Creative City Podcast

Illustrator Erin Barker (erinbarkerillustration.com) always knew she wanted to be an artist, deciding to focus on illustration after several years of experience. We talk about growing up with parents who were designers, how an unfulfilling job taught her what she shouldn’t do as a career, and the importance of creating projects for yourself in your desired line of work.

We also discuss:

The advice she gives to aspiring illustrators

Making personal work as a creative outlet

Why copying your idols isn’t necessarily a bad thing

The childhood influences that inspire her work today

Visit:

erinbarkerillustration.com

www.behance.net/ebarkerdesign

hooraylorraine.tumblr.com

@hooraylorraine on Instagram

@thestylesample on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat

Head to www.CreativeCityPodcast.com for links and previous episodes, and sign up for the mailing list to keep up with Cincinnati’s amazing community of creatives.

Music by The Passion HiFi

Photographer Josh Anderson (josh-anderson.com) got his start in photojournalism a little over 10 years ago, and has since moved into fine art and fashion photography. We talk about what it’s like to be part of a traveling press pool, his first professional job (for Interview magazine, no less!), and his best advice for new photographers looking to get experience.

We also discuss:

-Moving from the literal work of newspapers to more creative endeavors

-The trick to “capturing something before it happens”

-Why it’s important to let yourself grow

-The most important thing to consider when finding clients

Visit:

josh-anderson.com

jjoshandersonn.tumblr.com

@jjoshandersonn on Instagram

@thestylesample on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat

Head to www.CreativeCityPodcast.com for links and previous episodes, and sign up for the mailing list to keep up with Cincinnati’s amazing community of creatives.

Music by The Passion HiFi

Artists, designers, activists, and nonprofit leaders Anh Tran and Catherine Richards make conceptual art that’s an expression of love and friendship through collaborative enterprise Hark+Hark (harkandhark.com). We talk - and laugh - about staying true to yourself as a maker, listening to your gut instincts, and why talking to *everyone* is the best way to learn and grow.

We also discuss:

- How they found manufacturers to produce their jewelry line

- Real life research and development

- How the “magic key” to success is really just working

- Partnering with other experts to form the “bigger brain"

- Their upcoming Style + Sustainability gala featuring living garments created by Cincinnati fashion designers

Visit:

harkandhark.com

modernmakers.org

catherinerichardsart.com

Brooke Shanesy Photography

Zephyr Gallery

@catherinerichardsart on IG

@anhtrananhtran on IG

@thestylesample on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat

This episode is supported by ArtWorks. For more information, visit artworkscincinnati.org.

Head to www.CreativeCityPodcast.com for links and previous episodes, and sign up for the email list to keep up with Cincinnati’s amazing community of creatives.

Music by The Passion HiFi

Photo Stylist and all-around creative babe Jessie Cundiff (jessiecundiff.com) started as a fine artist and has been a successful freelance stylist for six years. We chat about what it takes to build your portfolio, the importance of doing the work, and why being part of a community makes a difference in work and in life.

We also discuss:

-How Jessie got her start as a stylist

-How her fine arts skills help her on the job

-What she looks for in an assistant stylist

-Why it’s fun to experiment and push boundaries

-Taking time to travel and explore

-Being a Big Sister!

Visit:

JessieCundiff.com

@jessccbell on Instagram

Creative City episode #15 - Rosie Kovacs of Brush Factory Furniture

TheStyleSample.com

@thestylesample on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat

Head to www.CreativeCityPodcast.com for links and previous episodes, and sign up for the email list to keep up with Cincinnati’s amazing community of makers.

Music by The Passion HiFi

Social and Civic Innovation Specialist Tamaya Dennard spends her time sparking civic engagement at Design Impact, a nonprofit design firm focused on social justice and social change issues. It’s no wonder she went from being voted “most likely to change the world” in high school to working as an agent of change, but just how did she make the leap from real estate to politics?

We talk about how she went from stuffing envelopes for a friend to managing PG Sittenfeld's political campaign, why quitting a "good job" to work at City Hall for a MUCH lower salary (thank goodness she had an understanding landlord!) was a pivotal moment, how she leverages the relationships she’s built to make a difference in the community, and why it’s important to create opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to come together.

Follow Tamaya on Facebook at Tamaya Dennard, @tdennard on Twitter, and @tedennard on Instagram

Head to www.CreativeCityPodcast.com for links and previous episodes, and sign up for the Curated Creatives newsletter to keep up with Cincinnati’s amazing community of makers.

Music by The Passion HiFi

Dynamic creative duo Emmit Jones and Josh Jacob founded Cosette (ouicosette.com), a cross-disciplinary design practice focused on serving the fashion, luxury, lifestyle, and culture industries. Their small (3 person!) team works within the branding realm and favors a direct client-to-creative relationship, but they choose to focus on the brands they like to serve, including the “new creative class.”

After plying me with liquor, we talked about the roots of their subversive core ethos, why Emmit wound up at New York Men’s Fashion Week, and how making actual friends is just as important as building business relationships.

Head to www.CreativeCityPodcast.com for links and previous episodes, and sign up for the Curated Creatives newsletter to keep up with Cincinnati’s amazing community of makers.

Music by The Passion HiFi

Fashion Designer Chanel Scales of SHINGO (facebook.com/ShingoLLC) talks designing custom styles for confident women, her plans to produce a ready-to-wear line, and the importance of having a supportive team who believes in you AND in themselves.

As part of Cincinnati Music Festival’s Throwback Thursday event highlighting fashions from the 60s through modern day, Chanel is busy handling the “good stress” that comes with increased opportunities. One of her afrocentric prom dress designs went viral, and we discuss how important it is to shut down for a bit (perhaps in a floating tank?) to alleviate anxiety, gain clarity and let creative inspiration emerge.

Head to www.CreativeCityPodcast.com for links, previous episodes, and to sign up for the Curated Creatives newsletter to keep up with Cincinnati’s amazing community of makers.

Music by The Passion HiFi

Fashion designer and two-time Project Runway contestant Asha Daniels (ashaama.com) gets real about reality show casting (psych evaluation, anyone?), how she went from interning at Garanimals to creating designs for a major fashion house, and why she decided to forgo corporate in favor of her own couture line.

We got into details about the email that got her an internship at Marchesa (listen up, aspiring designers), a random draping experiment that eventually became the showpiece of the bridal couture line, and one guest judge’s* utter rudeness--which was completely cut from the show. Asha has some exciting design projects coming up this Fall--including designing not one, but two wedding dresses for her own nuptials--so fellow fashion lovers will want to take note!

*I’m gonna spoil it for you: Zac Posen. I know. I was shocked too.

Visit CreativeCityPodcast.com to listen to previous episodes, and sign up for the Curated Creatives newsletter to keep up with Cincinnati’s amazing community of makers.

Music by The Passion Hifi

Copy Director and Brand Consultant Katie Hicks of Kith Creative (www.kithcreative.com) talks about the ins and outs of starting your own creative business, her journey from small agency copywriter to working with international fashion brands, and why it’s so important to have faith in your own decisions.

Katie and I have a lot in common, despite the fact that she actually enjoys writing (how, Sway?): Listening to podcasts made her want to create her own, one that highlighted the people making moves in Cincinnati’s creative community. Sound familiar? We chat about what a Copy Director really does, how she decided to quit her day job (it was pretty spontaneous!), and how much fun it is to create the person behind the brand.

Visit CreativeCityPodcast.com to listen to previous episodes, and sign up for the Curated Creatives newsletter to keep up with Cincinnati’s amazing community of makers.

Music by The Passion Hifi

Rosie Kovacs of Brush Factory Furniture (brushmanufactory.com) talks starting a business right out of school (and in the middle of the recession), learning to be strategic about growth, and why it’s important to make design accessible to everyone.

Brush Factory won $20,000 via an ArtWorks Big Pitch business grant, so we chatted about what really happens during the application process and how she and her partner wound up (unexpectedly!) spending the money, their initial desire to combine fashion and craft, how they figured out the wholesale game and built relationships with boutiques all over the country, and how working with a mentor helped them articulate why they were in business and determine their real purpose.

Visit CreativeCityPodcast.com to listen to previous episodes, and sign up for the Curated Creatives newsletter to keep up with Cincinnati’s amazing community of makers.

Music by The Passion Hifi