I had the pleasure of talking to my friend and former co-worker Miranda Johnson in episode 21 of The Creator's Life Podcast. Miranda is a Digital Producer for the Tamron Hall show on ABC News. Miranda has had an amazing career journey in media and entertainment. She's interviewed people including 50 cent and Rihanna, she been on shows like The Breakfast Club on Power 105 and Hottest MC's in the Game on MTV. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience she shares during this interview that will prove invaluable to anymore interesting in working in media, or anyone looking for career motivation.

Miranda J.

https://www.instagram.com/randa_writes

https://twitter.com/randa_writes

https://www.tiktok.com/@randa_writes

Cliff Washington

www.instagram.com/knocliff3/

www.linkedin.com/in/cliffwashington/

The Creator's Life

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In episode 20 of The Creator's Life Podcast, I chat with Nick McGowan, a mindset and self-mastery coach. We get into the dynamics of modern leadership and how it differs from 20th century models.

We also talk about self-awareness and the dark night of the soul. How oftentimes we have to get to our lowest point before we embark on the long road to addressing destructive patterns that might hold us back. I pose the question to Nick, do we have to reach rock bottom to implement change in our lives? Check out this episode for his answer.

Nick McGowan

https://www.facebook.com/TheNickMcGowan

Men's Mindset and Mastery Facebook Group

https://bit.ly/3GMuwpx

Cliff Washington

www.instagram.com/knocliff3/

www.linkedin.com/in/cliffwashington/

The Creator's Life

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One of keys to more opportunity for people of color in graphic design is access to education and resources in the field EARLY. This is the gap that DJ Haddad, the founder of the ad agency Haddad and Partners set out to fill. In partnership with AIGA Connecticut and Sacred Heart University, H&P created the Summer Studio program to teach graphic design to black and brown high school kids from Bridgeport, CT.

Summer Studio provided a 4 week graphic design program where all supplies were free, including a Microsoft Surface laptop, a year subscription to Adobe Suite, meals and transportation.

I talked to 2 of the organizers of the program, Nicolet Gatewood, Director of DEI at H&P and Jacina Serbalik, Co-President of AIGA of Connecticut. We discussed the successes, challenges and impact of the program.

If you’ve been searching for some optimism in our messy world, this is the episode you want to hear. I came away more hopeful then I’ve been in a long time about a blueprint for building more opportunities for people of color in graphic design.

The Creator’s Life is available on Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Summer Studio

https://www.haddadandpartners.com/summer-studio/

Nicolet Gatewood

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolet-gatewood/

Jacina Serbalik

https://www.instagram.com/ijacinabear/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeserbalik/

Cliff Washington

www.instagram.com/knocliff3/

www.linkedin.com/in/cliffwashington/

The Creator's Life

www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife

www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/

It was my privilege to interview my friend Fiona Clark Chinkan for the episode 18 of The Creator's Life podcast. Fiona is an accomplished Art Director who worked in corporate, then pivoted to working as a Fine Artist, displaying her work in numerous galleries in New York City. That may sound like a breeze, but her journey has been long and challenging, but also fulfilling. In this episode we unpack everything is took for her to become an independent artist, we also talk about the mundane but crucial need for thorough organizing, something creatives aren't great at. Fiona opens up about her health issues, how that affects her life and how she's able to press on.

Make sure to check out Fiona's holiday shop for unique and beautiful artwork to gift someone this holiday season.

https://www.fionac.nyc/holidayshop

Fiona Clark Chinkan

https://www.instagram.com/fionac.nyc

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-clark-chinkan-83b1b668/

The Creator's Life

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Cliff Washington

www.instagram.com/knocliff3/

www.linkedin.com/in/cliffwashington/

Pivoting your career or stepping into entrepreneurship can be equally gratifying as it is filled with obstacles. Personal branding, whether self-employed or working for an organization has become increasingly important. Being able to craft a story around your journey, what you do and what you know is key to building your personal brand. My guest Marielle Legair helps companies develop ambitious women and diverse talent to leadership positions through personal brand keynotes and training workshops. She is a personal branding expert that has an inspiring story about her personal transformation and her career pivot. As many of you embark on your own journeys of career transformation, this episode will be a great jump off point for you.

The Creator's Life

www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife

www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/

Marielle Legair

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mlegair/

https://www.instagram.com/iammariellelegair/

https://www.amazon.com/Personal-Brand-Bible-Ambitious-Women/dp/1974444600

https://mariellelegair.com/

Cliff Washington

www.instagram.com/knocliff3/

www.linkedin.com/in/cliffwashington/

Melinda Livsey is a brand strategist, facilitator, educator and creative leader. I first came across her on the The Futur youtube channel. It was my pleasure to interview her and learn about her mindset in talking to leads, how important being an educator is to her, and how she developed her mastery in the area of brand strategy. This turned into a design therapy session for me. Moving forward, I'll be better for having this discussion.

The Creator's Life

www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife

www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/

Melinda Livsey

https://www.instagram.com/melindalivsey/

https://www.marksandmaker.com/

Cliff Washington

www.instagram.com/knocliff3/

www.linkedin.com/in/cliffwashington/

In this episode I talk to my friend Elliott Ashby, he's a photographer, videographer and creative storyteller. I met Elliott when we both worked at Hot97 in 2016, we had memorable experiences that influenced the next phase of our careers. In this episode we talk about creatives owning their personal power, aligning purpose to your creative endeavors, and creatives as leaders.

The Creator's Life

www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife

www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/

Elliott Ashby

https://www.instagram.com/elliott_ashby

Cliff Washington

www.instagram.com/knocliff3/

www.linkedin.com/in/cliffwashington/

This is a special episode of The Creator's Life Podcast because it's coming off the heels of the terrorist attack on the capitol. I had previously arranged to talk to my guest Keone Chong this past Thursday, I still conducted the interview but there was no way getting around what happened and what it means. I had to make some slight adjustments in the topic but it ended relating to what we were going to talk about anyways. Capitalism, racial justice, the economy and design are converging in ways we haven't witnessed before. Keone Chong is a brand futurist and work with The Systm, an organization dedicated to transforming the way we work. We're at an inflection point in American history where people of color are asserting their voice and power, and many white Americans want reassert their control, but we're never going back.

The Creator's Life

www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife1/

www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/

Cliff Washington

www.instagram.com/knocliff3/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliffwashington/

Keone Chong

https://twitter.com/keonechong

https://www.linkedin.com/in/keonechong/

The Systm

https://www.thesystm.co/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRYsWdMDhGwMYCUDaamc-pA

According to the AIGA design census in 2019, only 3% of the design industry is made up of black designers. There are a myriad of reasons for this but it's staggering to see representation so low in commercial design. Host Cliff Washington has a zoom convo with fellow black designers Ronda Thompson and Adrian Franks about how we got here and what needs to be done to remedy this. Adrian is a UX Creative Director at IBM and Ronda is the former Creative Director at Essence Magazine and currently works at Bed, Bath and Beyond as a Web Design Consultant.

The Creator's Life

www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife1/

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Cliff Washington

www.instagram.com/knocliff3/

twitter.com/KnoCliff

Ronda Thompson

https://www.instagram.com/thompsonproject/

Adrian Franks

https://www.instagram.com/afranks3/

https://www.pepperarchive.com/

We're back with the season 2 premiere of The Creator's Life Podcast. In this episode we discuss the topic "Is Graphic Design Dying?." From shrinking art departments to the outsourcing of jobs, the industry has changed drastically over the last 15-20 years. Among many other things we discuss how designers young and older can guard themselves against industry shifts. Hosted by Senior Digital Designer and all around creative Cliff Washington, joined by Art Director and Digital Mercenary Pope Phoenix, Freelance Art Director & Illustrator Fiona Chinkan, Art Director Edo and Imani Nuñez, Graphic Designer & all around creative.

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The Creator's Life

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www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/

Cliff Washington

www.instagram.com/knocliff3/

twitter.com/KnoCliff

Pope Phoenix

https://www.instagram.com/popephoenix/

Edo

https://www.instagram.com/edo_photo/

Imani Nuñez

https://www.instagram.com/profoundly_imani/