The Creator's Journey tracks

Here are two questions for you to consider. What will you do with the time you have left? And, are you willing to start right now?

Those questions are central to the life and work of Kirk Souder. Kirk is the co-founder of enso, a mission-driven branding company partnering with companies such as Google, Kahn Academy, Pepsi, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy.

He’s also a transformative coach and a co-facilitator of Soul Purpose 2017, a workshop designed to connect leaders with their next act in purpose, meaning, and impact.

Prior to starting enso, Kirk was an Executive Creative Director with Wieden + Kennedy/Shanghai, as well as an Executive Creative Director with GMMB and Hal Riney & Partners.

In 2006, Kirk completed his Masters in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. And since 2007, he’s been a volunteer with The Freedom to Choose Project in which twice a year he facilitates self-awareness workshops with women in a maximum security prison.

Karen Goodman followed an unconventional path into the world of advertising. She studied sociology and public policy at Duke University before deciding to explore a career in advertising after being inspired by Jennifer Anniston’s role in the film, Picture Perfect.

Currently a Creative Director at Havas /Chicago, Karen has also led creative work at Under Armour, Pappas Group, Johannes Leonardo, and R/GA, working on projects for Google, Nike, and Walmart among others.

Karen is a champion for female creative talent and leadership in the industry. In January 2016, she founded the Washington DC chapter of SheSays, a global networking platform for women and, along with hosting monthly panels throughout DC, has grown the community to over 500 people.

A colleague said of Karen that she has an innate ability to explain complex issues in relatable terms, a quality that, in my view, is sorely lacking in most forms of communications today. I can also say that when we met in NY last fall, I was immediately taken with her gentle ability to put people at ease and draw them in to conversation.

I met Rachael O’Meara at the World Domination Summit in Portland, OR, a few years ago. She hosted a break-out meetup session around the topic of her current book, entitled Pause, in which she explains how pausing can boost your emotional intelligence and ability to act, feel, and communicate authentically and responsibly through the process of creating space in your life for rest and reflection. The sub-title of the book is, “Harnessing the power of giving yourself a break”, which well describes the book and her leading of the meet-up.

Not only was, and is, the topic a relevant one for my life, I’m finding out that nearly, if not every, person I know needs a better understanding of how to take breaks, both large and small, in order to bring a fresh perspective and balance to their lives.

In addition to being an author, Rachael is a sales executive at Google San Francisco for the DoubleClick Ad Exchange and trains colleagues on emotional intelligence and how to be more aware to enhance performance in all areas of life. She is also a regular contributor to Huffington Post, has a podcast on the practice of pausing, and speaks and leads workshops on the topic as well.

It has taken me a couple of months to read Pause because I wanted to take my time and apply the principles as I was absorbing them. It’s been thoughtful and challenging, but a fruitful process to apply to my life.

Deb Lucke is a writer and illustrator of children's books with an interest in bad behavior and horribly embarrassing incidents. She says that since her own childhood had plenty of both, she is never really short of material.

Deb is the creator of the graphic novel series, The Lunch Witch, the story of a failed witch turned lunch lady who is shocked to find her most evil intentions undone by a ten-year-old with thick glasses and unfinished homework. The second book in the series, Knee-Deep In Niceness, was released last Halloween. She is currently at work on a third book. The series has been optioned by Amblin Pictures.

The School Library Journal placed The Lunch Witch on their Top Ten Graphic Novels of 2015 list and the New York Public Library included it on the Top 100 Titles to Read and Share 2015.

In addition to illustrating and authoring several other books, Deb has done illustration work for numerous editorial clients. Her work was included in American Illustration 32 and The Society of Illustrator's 2015 Cartoon and Comic Annual.

In a previous life, Deb was an award-winning art director at several ad agencies including Ogivly + Mather and Hill Holliday. She is also the writer and director of a short film, The Creation, which appeared in fifteen film festivals and aired in the US, Canada, and Japan.

Molly Scannell is a creative director who’s worked with a number of ad agencies including SapientNitro and Mullen. She has nearly 20 years experience working in visual and user experience design with a long and diverse list of clients including John Hancock Investments, Chrysler Group, Lane Bryant, Liberty Mutual, Smithsonian, Yale School of Management, and CBS.

In addition to being a competitive rower for the past 20+ years, her abundant energy also flows into her role of mothering three amazing daughters. As a result of pursuing her own personal art projects and then posting the results on Instagram, she has developed a personal following that has not only encouraged more art work but also given her career a bump.

This show is a departure from my regular format where I talk with one guest about his or her mindset around the process of creating impactful work. In this episode I’ll be talking with five different creative leaders about their thoughts on one topic, the issue of how to get back on track creatively when you’ve been de-railed from your plans or process, for whatever reason.

Whether you’re in the middle of your own creative process, consulting with a client, or facilitating a discussion in an intimate Mastermind group, the issue of how to create and ship your work is, from my experience, an ongoing concern. And one of the primary concerns is how to get back on track once you’re derailed.

I’d love to have your feedback on this episode since it is a change of pace. If you have any suggestions, thoughts for future episodes, or possible guests to recommend, please email me at [email protected]. You can find out more about each guest on today’s show in the show notes for this episode at TheCreatorsJourney.com.

For more than twenty-five years, DeMane Davis has created national and international advertising campaigns as well as written and directed commercials and independent feature films. Her current production company is Sweet Rickey.

Both of her full length feature films, Black and White and Red All Over and Lift, which starred Kerry Washington, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

She’s also a freelance copywriter and creative director who recently won a Clio Award for her work on the marketing campaign for the prescription medication Viberzi. A few of her long list of clients include Bank of America, Cigna, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and American Eagle

Victoria Maddocks, has extensive experience in publishing, advertising, design and retail, focused primarily in the beauty and skin care market. She is currently the Vice President, Global Creative Director of Philosophy, a beauty brand that inspires women to look, live, and feel their best.

Prior to joining Philosophy, Victoria worked in a similar position with Kiehl’s, also a beauty brand. She was instrumental in taking the brand from one store in the U.S. to over 300 brand-owned stores in 35 countries around the world. In addition to running her own branding and consulting firm, The Victoria Maddocks Agency, she has also worked with Gucci, Estée Lauder, Victoria’s Secret Beauty, Saatchi & Saatchi and The Arnell Group.

In short, Victoria understands the power of great design and how to turn it into sales and profit.

In addition to her keen business acumen, she brings a vibrant energy and inspirational leadership, not just to The Creator’s Journey, but everywhere she goes.

I don’t know of anyone with more passion for the work they’re doing than Mara Lecocq. Mara is a former creative director at the branding agency, AKQA New York on accounts for Nike, Starbucks and Verizon. But she quit her high profile position to go freelance as a creative director so that she could devote more attention towards inspiring and helping to empower young girls through a project she launched called Secret Code, which we’ll discuss in detail.

Prior to her work at AKQA, Mara worked at the branding agency BETC in Paris and at DDB in Toronto.

To date, Mara has already been named one of the Next Creative Leaders by the One Club, one of Mashable's Rising Stars in advertising, and was part of the Cannes Lions 'See It, Be It' initiative focused on aspiring female leaders.

Lisa Congdon has been on my radar for several years.

As a fine artist and illustrator Lisa Congdon is best known for her colorful abstract paintings, intricate line drawings, pattern design & hand lettering. She works for clients around the world including the MoMA, Harvard University, Martha Stewart Living, Chronicle Books, Simon & Schuster, and Random House Publishing, among many others.

She exhibits her work around the country, including shows at the Contemporary Jewish Museum and Bedford Gallery in California.

Lisa writes a popular daily blog about her work, life and inspiration called Today is Going to be Awesome. And she she seems to me to be quite a force on Instagram.

She is the author of six books, including the starving-artist-myth-smashing Art Inc: (Which I thoroughly enjoyed...) It is The Essential Guide to Building Your Career as an Artist, as well as the illustrated books The Joy of Swimming, Fortune Favors the Brave, Twenty Ways to Draw a Tulip, A Collection a Day, and the first book of Lisa’s that I read, Whatever You Are, Be a Good One,.

Her seventh book, A Glorious Freedom: On Being a Woman, Getting Older, and Living an Extraordinary Life will be released by Chronicle Books later this year.

She was named one of 40 Women Over 40 to Watch in 2015. She lives and works in Portland, Oregon.