The Creative Catalyst Podcast: Recent Episodes
Michael Crowne
The Creative Catalyst is a platform within itself that is here to share my collective catalog of wisdom and experience with you. My goal is to educate, inspire, spark, and motivate those that need it.
Gwen shares with us her perspective of being an entrepreneur and a multifaceted leader in a highly competitive environment.
Tangela shares with us her way of thinking in business and the importance of having a solid brand.
Sharard X gives us his perspective of being a black artist that illustrates captivating stories through artwork.
You worked very hard to get to where you are in your professional life. As a flawed individual, do you ever feel like a phony?
If you have to ask your family and friends on social media (and not yourself), you are heading up a steep hill of confusion and unnecessary struggle.
Social media is a great places to find creative people to hire. It also has away of hiding the nuances of how to choose the right vendor for your creative needs.
This episode talks about when you buy creativity, pick two. If it's fast and cheap it won't be good. If it's cheap and good, it won't be fast. If it's fast and good, it won't be cheap.
This episode talks about the pros and cons of getting a quick and cheap logo and paying for a professional logo from a professional.
This episode talks about the importance of choosing a focus lane and making that lane work for you.
From one developer to another - it is not easy to switch professional hats. Tamela is a renaissance woman of many talents. She has dabbled into the web and tech industry with business marketing trends and search engine optimization. She has curated these skills with her latest clientele and educates them to make better business choices. We talk about the types of difficult clients that make us roll up our sleeves and go to work.
Instagram - @tamelastrandz
Facebook - Tamela Strandz
Tutor/Teacher
Creativity is a gift that most people don't possess. To have the eye to take a pile of mess and see something beautiful out of it. This episode talks about the trials and growing pains of working with friends in the professional industry and how it impacts your own growth as a business owner. Monique has had her hands in a multitude of mediums within the project development world of art. See what she is up to below:
Instagram - @msmofab_
Facebook - MsMonique Bella
Website - www.theravenwoman.com
This was a fun one! I had always admired Lo on social media and how she commands her audience with her bubbly personality. From the process of working with people that don't want you to do better than them - to people placing expectations on you for their benefit. We talk about mental health and the importance of self-love and knowing how to be the best you within this crazy world. It gets creative when we dive behind the scenes of that infectious smile. Check out Queen Lo and what she has going on below:
Instagram - @so-queenlo
Facebook - So Queen Lo
Instagram - www.globyloskyn.com
Jerrilyn is a bold personality that is changing the stigma of women in comedy. Today, there is a perverted opinion on women being a certain kind of funny. Jerrilyn not keeps it real, but her funny is classy. I believe that comedy comes from a place that is almost the polar opposite. Because in those not-so happy moments, you are eager to make light of those situations. In this episode we talk about the business and the hustle. We talk about the journey of the grind and hard work that most people phone-in. It was a privilege to talk to this icon in-the-making. Look out for her and see what she is up to below:
Instagram - @indeskribeabull
Facebook - Indeskribeabull
Website - ok2bapparel.com
It was a pleasure to have this conversation with Rocky. We all have our various levels of what we call hell. Some of us cannot seem to believe that there is a light at the end of that dark tunnel, but something sparks within us to wake up and live. In this episode, we dive into various topics of business, the discipline of the arts, and toxic relationships. You can find out what Rocky is up to in these links below:
Instagram - @rocky_theredroom
Facebook - Rocky Campbell
Website - www.entertheredroom.com
I wanted to take a different kind of approach with this interview. In today's social media industry, we do not know how to have an unscripted, candid and natural conversation without the uncomfortable feeling. Vanity and I discuss some of the things that we have noticed on social media and how it has been affecting our inner circles with business and personal livelihoods. Vanity prides herself on walking the talk and being the help that she aspires to see in the community. With her non-profit works and giving back efforts, she hopes that her footsteps will encourage others to pay it forward so we all can have a little more comfort.
Check out her products and services below!
Website: info@vanitycreates.com
Instagram: @thevanityconstance
Facebook: @Vanity Constance
Not everyone can see what you see. To capture an image and create the vision of something beautiful is a talent that only few people are granted. Sam shares with me his philosophy and a bit of his special ingredients on how he captures his pictures. We discuss the creative industry in -person and the online impact of terrible work being promoted throughout social media. He is a man of few words, but his work speaks loud and can be heard across the country. In a competitive industry of copycats, only the strong will survive and the talented will prevail.
Check out his products and services below!
Website: www.degraceimagery.com
Instagram: @degrace_imagery
Facebook: @DeGrace Imagery
I had the pleasure of interviewing this accomplished woman who never took failure for as a final destination. She has prevailed in academics and continues to hold her head up high to prove that your past is not your future. Latrice has paved way for the next generation of women of color who aspire to pursue law in a restricted and privileged society. We discuss the business within law and the overall importance of how to treat people who are in challenging legal situations. Her focus is personal injury and civil rights law.
Check out her products and services below!
Website: www.latinlawgroupllc.com
Instagram: @atlpiattorney
Facebook: @Latrice Latin
In this episode we get to know this incredible creative, Chauncey Jackson, and his starting roots on where he came from to become a film maker. Chaunce has worked through the rough phases of coming up in art industry as a visualist. He has developed a brand that reflects his integrity and his love for story-telling with a broad scope of captivating ideas. As a student of the craft, he continues to break records and create a name for himself as an award-winning film maker. Having met Chaunce through a challenging collaboration, we were able to respect each others professional presence and eventually find ways to work together.
Check out his products and services below!
Website: www.onechaunce.com
Instagram: @chaunccee
Facebook: @Chauncey Jackson
Listen to the crackle and the sizzle of the delicious food that is created by this powerful business woman. Jennifer brings happiness at every event and every function with her carefully crafted dishes. In this episode we discuss a bit about the come up of what goes on behind the scenes of a chef that is a woman. We will be diving into the entrepreneur industry, the process of coming up through speed bumps and what most people overlook when acquiring goals.
Check out her products and services below!
Website: www.jennscatering.net
Instagram: @jennjanaetom
Facebook: @Jennifer Janae Tom
A fellow renaissance man and a mogul ahead of his time. Jarvis Releford has defied the odds against him and has developed a branding company that caters to educating business owners to #BrandResponsibly. He is a force to be reckoned with and a student of the craft. It was refreshing to listen from another point of view on what the creative process is and how you should never cheat it.
Check out his products and services below!
Website: www.brandnewconsultinggroup.com
Instagram: @brandnewconsultinggroup
Facebook: @Brandnewconsulting11
Through a long journey of finding the path to her passion, Jenisha shares a piece of what made her into the person she is today. Standing proud with her new brand and company "DropIt Fit" is an athleisure clothing line that is catered to uplifting the levels of confidence in those that aspire to become more fit.
Check out her products and services below!
Website: www.dropitfitapparel.com
Instagram: dropit_fit
Facebook: dropitfit
Have you had a business opportunity that you had to make a choice on whether to give your friend or relative a chance to work with you? How many times have they impressed or failed you? In this episode, I share some of the difficult choices I had to make when deciding between work and play. We love our people, but not everyone is worth going into business with. No relationship is worth challenging. Or is it?
We all sell a piece of our souls at some point in our lives. Who and what you sell it to matters the most. In this episode, I map out what it means to take control of your brand and how to avoid unnecessary losses that will be expensive in the long run.
Do you know much you cost? Well in this episode I take the time to give you some of the things that may help you look at what you do from a different perspective, as it relates to you professionally. Money isn't everything, however, it is how we pay our bills. My goal here is to value what you do so that you can avoid being taken advantage of by someone who thinks of you as a cheap thrill.
Business is a battlefield. We are constantly pressured to fight our ways through so that we can avoid getting eaten by a larger fish than us. In this episode, I share some of my weaknesses as well as some of my strengths when diving deep into this deep abyss in business. I share some vital gems that have kept my head above water and out of the jaws of those that didn't want to see me thrive.
At some point in our lives we have found a thing to help us pass the time, take away our stress of the day (week), become a better individual and more. Have you ever questioned yourself if you'll ever take the thrown of an entrepreneur or businessperson? In this episode I unfold some gems on how YOU can embark on this self-gratifying voyage.
In this episode, I dive into a few layers of the fear of failing that someone experiences when pursuing new ventures and opportunities. Some of the contributing factors as to why the journey to success is so complicated and complex - I go into those and compare some of my own thoughts on the matter.
I discuss the various differences between a cheap logo and an expensive logo. The difference in the amount of effort that goes into the design process. Knowing where your investment can take you.
In this episode I reveal a new image of the power of investing in yourself and what it can do for you in the long run.
I talk about what the analogy of focusing on what "You" as the brand owner, business professional or influencer have to understand and get a grip on in order to become a better version of yourself from today. To establish a solid known-self to conquer your territory in business and the public.
This is a comparison of two great marketing tools that most do not know how to utilize in their professional processes to the best of their ability. Here, I break down the pros and cons of using social media for their business and how it affects the DNA of their brand.
How to establish a brand identity. One of many discussions on the process of what it takes to develop a meaningful identity.