Our daily interactions are shown to reinforce our sense of well-being and belonging. And if you don’t feel a sense of belonging or community, you may not feel as engaged at work or as motivated to succeed.
Read MoreWhat It Takes to Run an Agency, In the Eyes of Mojo Supermarket’s Mo Said
In the nearly three years since Mojo Supermarket has existed, the agency has hacked the Oscars, declared baseball dead for Adidas, and even designed a toilet for bad advertising. Each of its projects gets more attention than the last, and Mo wants it to become a home for creatives looking to make the most unique work of their career.
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Visuals by Kayla Homenok
Creativity & Well-Being: Fostering a Culture of Well-Being
In times of change and crisis, we have to reprioritize our needs and start over with the basics. Being well, and taking care of ourselves is key to flourishing and thriving in work and life, as well as staying inspired, creative, and sane. Only when we are well—when we sleep well, eat well, feel safe and supported, and get time to rest—can we experience contentment, let our creativity flourish and do good work.
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Creative Director Edward Yeung Prioritizes Representation in Their Work, a “Beautiful Crusade for Good”
The award-winning non-binary interdisciplinary creative is an Associate Creative Director at Spotify, where they’ve worked on different rollouts for artists such as Billie Eilish, BLACKPINK, and Maluma. Along with their role as a Co-Founder of the brand Crushed Tonic, Yeung’s hands are full as they continue to realize the full extent of their creative abilities.
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How Ray Smiling Adds Destruction Into Creativity
Ray Smiling speaks about creativity as if it were a recap of a Transformers fight. It’s about creating and destroying, it “needs more explosions.” He’s the kind of Creative Director that you want to have if you’re into advertising. His ability to think outside of the box, and encourage other creatives to do so, is well-documented.
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Donye Taylor Cut Her Own Path Into The Creative Industry
From working with R&B artist 6LACK to market his 600 Degrees hot sauce to handling creative direction for a project with Nike, Donye Taylor has carved her own path on her terms. She’s not letting up for anyone. Taylor talks The Digital Footprint, what drives her, and what she plans on doing in the future.
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How Oriel Davis-Lyons Is Changing Diversity In The Ad Industry — One Class At A Time
“We're only ever seeing books from the people who have the privilege of being able to put them together. And that often excludes Black creatives. ONE School is a way to make sure that there is an alternative way into this industry.”
Read MoreArtwork by WNW Member Chris Burnett
50 People & Companies Inspiring the Working Not Working Community Right Now
We asked WNW members to tell us about the creative people who most inspired them, the companies whose projects most impressed them, and their under-the-radar discoveries who deserve to be household names.
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Felix Richter’s Decade at Droga5 Proves a Mastery Of Creative
Felix Richter is the Co-Chief Creative Officer for one of the most well-known agencies in the world. His executive-level creative decisions have left his gargantuan fingerprints on some of the industry’s most well-known campaigns. He’s an inspiration to creatives everywhere — not just for his work in the industry, but also for his approach to being creative altogether.
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Photography: Noire Mouliom
These Black Creatives Founded Six Cinquième, One Of Canada’s Most Exciting New Creative Agencies
In just two years, Six Cinquième has become the blueprint for rising, self-established agencies—especially for Black creatives, who make up an absurdly small percentage of the advertising industry. Now, they’re speaking to Working Not Working about it all: being creatives, establishing their highly sought-after agency, and the vision that they have for the future.
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Shiloh Gray, Winc’s VP Of Brand, Has Made His Creative Passion Mentoring Other Creatives
Gray has spent years applying what he’s learned in the industry, and what he’s discovered seeing creatives operate on all levels, through mentoring Black and Brown rising creatives. Here’s Gray on his creative philosophy, mentoring, and what all creatives should know, below.
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Illustration by WNW Member Lu Zhang
5 Ways Freelancers Can Become Financially Confident This Year
If you’re a freelancer struggling to understand your finances, you’re not alone. 72% of Americans report that their money stresses them out, yet talking about money remains taboo. Let’s make 2021 the year we change that.
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Photo by Mckenzie Grant-Gordon (Painting titled “Recognition”)
Jewel Ham’s Creativity With Spotify Changed The Internet This Holiday Season. Now, She Wants Her Art To Change The World
Jewel Ham now has an appreciation for creativity on a smaller scale—one that’s decidedly not corporate. Here’s Jewel Ham on interning at Spotify, her definition of creativity, advice for future creatives, and building community in Charlotte.
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Illustration by Sabrena Khadija
Equity in Practice with Jezz Chung & Jennifer Ekeleme: Column #2
Each month, Jezz Chung and Jenn Ekeleme will answer questions submitted from the Working Not Working community to provide insight and guidance around building an equitable future.
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We Are COLLINS: A Conversation with Design Leadership at the Celebrated Strategy & Brand Experience Company
We caught up with design leadership, split between COLLINS’ two offices, to shine a light on the industry perspective of the strategy and brand experience company, how that insider reputation was met and swiftly surpassed, and which projects have only further solidified their team appreciation for incredible craft at incredible scale.
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Illustration by Sabrena Khadija
Equity in Practice with Jezz Chung & Jennifer Ekeleme: Column #1
Equity in Practice is a monthly advice column from two women of color in the creative industries who have become thought leaders in the space of diversity, equity, and inclusion through their heart-centered commitment to education and advocacy. Each month, Jezz Chung and Jenn Ekeleme will answer questions submitted from the Working Not Working community to provide insight and guidance around building an equitable future.
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Illustration by WNW Member Pierre-Paul Pariseau
I Miss My Desk (and So Should You)
This pandemic has reminded me of a lesson I learned years ago but had since forgotten. The desk is more than a piece of office furniture; it’s an integral part of a designer’s creative life. The desk is a rock of stability, a place to be active, to be still, and to work.
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Photo by EVERGIB
Canceling the Confederacy: The Dismantling of One of the Most Powerful Brands in American History
“In some cases, a brand stretches or distorts the truth to appeal to its audience. Do we really think Pop-Tarts are part of a nutritious breakfast, as Kellogg's suggests? Over time, the reinforcement of this skewed reality becomes accepted as the norm. It's exactly how the rise of the Confederacy brand came to pass.”
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Illustration by WNW Member Mark Wang
The Villain We Deserve: When Turning a Blind Eye to Hatred Weakens the Critical Gaze
“When design turned up its nose at thoughtful criticism through civilized discourse in favor of strictly 'good vibes', it created a vacuum...All systems require balance and by avoiding this requirement, we collectively created instability.”
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