something that everybody goes through, and usually it means that it’s only going to be better in the end.”

Many of the habits associated with building sports graphics are ones Hudlow also uses on the mound. You don’t have to look far to see the similarities between Hudlow’s two loves, as they work side by side in helping him achieve success. 

“Baseball’s a game of failure. You honestly have to look at it that way, regardless of what you’re doing; the same goes for graphic design. It’s how you respond and how you learn from it. You’re never going to be able to pick it up and pick anything up and learn it perfectly right away.”

“I’d say graphic design has helped my play in baseball, in thinking a little bit more outside of the box and in loosening me up a bit. It’s one of those things where it has become my release from a stressful day at the ballpark. It’s just something that lets my mind breathe, rather than being stuck on baseball 24/7.”

When Max Hudlow takes center stage on the bump, fans see him as a gifted pitcher tasked with sending opposing batters back to the dugout. But away from the spotlight, Hudlow’s talents in the graphic design world show a new side of the Mavs pitcher, one that could see him working in baseball far beyond his playing days. No matter the obstacle, both baseball and graphic design have taught Hudlow many valuable lessons that will serve him well as his career progresses.You can find all of Max’s work on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok by following him at maxdesigned.