Podcast Summary
From studying photography to starting a graphic design career: Staying persistent and hands-on in projects leads to a genuine connection and love for the end result (IKEA effect). Mentorship and learning from various roles in the creative industry are valuable.
Being relentless and involved in the creative process are key to bringing ideas to life. Jo Burd, creative lead at Lounge, shares her journey from studying photography to working at renowned photography studios and starting her career as a graphic designer. Throughout her experiences, she emphasizes the importance of staying persistent and being hands-on in projects to develop a genuine connection and love for the end result, which she refers to as the IKEA effect. Additionally, she highlights the value of mentorship and learning from various roles in the creative industry. Overall, Jo's story demonstrates the importance of staying determined, being involved, and continuously learning to succeed in a creative career.
Learning on the Job in Creative Fields: Passion, determination, and seizing opportunities are crucial in gaining practical experience and building a career in creative fields. Use Hostinger's AI-driven website builder to create a professional online presence.
Gaining practical experience and learning on the job can be just as valuable as formal education when it comes to building a career in creative fields. The speaker shared her personal journey, which included learning essential design principles from a mentor, building a credible portfolio, and eventually landing a job as an art director after various detours. She emphasized the importance of passion, determination, and seizing opportunities. Additionally, she highlighted the ease and effectiveness of using Hostinger's AI-driven website builder to create a professional online presence.
Navigating a non-linear career path in the creative industry: Every experience, even unrelated ones, can lead to valuable skills and opportunities in creative roles. Emotional resilience is crucial for managing creative teams and dealing with the emotional attachment to work while meeting business needs.
Finding success in the creative industry often involves navigating a non-linear career path. The speaker shared their personal experience of stumbling upon their dream job at Gymshark after various detours, including telesales and fashion photography. They emphasized that every experience, no matter how seemingly unrelated, can contribute valuable skills and experiences to a creative role. The speaker also highlighted the importance of emotional resilience in managing creative teams and dealing with the emotional attachment to their work while meeting business needs. Currently, the speaker leads a creative team at Lounge, where they manage brainstorms, collaborate with copywriters, and navigate the emotional challenges of creating content for product launches and brand campaigns.
The creative team at Lounge ensures campaign consistency and alignment: Creative teams act as campaign conductors, maintaining focus on objectives and preventing projects from veering off course.
The creative team at Lounge acts as the conductors of campaigns, ensuring everyone is aligned and working towards the same goal. They are involved from start to finish to maintain consistency and prevent the project from veering off course. The creative lead's role is to keep the team focused on the brief and objectives, as creativity can be easily sidetracked by new ideas and opportunities. The speaker's experience at Gymshark was formative, as it was where they could apply their skills and make a significant impact. The role required them to prove themselves and grow, ultimately leading them to their current position at Lounge.
Embracing uniqueness and turning challenges into opportunities: Focus on strengths, build relationships, advocate for diversity, and embrace unique qualities to turn challenges into opportunities
No matter the circumstances, we have the power to turn challenges into opportunities. The speaker shared her experience of feeling like an outsider as the only woman in a male-dominated team at Gymshark. Instead of letting it hold her back, she used it to her advantage by focusing on her strengths, building relationships, and advocating for intentional creativity and diversity. Her determination led to her becoming known for her work on empowered women's campaigns and eventually landing a job at Lounge, an empowered women's brand. This story highlights the importance of embracing our unique qualities, speaking up for ourselves, and making the most of every situation.
Creating disruptive campaigns at Gymshark: Gymshark's agile approach to marketing led to innovative campaigns like pun-based postcards during COVID-19 and the Changemaker Grant for Women's Day, which made a real impact on customers and the community.
The marketing world at Gymshark was vastly different from traditional advertising agencies. Instead of relying on big above-the-line campaigns, Gymshark was all about being agile and coming up with disruptive ideas. This experience toughened up the speaker, encouraging them to think outside the box and push boundaries. One of their favorite campaigns was during COVID-19 when they created a series of pun-based postcards for direct mail, which brought the team closer together and brought joy to their customers during a difficult time. Another campaign they loved was the Changemaker Grant for Women's Day, which focused on giving back to the community and making a real impact on people's lives. These campaigns may not have gone viral, but the speaker found immense satisfaction in knowing their creative work could make a difference. Overall, the speaker's time at Gymshark taught them the importance of being innovative, pushing boundaries, and making a positive impact.
Embrace the creative process and absorb inspiration: Allow yourself to observe life, trust the process, take notes, and apply creativity to various aspects of life
Creativity is a deeply personal process that can be influenced by various factors, including emotions, experiences, and external stimuli. It's important to allow yourself to observe life and absorb inspiration from various sources, but it's also essential to recognize that creativity may not always come on command. Trust the process and be open to the world around you. Additionally, taking notes or jotting down ideas as they come to you can help facilitate the creative process and serve as a valuable reminder when inspiration strikes again. Lastly, remember that creativity is not limited to specific industries or departments; it's a mindset that can be applied to various aspects of life.
Tapping into the power of the subconscious mind: Be aware of creative ideas that come during autopilot activities, jot them down, and be relentless in pursuing them. Recognize the importance of the subconscious mind and maintain a determined attitude to encourage others to listen.
Our subconscious mind is more creative than we give it credit for. Salvador Dali and Thomas Edison were known to use techniques to tap into their subconscious for creative ideas. These moments often occur when we're not actively trying to be creative, such as during autopilot activities like walking or showering. By being aware and jotting down these ideas when they come to us, we can leverage our subconscious mind's power. When we do have a creative idea, it's essential to be relentless in pursuing it, as it's easy for doubts and criticism to shut it down. Being convincing about our ideas and having a determined attitude can also encourage others to listen and consider them. Overall, recognizing the importance of our subconscious mind and being persistent in pursuing our creative ideas can lead to valuable innovations.
The Power of Persistence and Collaboration in Idea Generation: Being relentless and respectful in idea generation can lead to confidence building and better outcomes. Collaboration and understanding 'why' can result in stronger ideas and a positive work environment.
Being relentless and respectfully challenging ideas can lead to confidence building and better outcomes. The speaker shares how they've learned to respect and encourage the ideas of their team members, even when they differ from their own. They also discuss the importance of understanding "why" when faced with opposition and the potential benefits of involving others in the creative process through collaboration. The speaker introduces the concept of the IKEA effect, which suggests that people will have a greater affinity and appreciation for ideas they've contributed to building. Applying this concept to creative projects, the speaker advises presenting ideas in a conversational, collaborative way and being open to feedback and suggestions. By doing so, one can increase the chances of gaining approval and producing better results. In summary, being persistent, respectful, and open to collaboration can lead to stronger ideas and increased confidence. Additionally, involving others in the creative process and understanding their perspective can result in better outcomes and a more positive work environment.
Involve stakeholders to increase chances of success: Involve stakeholders in the creative process, make them feel heard, and remain resilient to rejection to increase the chances of success for an idea or campaign
The involvement and affinity of stakeholders, especially senior figures in a business, can significantly impact the reception of an idea or campaign. This phenomenon, known as the IKEA effect, occurs when people feel a stronger connection to ideas they've contributed to, even if the actual changes made are minimal. Therefore, it's crucial to involve stakeholders in the creative process and make them feel heard to increase the chances of success. Rejection is also a natural part of the process, and it's essential to remain resilient, gather feedback, and try again with an open mind. Additionally, being clear about budgets and objectives and involving stakeholders in the decision-making process can lead to better outcomes and a more cohesive team.
Lounge's Physical Retail Expansion: Beyond a Store, an Experiential Space: Lounge transformed a store into an experiential space by focusing on digital integration, innovative fitting rooms, and a stunning aesthetic, resulting in a successful launch and a unique shopping experience
Successful ecommerce brands like Lounge are expanding into physical retail stores to offer unique and innovative shopping experiences. When the team at Lounge was approached with the idea, they saw it as an opportunity to go beyond just a store and create an experiential space. The creative process involved researching digital integration, innovative fitting rooms, and creating a stunning aesthetic. The presentation was well-received by the CEOs, and they were already looking at multiple premises. The speed at which the team brought the first store to life was impressive, with help from a company called Imaginize. The launch was a success, with the store offering a breastfeeding-friendly fitting room and a luxurious atmosphere unlike any other lingerie store. The team's dedication and innovative approach resulted in a stunning retail space that sets Lounge apart from the competition.
Creating impact with limited resources: Authentic, low-budget content can go viral and create impact, emphasizing the importance of focusing on impact rather than effort.
Creativity doesn't have to be expensive to be effective. The speaker shared her experience of helping create mood boards for a retail project at Gymshark, which later went external and became a high-budget pop-up shop. She felt the need to prove herself and create something unique on her own, even with a smaller budget. She emphasized the importance of authentic, low-budget content, citing examples of brands that have gone viral with rough and ready content. She encouraged embracing the challenge of working with limited resources and focusing on impact rather than effort.
Embracing constraints for better creativity: Understanding personal preferences and work styles, gathering inspiration, making connections, and bringing ideas to life within specific guidelines can lead to successful creative outcomes.
Having clear boundaries or parameters can help creatives focus and produce better results. This concept, often referred to as "constrained creativity," allows individuals to consume diverse sources of inspiration, connect seemingly unrelated ideas, and create innovative solutions within specific guidelines. It's essential for creatives to understand their preferences and work styles, whether they thrive on structure or value creative freedom. The 3 Cs of creativity - consume, connect dots, and create - provide a framework for gathering inspiration, making connections, and bringing ideas to life. To be successful in a creative career, it's crucial to embrace the process, experiment, and learn from failures, as the sooner you're proven wrong, the sooner you can be proven right. Overall, the key to unlocking your creative potential lies in staying open-minded, being curious, and being willing to take risks.
Building a personal brand online: Authentically share your work and talents online to attract opportunities and inspire others. Seek help, be consistent, and focus on impact.
Building a personal brand online can be a game-changer for job seekers and creatives, especially in today's oversaturated job market. Traditional CVs and interview processes can be biased and inefficient, while building a personal brand allows you to share your truth, passion, and work with the world. This approach can help you attract the right people and opportunities, as you'll be serving up your unique talents and resonating with those who truly understand and appreciate them. To overcome the fear of sharing your work and building your personal brand, it's essential to come from a place of genuine authenticity. Share your work with pride and confidence, and don't worry about what others might think. Instead, focus on the value you can bring to others and the impact you can make. Remember, you're not just helping yourself, but also inspiring and supporting others who may be in similar situations. As you build your personal brand, don't be afraid to ask for help and seek out mentors and role models. Be consistent in your efforts and reflect on your experiences to continue growing and improving. By focusing on your unique talents and sharing them with the world, you'll be able to stand out from the crowd and make a meaningful impact.
Sharing authentic experiences on social media: Authenticity and consistency matter. Engage with others, start small, manage time, and remember everyone's journey is unique.
Sharing both successes and failures on social media can be impactful and resonate with others. Authenticity and consistency are key, and it's important to remember that everyone, including yourself, is a work in progress. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there and engage with others. Start small by commenting and engaging on other people's posts before focusing on creating your own content. Time management is crucial, and batching content creation can help make it more manageable. Remember, it's not as hard as it may seem, and if you genuinely want to do it, you'll find a way to make time. Lastly, don't compare yourself to others and remember that everyone's journey is unique.
Building confidence and consistency are key to growing in marketing career: Focusing on delivering quality content consistently helps improve confidence and brings you closer to marketing career goals. Long game is important, and every step counts.
Building confidence and consistency are key to growing in your marketing career. It may take time, but focusing on delivering quality content consistently will help you improve and make confidence a natural part of your professional demeanor. As our guest emphasized, the long game is important, and every step you take, no matter how small, brings you closer to your goals. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider leaving a review and rating to help spread the word about Girls in Marketing. Stay tuned for more insightful conversations and helpful tips on our social media channels and website. Remember, consistency is the key to success, and every small step counts.
