The Creator's Life Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Creators Life Podcast
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 www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/
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 www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/
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/ nicolet@haddadandpartners.com
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 www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/
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/ www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/
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.
Follow us at:
The Creator's Life www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife1/ 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/
It's that time of year, time for everyone to opine on the best music of the year. This year is extra special because I'm joined by 3 music savvy people who are very knowledgeable and entertaining. Hosted by myself, graphic designer and illustrator Cliff Washington. My guests are Elliott Ashby is a video producer at HOT97, content creator, personality and host of Eye of Elliott. Bex Francois who is a video producer, content creator and co-host of the Black Girl Podcast, and Lyric who is a personality and creative. We dive into The Creator's Life top 5 hip hop and top 5 R&B albums. What impact these artists and albums had and how they make us feel. This is the last podcast episode for season 1, and we'll be on hiatus till March 2019. Thanks for listening! It's been an amazing season 1.
Follow us at:
Cliff Washington www.instagram.com/knocliff3/ twitter.com/KnoCliff https://soundcloud.com/knocliff
Elliott Ashby https://www.instagram.com/elliott_ashby/ https://www.facebook.com/elliottashby https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVdH8v5LPXLqGQhU6zkLypRexbS5rUZGQ
Bex Francois https://www.instagram.com/bexxfrancois/ https://soundcloud.com/blackgirlpodcast
Lyric https://www.instagram.com/elleword/
The Creator's Life www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife1/ www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/
We're back, in this episode The Creator's Life founder Cliff Washington sits down with Cuban visual artist Paola Martinez. They discuss creative confidence or lack thereof, something that afflicts a lot artists and creative people. But within her journey she's found and built up her creative confidence, and taken her work to new heights. They also discuss the strong feminist streak in her art.
Follow us at:
Paola Martinez https://paolamartinezphotography.squarespace.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pfiterre/
The Creator's Life www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife1/ www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/
Cliff Washington www.instagram.com/knocliff3/ twitter.com/KnoCliff @knocliff
In this episode we review Marvel Studio's Black Panther. We discuss the hoopla leading up, why it's taken so long to get the first big budget black super hero movie, people of color in comics and our general thoughts of the movie. Hosting this episode is graphic designer and illustrator @knocliff, with guests Olga Encarnacion, a video producer at Complex Media and Josh Thomas a Network Engineer at Time Inc. Please like share and follow, cheers.
Follow us at: The Creator's Life https://www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife1/ https://www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/
Cliff Washington https://www.instagram.com/knocliff3/ https://twitter.com/KnoCliff https://soundcloud.com/knocliff
Olga Encarnacion https://www.instagram.com/invisiblecircus/ https://twitter.com/invisiblecircus
Josh Thomas https://www.instagram.com/djjosh_urnyc/ https://www.facebook.com/djjoshthomas
In the second part of our music talk we dive into Jay-Z's 444 and @knocliff 's top hip hip albums of 2017. We also discuss the best R&B of 2017, if afro-beat and afro-house will take over America, if Cardi B is the real thing, and what music we're looking forward to in 2018. DJ Tara and music journalist Timmhotep help us break this all down. You can find the social handles of the guests and host below!
The Creator's Life: https://www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/ https://www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife1/ http://www.knocliffdesign.com/thecreatorslifepodcast
Cliff Washington https://www.instagram.com/knocliff3/ https://www.facebook.com/cliffwash https://twitter.com/KnoCliff
DJ Tara https://soundcloud.com/dj-tara-1 https://www.instagram.com/djtaranyc/ https://twitter.com/djtara https://www.facebook.com/DJTaraNYC/
Timmhotep https://soundcloud.com/timmhotep-aku https://www.instagram.com/timmhotep/ https://twitter.com/timmhotep https://open.spotify.com/user/12122332805
In episode 5 part 2 we explore Paolo Martinez's experience on the cuban art scene and bucking societal norms, as well as what she does to keep her confidence up as a professional photographer. Nichole Washington talks about finding her self-expression in the male dominated photo industry. Hosted by writer Rayna Martinez and co-hosted by illustrator and digital designer Cliff Washington, also featuring writer Tracy Sayre.
Like and Follow The Creator's Life at: www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife1/ www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/
Rayna White www.instagram.com/raynajwmartinez/ twitter.com/RaynaJWM
Cliff Washington www.instagram.com/knocliff3/ twitter.com/KnoCliff www.facebook.com/cliffwash www.knocliffdesign.com
Nichole Washington www.instagram.com/nicholawola/ www.facebook.com/nicholeewashington nicholewashington.com/ twitter.com/nicholawola?lang=en
Tracy Sayre www.instagram.com/sayretracy/ twitter.com/WritersWorkOrg www.writerswork.org/
Paola Martinez www.instagram.com/pfiterre/ paolamartinezphotography.squarespace.com/
Music Theme by @knocliff
This episode we welcome four talented women in the arts to sit down and have a conversation about their careers. We chat about their inspirations, if they've felt pressure to appeal to a male audience, their thoughts on the TV show Insecure and more. Writer Rayna White guest hosts and Cliff Washington co-hosts. Featuring guests Nichole Washington (no relation to Cliff Washington) a visual artist, writer Tracy Sayre and photographer Paola Martinez. Please excuse the pipe knocking at the place we recorded in.
Like and Follow The Creator's Life at: www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife1/ www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/
Rayna White www.instagram.com/raynajwmartinez/ https://twitter.com/RaynaJWM
Cliff Washington www.instagram.com/knocliff3/ twitter.com/KnoCliff https://www.facebook.com/cliffwash www.knocliffdesign.com
Nichole Washington https://www.instagram.com/nicholawola/ https://www.facebook.com/nicholeewashington http://nicholewashington.com/ https://twitter.com/nicholawola?lang=en
Tracy Sayre https://www.instagram.com/sayretracy/ https://twitter.com/WritersWorkOrg http://www.writerswork.org/
Paola Martinez https://www.instagram.com/pfiterre/ https://paolamartinezphotography.squarespace.com/
Music Theme by @knocliff
We continue our conversation on 21st century thinking for creatives. We dive deep into networking in this episode and discuss why it's crucial in our fields. Singer Songwriter Eni https://soundcloud.com/iamenii joins the conversation towards the later part of the episode to drop knowledge on intentional networking. Gems.
Like and Follow The Creator's Life at: www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife1/ www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/.
Cliff Washington: www.instagram.com/knocliff3/ www.facebook.com/cliffwash twitter.com/KnoCliff
Cameron T. Moore: www.instagram.com/heydjcam/ www.facebook.com/cameron.t.moore twitter.com/HeyDJCam
Ení https://soundcloud.com/iameni www.instagram.com/iameni_/ www.facebook.com/JSAlgarn open.spotify.com/album/5u57HVyWos…lmzb?si=ejN5TAo8
Tim Grae: www.instagram.com/mrgrae/ www.facebook.com/tim.grae.5 twitter.com/MrGRAE
Rayna White: www.instagram.com/raynajwmartinez/ twitter.com/RaynaJWM
Music Theme by @knocliff
Started by Illustrator and graphic designer Cliff Washington, The Creator's Life podcast is about sharing the stories of creative professionals to inspire and inform. In the first episode, host Cliff Washington has a conversation about Creativity, Branding and Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century with Marvel Entertainment graphic designer Cameron T. Moore, singer songwriter Ení, creative entrepreneur Tim Grae and writer Rayna White. This is Part 1 of the talk.
Like and Follow The Creator's Life at: https://www.instagram.com/thecreatorslife1/ https://www.facebook.com/thecreatorslife/.
Cliff Washington: https://www.instagram.com/knocliff3/ https://www.facebook.com/cliffwash https://twitter.com/KnoCliff
Cameron T. Moore: https://www.instagram.com/heydjcam/ https://www.facebook.com/cameron.t.moore https://twitter.com/HeyDJCam
Ení https://www.instagram.com/iameni_/ https://www.facebook.com/JSAlgarn https://open.spotify.com/album/5u57HVyWosSBBEKVYClmzb?si=ejN5TAo8
Tim Grae: https://www.instagram.com/mrgrae/ https://www.facebook.com/tim.grae.5 https://twitter.com/MrGRAE
Rayna White: https://www.instagram.com/raynajwmartinez/ https://twitter.com/RaynaJWM
Music Theme by https://soundcloud.com/knocliff