Creator's Block

Last week, Marcella and I welcomed Christine to the Creator's Block podcast to talk about what she and I learned while closely collaborating on two creative projects of unusual size. One of those was a 10,000-word magnum opus (also known as pillar content) that discussed the five steps companies need to complete before they hire an agency to redesign their website.  As a follow-on to the discussion we had with Christine about best practices for creative collaborations, Jessie-Lee and I wanted to use this week's episode to take a deep dive into the actual subject matter of one of the most important sections of that piece of pillar content. It's the first question any business should be able to answer internally before they even consider embarking on a website redesign: "Why do we want to redesign our website?" While the answer to this question will, understandably, be unique to your organization, there is such a thing as a bad answer. In fact, there are a few answers that should result in you immediately pump

We’ve talked a lot about collaboration, feedback, and project management in very abstract, generalized ways in previous episodes. But for the past two to three weeks, Christine and I have been proverbially attached at the hip to complete two massive projects with substantial content and design requirements. For example, she and I -- with an assist from a few others -- had to stand up five new, from-scratch IMPACT website pages in a single week that were associated with our merger with The Sales Lion.  Then, yesterday morning, she and I launched a more than 10,000-word pillar content offer for IMPACT about everything companies need to do before the pick up the phone to call a web design agency. Granted, these two projects -- and their insane timelines -- were fringe cases, but they were also the first time Christine and I got to really work with each other in such an intense way since I officially joined the internal brand team. More to the point, we had a crash course in how to not only successfully get big c

Last week, while I was in the office, I remember saying to someone as a joke, "Our jobs would be perfect if it weren’t for clients, am I right?" We were feeling a little stressed, and we had a good laugh about it. But later on, I regretted saying it -- even though it was said in jest. This may sound a bit Pollyanna-ish, but while I think venting is healthy, especially in an agency environment -- or heck, any work environment with insane deadlines and lots of collaborators -- I also worry about where we draw the line. At some point, letting off steam in a totally normal way about clients -- or even the coworkers we’re partnering with on projects -- can devolve into something that’s really toxic. It can drag everyone down, create opportunities for people to play the victim instead of taking responsibility, tarnish your reputation, or even completely subvert the positive culture your company is (hopefully) trying to cultivate. So, that’s what we want to talk about today. Why does this happen? Why is it a bad thi

A few episodes ago, we chatted about the pressure to be creative and what that means to each of us at an individual level. We sifted through a lot of terrible creativity hacks, debunked some myths, and got real about how the whole creative process goes down. While we loved that discussion, however, there is a piece of the puzzle we didn’t touch upon. Designers, specifically, are often viewed as one-dimensional cogs in the creative wheels of an agency. But how do we grow and develop as professionals?  Are we supposed to remain static in our career path, forever performing the singular design function? Or, are there other opportunities out there for those who need to get up in the morning and create? It's a tricky subject to tackle.  But, this week, Jessie-Lee, Marcella, and Joe dove headfirst into an honest discussion about creative leadership, upward moves, lateral transitions, and all of the big, hairy (and scary) question marks that often surround the growth ladder of today's modern, professional graphic de

Week after week, Marcella, Jessie-Lee, and I talk about topics that help us work smarter and create better. This, however, is not one of those weeks. Last Friday, while having lunch with Kathleen and Jessie-Lee, I got in trouble. You see, at the time, I was about to go on vacation, and I let it slip that I had planned to edit this podcast while I was on a plane to Paris. This bit of news did not go over well with my lunch buddies, and soon it was decided that an intervention would be required -- an intervention that would be staged during this week's episode.  Even though I feigned ignorance about why it was considered a bad thing to be doing work while on a plane with my husband to one of the most romantic cities on earth, the reality is that even the most goal-crushing of workplace gladiators needs to take a nap every now and then.  But when you've got a team of other amazing people counting on you (and a to do list that's a mile long), the process of getting out the door for a well-deserved break can feel

Back in early December, Jessie-Lee cruelly abandoned Marcella and myself, and we were left to our own devices to record our 51st episode -- Are Undermining Words a Crime? If you missed that episode, for shame. But here's the short version: A Gmail extension -- Just Not Sorry -- made waves a couple years ago. The extension would underline words like “sorry” and “just” in emails, which sounds harmless enough. The catch, however, is that women were the target audience, and the tool was designed to help them stop using language that would undermine their authority in the workplace. The conversation was fun, manageable, and straightforward -- with some healthy disagreement sprinkled in, for good measure -- but it got a little weird and uncomfortable toward the end. While Marcella and I were able to speak from experience about expectations about females in the workplace, toward the end, we realized our good faith discussion was becoming dangerously one-sided. We had zero knowledge or understanding of what expectati

Whether we're talking about the first mockup of a website page, an initial draft of an infographic design, or a rough draft of a blog post, we've all been there.  We anticipate that our work will be positively received -- or at least we'll get a, "Yeah, we're moving in the right direction!" -- and are instead met with pushback. "Eh. It's okay? Make the logo bigger. Make the font color 'pop' more, because I don't like the colors. I don't know what's wrong with the copy, but it doesn't feel right. I just don't like the direction you took." Most of the time, we take this kind of constructive feedback in stride. Creating to fulfill the vision of others requires collaboration, back and forth, and the humble understanding that always takes the input of many to get a creative agency project across the finish line. There are occasions, however, where -- not out of ego, but due to experience or sometimes simply our creative gut instinct -- we don't agree with the feedback we receive from clients.  There's an artform t

Here's the thing about being a marketing creative -- whether you're a designer, developer, or content creator. There is this constant pressure to perform. To be creative. To stay creative. To be able to spontaneously produce compelling, engaging, inspiring products for clients out of thin air and on-demand.  It's great that our previous ideas and our work has given us a reputation of being creative wizards, but sometimes the idea of having to live up to those expectations can be stressful. In an act of genuine good faith, our own industry of creative professionals has attempted to solve this problem. While there is some really good stuff out there, most of the content that's supposed to help you be more creative is useless -- either because it's totally unrealistic or utter nonsense. "You have to freelance on the side. You need to write 1,000 words before dawn. You must doodle. Here are 751 writing prompts you didn't ask for. Take a walk. Go on a vacation you probably don't have time for. Take a class you can

This time of year is always full of reflection. And looking back, 2017 has been an... interesting year for Jessie-Lee, Marcella, and myself. It's been full of amazing client work and big wins, as well as broken expectations and massive life changes. In short, a lot has happened, but when we scoped out our annual New Year's episode, I wanted us to move beyond the usual, “Okay, this is what I want to do next year,” or “I know I need to work out or become a morning person, blah blah blah.” Those are the empty, cyclical conversations we all engage in, year after year. Then we commit to the same hollow resolutions -- eat less, do more, etc. -- with the built-in expectation that these new habits would be effectively shelved by March. Instead, I challenged us as a group to be honest about where we started this year and where we are now, and how much of that aligned with our expectations, exceeded them, or completely fell short. Because we should look at the milestone of a new year as an opportunity to discuss where

This week, we're discussing Brené Brown's new book, Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone.  We each read the book before our recording, but we did not discuss our thoughts or feelings about what we read in advance.  The result was a raw, honest conversation about what scares us, what about ourselves makes us uncomfortable, those moments in our lives where we sought belonging and failed, and more.  Because in a world where there is often such a hyper-focus on "finding your tribe" -- both at work at and home -- I think we realized through our discussion that too many people aren't honest with themselves about how you actually find your own sense of true belonging. 

A few times a year, the entire IMPACT team -- hailing from all across the country -- descends upon our home office of Wallingford, Connecticut, for an entire week of meetings, team-building, and sprawling across every square inch of available desk space to get work done. Last week was one of those weeks, which meant it was the first time Jessie-Lee, Marcella, and I were in the same place, at the same time.  Marcella, Jessie-Lee, and me! Just look at us. We're delightful. But during the "most wonderful time of the year," weeks like this can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, getting to be together in person does wonders for collaboration. (Oh, and you get a chance to have those big conversations that sometimes don't occur organically since typically you aren't in the same physical space as your colleagues.) On the other hand, the last month of the year -- whether you're in office or working from home -- is always a mad race to the finish.  The holidays (and vacations) are looming. Budgets are closing.

Last week, I shared an article with Jessie-Lee and Marcella about morning routines. But it wasn't the usual enlightened, aspirational fare. Instead of bossing me around with a neverending to do list of how to be the most successful person of all time, it was real and it resonated with the fact that I am the farthest thing from being a morning person. I wasn't alone in my reaction to it. It also struck a similar nerve with Jessie-Lee and Marcella -- but why? Like us, I’m sure many of you have come across articles that claim to have hacked the code around the ideal morning routine so you can be your most elevated and successful self. You know, those ones that tell you, "Here are 23 steps to improving your life first thing in the morning: Drink butter in your coffee! Meditate! Ride a camel! Go for a run! Wait, don't go for a run -- walk! Write in a journal! Crossfit! Work on a passion project! Ignore your email! Answer only specific emails! Never touch social media! Eat all your macros, otherwise there is no pos

A couple of years ago, while working at Quintain, a plugin for Gmail called Just Not Sorry started making the rounds. The stated goal of the app was to help women specifically use fewer "undermining words" in their emails -- like "I think," "just," and "sorry."  So, whenever you type an email, the undermining words would be underlined, as if you misspelled something. At the time, this seemed very helpful to me, since I tend to apologize, even when I haven’t done anything wrong. Or, I sometimes I act as if what I’m asking for is a bother, when I’m all I'm trying to get my work done, like everyone else. Flash forward to today, and while I still apply some of the principles I learned through the usage of Just Not Sorry, I haven't reinstalled Just Not Sorry in my IMPACT email.  However, I noticed last week that I was getting stuck trying to reword emails to be less apologetic. There was one email in particular, where I felt incredibly awkward. Not because I was being overly-apologetic, but rather everything I tri

This episode marks a pretty significant milestone for us at Creator's Block -- it's our 50th episode!  (I would normally make some joke about how our podcast is now "over the hill," but given that 50 is the new 40, which some say is the new 30, I'd say we're lookin' pretty good.) In addition to reflecting on how far we've come with our little podcast for creative pros and marketers, this week was dedicated to a topic that is so much a part of everything we do for work: What it's really like to work from home.  For many, working from home full-time can sound like a dream. However, no matter where you are hunkering down, work is still work. And making the choice that where you sleep and unwind is also going to be your office brings with it its own set of challenges. How do you set boundaries? How do you stay connected with the rest of your team? How does it impact our personal lives and relationships? Enjoy!

While Jessie-Lee, Marcella, and I would love to pretend our moments of creative genius are effortless and an ever-flowing constant, but that's simply not reality.  Do we have talent in spades? Of course. But in addition to our education and experience, each of us calls upon a different set of applications and tools in our own creative toolboxes to execute, create, and deliver for our colleagues and clients.  So, this week, in honor of Thanksgiving, we're pulling back the curtain on a few of the simple, yet powerful apps we're most thankful for.  They help us with our day-to-day tasks, inspire us, and -- on occasion -- utterly transform how we do our jobs. (And trust us when we say you don't need to be a creative professional to use them -- we have a sneaking suspicion many of you marketers out there will love a few of these, as well.) Enjoy! Our Favorite Creative Apps & Tools HubSpot (Jessie-Lee) Snatchr Chrome Extension (Jessie-Lee) Color Picker (Jessie-Lee) Invision & Craft/Sync (Marcella) Dribbble

For this week's episode, we were joined by a very special guest -- Vin Gaeta, IMPACT's Creative Director -- for deep dive into something we’ve touched upon before in previous episodes. (Specifically, Episode #40 - When Creative Projects Go Off the Rails.) The idea of "speaking creative" to non-creatives. Or, more simply, the art giving and receiving feedback on creative projects, to and from stakeholders (whether they're clients or other internal colleagues) who may not necessarily know how to clearly articulate why they do -- or don't -- like something, or they want something to change. Because having the ability to bridge these communication barriers is probably one of the most important skills marketing creative professionals can possess, we spent this episode discussing our experiences, as well as what you should (and shouldn’t) do to become a master communicator on creative projects.  (And we have the "battle scars" to prove it.) Enjoy! What We Talked About Why does this happen? What kind of friction do

Love 'em or hate 'em, processes exist for a reason.  Yes, they may feel restrictive and ho-hum at times, but I think we can all agree that sound processes help organizations -- particularly agencies -- stay on track and ensure sustainability, scalability, and profitability.  But how do you operate in a process-driven ecosystem, while also ensuring you're infusing the right amount of creativity at the right time? Moreover, is there such a thing as too much innovation? These are the questions we attempted to answer for this week's episode. And along the way, Marcella, Jessie-Lee, and I fell face-first into an interesting discussion (see: "rant") about the misconceptions about how creative professionals operate and create.  Enjoy! What We Talked About Can process and innovation co-exist? Do we use processes as a crutch when we're not feeling creative? How do we ensure we're innovating when we're supposed to be? How do others misinterpret the processes we use to create? Do we need processes in order to create? C

Ah, Halloween.  It's a festive holiday filled with goblins and ghouls, tricks and treats, and candy and costumes. For us IMPACTers, Halloween also brings with it a chance for us to judge brands on how well they "get in on the fun" with their advertisements.  The results can be boo-tiful, but sometimes they're downright scary -- and not in the good way.  Some brands -- FOX, Oreo, and Target -- have set the bar high for industry peers with campaigns that embraced the spirit of the holiday. While others -- we're looking at you Chipotle, Subway, and Verizon -- fell flat on their face by being boring, lazy, or even blatantly offensive.  So, to celebrate the spookiest holiday of the year, Jessie-Lee, Marcella, and I got together for this week's episode to share our favorite Halloween brand campaigns... as well as our not-so-favorites. Enjoy! What We Talked About Terrifyingly Good Halloween Ads  FOX's Bite Size Horror Film Fest Target: Halloween Hills, Treatster Oreo: 1, 2, 3 Terrifyingly Bad Halloween Ads  Chipo

Every two weeks, Jessie-Lee, Marcella, and I meet to brainstorm ideas for the podcast. Sometimes, we come up with topics based on questions we've been asked or common challenges we've seen "out in the wild." But then there are those times when one of us comes to the virtual table and says, "Guys, this is what I need to talk about this week." (Our podcast can be a little like work therapy for us.) It was a moment just like that, that inspired this episode. Jessie-Lee came to us and said, "I need to talk about the word 'expert.' It makes me uncomfortable, and I want to get your thoughts on it." Though Jessie-Lee kept us in suspense until the day we recorded about why she didn't like the word and the story it tells, it was well worth the wait. And it turned out, we all did.  "Expert" is such a funny word. It's meant to describe someone who is really good at or knowledgeable about something, which, superficially, sounds like a positive and useful label.  What We Talked About Why the word "expert" really bothers

Before we dive in to today's episode, I want to state something for the official record: As a designer and a writer/editor respectively, Marcella and I are self-aware enough to admit we occasionally have a flair for melodrama -- sometimes slipping a little too easily into the trope being the "tortured artist." But when we both read The Creative's Curse by Todd Brison, we agreed that it spoke to us; both as the professionals we are with IMPACT, as well as the creatives we are "out in the wild." Because as much as we hate to admit it, the clichéd notions surrounding the stereotypical artistic temperament are based in reality. The emotional peaks and valleys. The glory of acceptance and appreciation. The despair of feeling like your work is underappreciated or devalued. The compulsion to create something -- anything. The demoralizing realization when you lose your own voice and have to go out and find it again. Again, yes, it's a little melodramatic -- but for anyone in a creative pursuit, this should sound fami