The artist and executive creative director, Gordon Hull, on longevity, relevance, and what it really takes to live a creatively fulfilled life.

Gordon Hull first made a name for himself as the founder of Surface to Air — the cult-favorite creative agency and fashion label that helped define a generation of downtown cool in New York City. Since then, he’s brought his distinctive mix of art, humor, and humanity to collaborations with brands like Ralph Lauren, Adidas, and Tory Burch, as well as creative studios including Chandelier and Mother.

Known for his punk attitude and relentless curiosity, Gordon has built a career that balances creative integrity with reinvention. In this conversation, he reflects on the desire to create and the quiet fight to stay true to his creative mission and personal values as priorities shift and the definition of success evolves.

In this episode:

• Why failure has always been part of Gordon’s creative process — and how every misstep, idea, and wrong turn becomes raw material for the next thing

• What it takes to build a creative career that endures — one driven by curiosity and craft, not just recognition

• The tension between staying relevant and staying true to your creative mission — and the pressure of navigating an industry that is constantly reinventing

• How to tell the difference between self-doubt and intuition, and knowing when to push a project forward versus when to let it go

• Why he believes the best collaborations are built on honesty, friction, and trust — not just shared taste

• The ongoing challenge of balancing artistic integrity with commercial reality, and redefining what success means when the metrics start to change

• Why he’s surprisingly optimistic about AI — and how he sees it expanding, rather than replacing, human creativity

A candid reflection on creative ambition, relevance, and the resilience it takes to keep showing up — even when what drives you starts to change.

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Stay Connected with Alanna (Host) & Gordon (Guest)

• Alanna Lynch Instagram: @meliorfuturi
• Alanna Lynch Linkedin: alannalynch
• (FAIL)UP Instagram : @failupbymeliorfuturi
• Gordon Instagram: @gordon_harrison_hull
• Gordon Linkedin: gordonhull

If this conversation left you wanting to think bigger, feel braver, and influence change in your own organization, head to melior-futuri.com to explore our executive and leadership coaching programs, available internationally.

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