The Creative Rising

Latest Episodes:

SNACK: Narrowing Down Your Ideas with Sam Harrison Sep 29, 2020

Show notes

Introducing SNACKS, practical bite-sized tips for your creative journey. In between seasons, we will bring you quick jolts of inspiration in these mini-episodes.
This week's SNACK is brought to you by author, speaker, and creative guru Sam Harrison. He shares how to create better feedback and idea narrowing systems for helping teams find the best ideas possible.
If you have tips for a future bite-sized episode, let us know! Email info@thecreativerising.com

For more on Sam Harrison visit: www.zingzone.com
Or buy his book, Creative Zing! here or wherever you get books
Produced by Matchstic: www.matchstic.com
Hosted by Blake Howard
Editing by Michael Engelking
Illustration by Rachel Eleanor: www.rachel-eleanor.com

The Big Leagues with Michael Benford Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

Michael Benford, creative director of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United, went from a career in music to leading design for the major leagues. In this final episode of season 3, Benford tackles the product and process of creating highly-visible design — from stadium signage to redesigning team uniforms — and shares how to stay innovative season over season.

For more on Michael Benford visit: www.mikebenford.com
Produced by Matchstic: www.matchstic.com
Hosted by Blake Howard
Intermission music & editing by Michael Engelking
Illustration by Rachel Eleanor: www.rachel-eleanor.com

Athlete and Artist with Richard Sullivan Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

Who says creativity has to stay on a fixed course? In this episode of The Creative Rising, watercolorist Richard Sullivan traces his path from professional athlete to an acclaimed artist. Bringing the same passion and determination to the canvas as he did the field, Sullivan illustrates the complexity of the creative identity.

For more on Richard Sullivan visit: www.richardsullivanillustration.com
Hosted by Blake Howard
Produced by Matchstic: www.matchstic.com
Intermission music & editing by Michael Engelking
Illustration by Rachel Eleanor: www.rachel-eleanor.com

The Next Best Gig with Carly Ayres Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

While it may seem like some people always land on their feet, in reality, everyone’s career path has unexpected twists, turns, and the occasional dead end. Carly Ayres, now working on UX Community & Culture at Google, has plenty of titles under her belt (designer at Creative Mornings, author at CommunicationArts, co-founder of Hawraf, to name a few) but her journey as a creative began with a drive to explore the unknown and lean into learning, wherever the opportunity presented itself.

For more on Carly Ayers visit: www.carlyayres.com
Hosted by Blake Howard
Produced by Matchstic: www.matchstic.com
Intermission music & editing by Michael Engelking
Illustration by Rachel Eleanor: www.rachel-eleanor.com

Road to Recognition with Bobby Martin Jul 07, 2020

Show notes

How does a creative climb the ladder of success to rockstar status? Bobby C. Martin, co-founder of Champions Design, knows a little something about that. Fast Company named him one of “the most creative people in business,” and he’s led design projects for prestige brands like The New York Times, Girl Scouts of America, MTV and many more. In this new installment, we sit down and hear his story, which starts with classroom doodles and culminates with leading the design firm of dreams.

For more on Bobby and Champions visit: www.championsdesign.com
Hosted and produced by Blake Howard
As always, special thanks to Matchstic: www.matchstic.com
Intermission music & editing by Michael Engelking
Illustration by Rachel Eleanor: www.rachel-eleanor.com

The Payoff of Experimenting with Adam Weiss Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

Sometimes it’s hard to drink up the creative juices when the pressure of deadlines and timelines are closing in. Adam Weiss, founder and creative director of brand strategy and design studio Landscape, lends his perspective to staying curious, creative, and experimental without constraint.

For more on Adam and Landscape visit: www.thisislandscape.com
Special thanks to Matchstic: www.matchstic.com
Hosted and produced by Blake Howard
Intermission music & editing by Michael Engelking
Illustration by Rachel Eleanor: www.rachel-eleanor.com

Diving Into Diversity with Bethaney Wilkinson (Redo) Jun 09, 2020

Show notes

Originally released in September of 2019, this conversation with author, speaker, and racial justice expert, Bethaney Wilkinson, is more relevant than ever. How does the creative community’s lack of diversity limit collective creativity? How does privilege play into who gets hired? Anyone willing to listen and learn can actually make a difference and, in this conversation, Bethaney gives us sage advice for taking meaningful action.

For more on Bethaney Wilkinson and The Diversity Project visit: www.thediversitygap.com
Listen to and support The Diversity Gap podcast!
Special thanks to Matchstic: www.matchstic.com
Hosted and produced by Blake Howard
Intermission music & editing by Michael Engelking

Empathy in Action with Toke Nygaard May 26, 2020

Show notes

What happens when career and ambition suddenly get halted due to uncontrollable factors? In this episode, host Blake Howard sits down with Toke Nygaard, the Chief Creative Officer at Zendesk, to talk about his story, an unexpected disease, and the power of empathy in action.

For more on Toke visit him on twitter: @tokenygaard
Special thanks to Matchstic: www.matchstic.com
Hosted and produced by Blake Howard
Editing by Michael Engelking
Illustration by Rachel Eleanor www.rachel-eleanor.com

Love or Work with Andre and Jeff Shinabarger May 12, 2020

Show notes

Is it possible to change the World, stay in love, and have healthy relationships? In this episode, we talk with Jeff and Andre Shinabarger, the hosts of the podcast Love or Work. Andre is on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19 as a Physicians Assistant and Jeff is the founder of Plywood People, a non-profit in Atlanta that leads a community of start-ups doing good.

For more on the podcast Love or Work visit: www.loveorwork.com
For more on Plywood People visit: www.plywoodpeople.com
Special thanks to Matchstic: www.matchstic.com
Hosted and produced by Blake Howard
Editing by Michael Engelking
Illustration by Rachel Eleanor www.rachel-eleanor.com

Finding the New with Matt Luckhurst Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

You’re supposed to have your finger on the pulse of what’s new, cool, and creative, but what if you’re feeling out of touch? Matt Luckhurst, co-founder of The New Company (and former COLLINS co-founder and executive creative director) shares his perspective on conquering the fear of being irrelevant.