Creative Paths

Eshita Kabra-Davies felt guilty on her Indian honeymoon. She wanted to show her husband her culture and where she came from. But she’d noticed the textile waste polluting towns while she worried about her outfits and holiday clothes. She felt like she was part of the problem, participating in the polluting of her birthplace!

Compelled to do something about it, Eshita founded the social fashion renting app By Rotation in April 2019. Since then, it’s become the U.K.’s leading rental platform. What separates it from others, though, is its’ peer-to-peer concept that allows users (known as rotators) to earn money from their wardrobe by renting other people’s items and lending out their own. Users feel good about looking good and helping save the planet at the same time.

Eshita came up with the idea for the app while still working full-time in the finance world. After researching the market to see if her idea could work, she started it as a side hustle and built a close-knit community around it focused on change towards a sustainable fashion future.

Today, she joins Sam to talk about her company, the importance of community building for her business, and the climate impact of fashion and what can be done about it. They unravel the story behind By Rotation and share her and her team’s mission toward changing the way people view fashion. In this episode, you’ll discover how Eshita created and transitioned away from her corporate job, what her app is all about and where she sees her business going, and the influence of her cultural background in building her business community.

You’ll also hear her thoughts about empowerment through sustainable consumerism, the difference between traditional and newer business models like hers, and what governments can do to help reduce the climate impact of fashion (and other industries). Along the way, you’ll learn how Eshita has limited the carbon footprint of her company and the difference she has noticed in the consumption habits of people in the East and West.

Follow Eshita:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/arentyoueshita

By Rotation: www.byrotation.com

Follow Contact:

Book from 800+ creative talents at contact.xyz

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Twitter: twitter.com/contact_xyz

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In the pursuit of doing what they love, most photographers and other creative freelancers don’t think about certain business aspects. Take insurance, for example. How do you deal with a dissatisfied client who insists you didn’t do your job to their specifications (when you did) with no contract laying out agreed-upon specifications to prove it? What about a client who goes so far as to threaten legal action against you or refuse to pay?

Today, Sam is joined by Ashley Baxter: the founder of With Jack, an insurance company for freelancers in the U.K. She’s a creative whose journey started when she first picked up a camera to shoot. With her love for the lens, she found her footing as a freelance photographer and worked with a range of clients, many of whom wanted her for wedding photography. Through her work, however, she found another passion: educating and helping freelancers with their rights and insurance needs so they can succeed.

For a while, Ashley had two careers running alongside each other simultaneously. One was the freelance photography business she ran for eight years, and the other was her insurance company. Then she wound down her freelance career when she began working full-time in With Jack.

In this episode, she delves deeper into her career and shares some sound advice for fellow creatives along the way. You’ll hear about her struggles with juggling both businesses and how she stayed motivated in the process. Ashley also reveals the insanely complicated process of creating and running a company in a regulated industry, how she revived her love for photography when it started feeling more like a job than a passion, and offers several methods to help you recalibrate when you just want to quit.

Follow Ashley:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleybaxter/

With Jack: https://withjack.co.uk/

Follow Contact:

Book from 800+ creative talents at contact.xyz

Instagram: www.instagram.com/contact.creatives

Twitter: twitter.com/contact_xyz

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@contactxyz

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How did a food documentary light the spark for an app designed to address climate change? When Sanchali Pal was in college, she started tracking her carbon footprint in a spreadsheet after seeing Food, Inc. It changed her perspective on consumption and made her realize she wanted to be more intentional about it.

An idea started brewing as she slowly figured out how to live more sustainably in her own life. Several years later in business school, she thought the spreadsheet idea could be something that helped other people who wanted to live more sustainably but didn’t know where to start.

What if there was a tool that helped people manage their emissions, even down to zero? What if you could manage your carbon impact like you track costs or calories in a financial or weight loss app (or any other metric in life)?

So the idea of Joro was born. Joro is an app that automates personal carbon emissions tracking. With it, you can reduce and offset emissions behind everything you buy.

As its founder and CEO, Sanchali set out on a mission to help individuals everywhere intentionally and efficiently manage their climate impact. Through the app, her team works hard to make a Net Zero lifestyle possible and establish an accessible community of like-minded individuals worldwide. Though it hasn’t been easy, they’ve already made strides in the U.S. and have plans to expand this year to Canada and the U.K.

In this episode, she talks with Sam about creating the app, starting the company amidst the beginnings of the pandemic, the challenges she faced with funding, and how Joro helps consumers not only reduce their carbon footprint but save money in the process.

Joro:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joroapp/?hl=en

Download: https://www.joro.app/

Follow Contact:

Book from 800+ creative talents at contact.xyz

Instagram: www.instagram.com/contact.creatives

Twitter: twitter.com/contact_xyz

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@contactxyz

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Imagine the thrill of getting to work in a creative business with no set boundaries. You form a studio that has its hand in designing incredibly diverse projects from floating swimming pools and gigantic floatable devices to museum apps and toilet paper rolls. And you do so while throwing yourself into everything with other people’s trust and belief thanks to the potential they see in you, despite your lack of experience in their specific market.

Today’s special guest has done it for over a dozen years now. So what’s it like to run a creative studio with, in his words, “no focus”? In this episode, Sam is joined by PLAYLAB, INC. co-founder Archie Lee Coates IV. Archie started the company in 2009 with his business partner Jeff Franklin. They describe it as a multidisciplinary creative studio that covers everything from arts, architecture, graphic design, and apps.

Based in Los Angeles, the studio has gone from a team of two to nine and has worked over the years with a broad range of clients. Most notably, it has created immersive designs for creatives and artists like Louis Vuitton, Reese Cooper, Reuben, Selby, and Virgil Abloh, to name just a few.

But the world of PLAYLAB is way larger than any one project. So today, Archie immerses you deeper into their world. He discusses the inspiration for the company, the role models who helped form its philosophy along the journey, and how he approaches being an entrepreneur in general. You’ll also hear about what it’s like for him to operate in opposition to the conventional wisdom about niche marketing, and discover some of the unconventional projects he and the team at PLAYLAB have undertaken since its launching.

The entire episode is a must-listen! So be sure to stick around to the end where Archie provides several pieces of incredibly valuable advice that’ll leave you inspired to get started on your next creative project (if everything before that hasn’t already)!

Follow Archie:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ottomilo/

and check out PLAYLAB INC online: https://www.playlab.org/

Follow Contact:

Book from 400+ creative talents at contact.xyz

Instagram: www.instagram.com/contact.xyz & www.instagram.com/contact.models

Twitter: twitter.com/contact_xyz

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@contactxyz

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Today, Sam welcomes Alexander James onto the show! Alex is a British-born multimedia artist with a practice spanning diverse media such as video, painting, and sculpting. From 2012 to 2015, he studied illustration with animation at the Camberwell College of Arts in London, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree there. He’s worked with a multitude of different brands and creatives to deliver some exciting projects, and his work has been showcased all over the world--from New York to Berlin.

Alex believes that the spark to follow your passion for art can come at any point in your life. His spark came early. Growing up, his dad was an engineer and thus creative in a different context. But his mother was heavily involved in fashion, and his grandfather always used to draw with him whenever he visited. It was really the school environment that pushed him on his current path.

In this episode, Alex breaks down his journey and discusses a bit more about his work. You’ll hear about how he gets inspired with new ideas, overcomes creative blocks, and works with different mediums. Alex also reveals what it was like to do his first exhibition, offers his best practices for using social media, and discusses the highlights and milestones of his career thus far.

Follow Alex:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexanderjamesx

View his work online: https://www.alexander-james.com/

Follow Contact:

Book from 400+ creative talents at contact.xyz

Instagram: www.instagram.com/contact.xyz & www.instagram.com/contact.models

Twitter: twitter.com/contact_xyz

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@contactxyz

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At Contact, we’ll be launching the first of our new creative verticals with 20 photographers. One of those photographers is Alex Massek who joins Sam on this first episode of season 2 of the Creative Paths podcast.

Alex was born in Berlin, Germany but grew up in the U.S. Now, he lives and works in London and graduated from the University of St. Andrews, majoring in Business Management and German Studies. He’s built an impressive portfolio over the last six years specializing in portrait, music, fashion, and street photography and working with a wide variety of brands, models, musicians, artists, and other clients.

Due to his fascination with fantasy, he likes to conceptualize and weave dystopian elements into his work to capture the imagination, challenge preconceptions, and bring his projects to life with a nostalgic aesthetic. On top of his solo projects, Alex is also the founder and head of photography at Ampersand Media, the photography, design, and videography company in London.

In this episode, he and Sam explore his photography journey and the different avenues a photography career provides. Listen in as he dispels myths about equipment and offers advice to new photographers on setting prices, using social media, and playing the comparison game. You’ll discover how the pandemic has affected him and other photographers and how he’s managed to balance his work and mental health.

Follow Alex on Instagram: www.instagram.com/riversideblues

Book Alex on Contact: contact.xyz/talent/alexander-massek

Follow Contact:

Book from 400+ creative talents at contact.xyz

Instagram: www.instagram.com/contact.xyz/ & www.instagram.com/contact.models/

Twitter: twitter.com/contact_xyz

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@contactxyz

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Peiman Raf and his co-founders launched Madhappy in 2017 and are on a mission to make the world a more optimistic place. Peiman and the rest of the team behind Madhappy strive to create an authentic voice for raising awareness and providing resources around mental health.

Those that engage with the brand are welcomed with an environment stocked full of mental health panels, meditations, and talks. Their bold and colorful designs not only offer aesthetic flair but also create and encourage mental health conversations. In addition, the brand holds large-scale events and product releases with the proceeds going to charity, and it runs a blog called The Local Optimist that offers a spectrum of mental health resources and carefully crafted content and experiences such as interviews and editorial content.

Born in Italy, Peiman moved to the U.S. at a young age. In 2016, he graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. In this episode, he and Sam dig into the importance of shifting perspectives on mental health and what we can look forward to for the brand’s future. Peiman also talks about the contributions of the co-founders to the company, working with family and friends, the inspiration behind Madhappy, creating additional avenues for mental health, the brand’s audience growing into a community, and the launch of his mental health podcast.

Follow Peiman on Instagram via www.instagram.com/peimanraf

Follow Madhappy on Instagram via www.instagram.com/madhappy

Stay up to date with The Local Optimist at www.localoptimist.com

Follow Contact:

Book from 400+ creative talents at contact.xyz

Instagram: www.instagram.com/contact.xyz/ & www.instagram.com/contact.models/

Twitter: twitter.com/contact_xyz

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@contactxyz

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Frankie Dunn didn’t know what she wanted to do in life. She only knew that she wanted to experience more. Instead of attending university, she travelled to places like Taiwan and Paris for a few years, then joined a friend’s band as a vocalist and keyboardist. Eventually, someone suggested that she combine her writing talent with her love of music and turn it into a career. After a series of ups and downs, Frankie ended up working at i-D Magazine.

She has spent eight years as music director at VICE’s fashion, music, art, and youth culture publication. Her career has seen her cover topics across the magazine’s full spectrum. From roundups about 90s albums you need in your life and advice from Billie Eilish to topics surrounding mental health and music, her work is diverse and well-rounded. Together with Laura, Frankie digs deep into her journalism roots, favourite projects, and more.

Follow Frankie on Instagram via www.instagram.com/frankie__dunn

Dive into her archive of work at i-d.vice.com/en_uk/contributor/frankie-dunn

Follow Contact:

Book from 400+ creative talents at contact.xyz

Instagram: www.instagram.com/contact.xyz/ & www.instagram.com/contact.models/

Twitter: twitter.com/contact_xyz

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@contactxyz

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If you’re involved in the U.K. grime rave scene as a fan or an artist, then you’re likely familiar with London-based photographer Vicky Grout. Born in Poland, Vicky’s family moved to the U.K. when she was just three years old. Her love of music at an early age inspired her creative talent and inevitably led to her teaching herself photography through trial and error and inspiration from others’ work.

Her talent started blossoming at 17 when she started taking photos at grime raves just to document the events for herself. In the last few years, Vicky’s made a name for herself with some of the genre’s biggest artists, using her distinctive style to capture their raw talent and energy. With a focus on MCs, she tries to embody their passion by photographing the artist in the right moment.

She had intended to pursue graphic design at one point, but she gave that up when she started receiving commissions for her photography. Her energetic talent goes beyond the music scene and touches the portrait, street, and fashion industries too with campaigns and lookbooks for companies like Urban Outfitters, Manors Golf, Clark’s Originals, and more. Through her work with photographing everything happening in London culture, you can see Vicky hone in on authentically portraying the city’s character.

In this episode, she and Sam discuss her photography career. She recalls her love of creativity as a kid, talks about turning her photography interest into a career, and shares her perspective as a female in a male-dominated field. Vicky also touches on setting your rate as a photographer and how that affects other freelancers and delves into how some recent technical failures in her career turned into positive work experiences.

Follow Vicky on Instagram via https://www.instagram.com/vickygrout

Dive into her archive of work at http://www.vickygrout.com/

Follow Contact:

Book from 400+ creative talents at contact.xyz

Instagram: www.instagram.com/contact.xyz/ & www.instagram.com/contact.models/

Twitter: twitter.com/contact_xyz

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@contactxyz

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The London-based visual designer duo Fa and Fon Watkins have made their mark in several areas, from brand campaigns and editorials to music videos. With their artistic eye, they specialize in art direction and graphic design but will use the photography skills in their repertoire when needed.

Because they spent the first eight years of their lives living in Thailand and have visited frequently since, they’re very inspired by modern and traditional Thai culture. Fa and Fon also read lots of manga, watched plenty of anime, and just generally immersed themselves in Asian pop culture while growing up. As you can imagine, much of their work revolves around these influences, and they combine futurism, pop culture, and their own Asian heritage into their designs.

Even though the Central St. Martins design university they attended helped them understand the creative world, it was really the power of networking and consistent work production that opened the doors for Fa and Fon’s entry into the industry. Since then, they’ve worked with global brands like Nike, Fila, Converse, and Charlie Cohen for her Reebok collaboration. Their process involves conceptualizing design narratives and creating treatment decks to work alongside brands, and they’ll sometimes photograph the project themselves to establish an overall theme for the imagery.

In this episode, they speak with Laura about how they got into the world of creative design, working in the same profession as twins, and being women in this field. Fa and Fon also share some issues they had with attending university for graphic design and how social media has impacted their digital work since the onset of COVID. Finally, you’ll hear about some of their favourite projects, dream collaborations they hope to work on in the future, advice for beginning creatives today, and the purposes for their long-term business goal.

Follow Fa & Fon on Instagram via https://www.instagram.com/fa_fon_/

Follow Contact:

Book from 400+ creative talents at contact.xyz

Instagram: www.instagram.com/contact.xyz/ & www.instagram.com/contact.models/

Twitter: twitter.com/contact_xyz

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@contactxyz

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.