Adam is a designer and illustrator from Orlando, Florida. For the past 4.5 years, he's been working as a Senior Brand Designer at Acorns—basically, he draws squirrels for a living, lol. But, before the squirrels, he worked independently for a long time and created designs for big names like Disney, Target, Dunkin' Donuts, William Sonoma, and Cartoon Network. Eventually, his world started to fall apart. He lost some people close to him, Disney cut him off, and the social media demons got the best of him. Since then, he's picked himself back up, and 2025 is his redemption tour. Tune in for a talk about growing up without understanding financial wellness, making critical mistakes with a huge client, and how working in-house at Acorns provides the stability to move forward. Look for his work on Instagram, Dribbble, and his website, studiograson.com. Also, start investing :)

Questions for this interview.

• Can you give us some examples of the types of design assets you create at Acorns?
• There's a lot of green in the Acorns color palette. How's that treating you?
• Has working at Acorns changed how you think about money or plan for your family's future?
• Can you share what growing up in Pine Hills was like?
• How did your grandmother impact your creativity?
• Is there any time when you feel like you legitimately hit rock bottom?
• Can you share some encouraging thoughts for anyone in the trenches who feels they might be experiencing their lowest point?
• Can you tell us what happened between you and Disney?
• What is your non-professional relationship with Disney like today?
• What did the situation with Disney teach you about respect?
• How did you start rebuilding yourself and your identity after Disney cut ties with you?
• Why are you so willing to share personal information about yourself?
• How are you navigating your work and the design industry differently than you were before?
• Has working in-house for the last 4.5 years helped you refocus, rebuild, and work on yourself?
• Do you still take on a lot of independent work?
• How does being represented by Arthur and Elias fit into everything?
• Can you tell us how the relationship works?
• Who do you think this kind of relationship is for?
• Is there a level of quality or experience someone needs before applying for representation?
• Can you tell us about the family Instagram account your wife (Christina) manages?
• How close are you to being the happiest you've ever been?

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