CREATIVE. KIND.
What does KINDNESS have to do with CREATIVITY?
As we emerge from the pandemic era, we (creative professionals) find ourselves at a defining moment in the new age of workplace mindfulness. Will we continue to prioritize the bottom line and cut-throat competition, or will we choose to thrive together in a culture of empathy?
Join award-winning marketing creative Yuhei Ogawa on CREATIVE. KIND. as we explore the transformative power of everyday kindness to forge a better future, one where success is measured not just in efficiency or competitive edge, but in the strength of our communities and the well-being of our colleagues.
Kind Creative is possible. Are you ready to be part of the change?
CREATIVE. KIND.
Episode 8 - DO YOU KNOW YOUR WORTH? (PT 2)
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WHAT DOES IT ACTUALLY COST TO START OVER?
That's the question underneath Part 2 of CREATIVE. KIND.'s series on self-worth. In Part 1, we heard what happens when the career you fought for starts quietly working against you. Part 2 is about what comes next — the decision to change course, the terrifying stretch with no map, and the discovery that the parts of yourself you'd been hiding were the best parts all along.
[Prologue] Art Director Devin Mathews (BUCK) on walking away from the polish of agency life to make SuprOrdinary — a scrappy, deeply personal YouTube series born out of grief, fatherhood, and a fear of dying with the fire still in him. (10 1/2 min)
[Chapter 1 - "The Decision"] Motion designer Shutianyi Li on the six-month grind that left her unable to draw. Erica Kung (Head of Production & Creative Operations, Squarespace) on quitting without a plan — and why she still hasn't told her parents. Filmmaker Haneol Lee on stepping off the "go go go" treadmill at 22, and the difference between chasing happiness and learning to dance in the rain. (14min)
[Chapter 2 - "Embracing the Unknown"] Quinnton Harris (Co-founder, Retrospect) on losing three enterprise deals in a week, laying off his team, and redefining what success actually meant. Voice artist Brent Allen-Hagel on measuring a creative career in decades, not months. Devin Mathews returns on the muscle of "just do it" over endless planning. David Lee (Chief Brand & Creative Officer, Squarespace) on quitting a global agency role at the worst possible time — and the gut-punch coincidence waiting for him at the airport. Michael Tessler (Founder, Multihouse) on driving to LA with $200 and a car that stalled at stop signs. (28min)
[Chapter 3 - "Your Whole Self"] Natalie Stone (former GM, CryptoPunks; Founder, StoneWork) on a lifetime spent in liminal spaces — and why that in-between feeling became a superpower. Amanda Russell (Co-founder, Cream) on learning to stop apologizing for what she has to offer. Filmmaker Adam Reid on a late ADHD diagnosis and the artist defense mechanisms he didn't know he had. Creative Director Christian Capello-Colon on the stigma of a man admitting he's not okay at work. Creative Director Kara Barnett on refusing to check boxes and bringing her whole self — Trinidadian, Black, HBCU grad, creative — into every room. Benedict Coulter (Founder, R3BEL) on four decades as a trailer editor, a heroin addiction he wasn't supposed to survive, and the gratitude that came after. Broadway performer Phillip Attmore on grief, joy, and refusing to compartmentalize on stage. (26 1/2min)
[Epilogue - "Who Do We Become?"] David Lee returns on the uneasy tangle between identity and legacy. Michael Tessler returns on the courage he sees in his younger self, and in his campers before puberty teaches them to hide. Host Yuhei Ogawa and Phillip Attmore on the friend who dared him to finally start this podcast — and the idea that we love because we've been loved first. Devin Mathews returns on SuprOrdinary as a "creative rest stop" for other people's exhausted journeys. (15min)
It's a conversation about what's left when you stop performing and start building something honest. If Part 1 was about naming the doubt, Part 2 is about what you do once you've named it.
Main Theme by: Mateo Messina (https://www.mateomessina.com)
Additional Music: Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/music/)
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