MOUTHWASH

Jermaine Craig is a designer of systems and experiences. In the past he’s created A-Mood, a simple way to curate and gather references. Other Shapes, minimal one-page website templates for creative workers and teams. And right now he’s building Kwanda, a modern collection pot for black communities.

Kwanda is a non-profit company that is dedicated to improving the quality of life for these communities through different projects that are organically formed through the discussion amongst its members. Jermaine talks with us about the role design plays in forming these dialogues and the importance of removing obstacles for more diverse solutions to shine on our modern-day problems.

We spent some time chatting with DP Andrew Palermo. Andrew has had his hands on many projects over this last decade, from Romantic Dramas such as '6 Years', to ethereal pieces such as 'A Ghost Story'. More recently, Andrew is wrapping up on 'The Green Knight', set to release later this year. Andrew took some time to explain how he fell into filmmaking, his inspirations, and how we can continue to break down barriers to tell more interesting stories.

Carmen Winant is a practicing artist, a professor at The Ohio State University, and the Mother of two sons. Her work involves the appropriation of documentation as a means to explore Feminine Studies. Carmen educates us on the power of the found image, how bravery plays a role in artistry, and how parenting aligns with her current practice.

Michael Goldberg walks us through the founding of Something Special Studios, a full-service creative agency based in New York. From Spatial Design to Branding and Strategy, they've worked with established companies such as Nike and Calvin Klein. Michael explains how he has approached instilling a culture within his agency, building a community around his work, and the importance of leaving room for personal projects and collaboration.

Claire Cottrell is a practicing Director and Photographer. Claire breaks down the role travel has played in her career, the importance of documentation and memory, and how she maintains an intimacy throughout the body of her work.

Caleb Flowers finds himself doing it all. He’s created Hathenbruck, a concept-store that explores fashion and product design. Within Hathenbruck, he’s created BigData, a Zipfile available for purchase that contains a curated internet archive. He’s also managed to drop a full-length album, Mystery Ranch, towards the end of 2019, as well as help start Bruhler’s, a company founded by friends that makes headgear. At the center of all these projects, and the focus of our conversation, are two simple questions: What do people want, and how can we get it in their hands?

Are.na is a visual organization tool designed to help you think and create. It lets you build simple collections of content by adding links and files of any kind, and connect ideas with other people by collaborating privately or building public collections for everyone. Charles Broskoski, otherwise known as CAB, is the leading voice behind Are.na, with the help of a small team at his back. On this episode, we hear about how he’s set out to make a more mindful internet, one that is rooted in intentional exploration and the sharing of information.

Four years ago Adrian Martinez was a recent college graduate writing for a local newspaper in Orange County. Now, he is the founder and Creative Director of STURDY. A creative house whose work has been spotted seen on a number of stages for music festivals like Coachella to global tours for some of the world's biggest music artists. So far they've tackled creative direction and set design for acts like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, PARTYNEXTDOOR, and so many more. In this episode, Adrian takes us from day 1 to where he hopes to go in the future.

Actual Source is the works of JP Haiyne and Davis Ngarupe. A design studio focused on the retail of well-designed objects in addition to the creation of brand identities, websites, and physical spaces for others.

Even though Provo, Utah has a population just past 100,000; their team explains to us how great work can come from unexpected places. How proximity of friends who inspire us and constant dialogue about our dreams puts us in a place where we can meet success.

Chelsea Matthews hasn’t worked for anyone for eight-and-a-half years. She’s the founder of Matte Black, an LA-based creative studio; creator of Shape Shift Report and Candid Network; and partner at the eatery Highly Likely cafe.

It’s an impressive list—even more impressive when you get a peek behind what it takes to build such successful projects. We talked to Chelsea about her career path, creating where you see the gaps, and above all, how tapping into your creative community makes all the difference.