"I'm the eternal optimist. If you want something hard enough, you'll figure out the right strategy, get the right talent, and nothing will get in your way." - Talia Cotton

In this episode, Radim Malinic interviews Talia Cotton, designer, coder, and founder of Cotton, a design and technology agency. 

Talia shares her journey from growing up in a musical household in New York City to founding her own agency that uniquely combines branding and technology. She discusses her education in business and psychology at Carnegie Mellon, her year teaching English in Italy, overcoming a life-threatening accident, and her experiences working at Pentagram before launching her own studio. 

Throughout the conversation, Talia reveals how her musical background influenced her approach to design and coding, her strategic mindset toward business growth, and her philosophy on team happiness and creative leadership.

Key Takeaways

• Talia's musical background directly influenced her attention to detail and ability to understand nuance in design and code.
• Growing up in New York City instilled a sense of confidence, independence, and drive that continues to shape her approach to business.
• The combination of business/psychology education with creative training gives her a strategic advantage in the branding industry.
• Living abroad provided valuable perspective and communication skills essential for understanding clients in branding work.
• After a life-threatening accident, Talia approached her creative career with renewed passion and appreciation.
• Her strategic approach to business includes thorough planning, data analysis, and anticipating challenges before they arise.
• Talia views her team's happiness as the top priority and essential to the company's long-term success.
• She sees AI as a tool rather than a threat, believing human creativity will always remain essential.
• Her optimistic philosophy centers on the belief that anything is possible with enough determination and smart strategy.
• Future plans include potentially productizing custom design tools that bridge technology and branding in unique ways.

Mindful Creative: How to understand and deal with the highs and lows of creative life, career and business

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