The Creative Lead Playbook Podcast

I put together something special: it's all the advice I'd give to to anyone starting out in the industry. Listen on to find out more. P.S. I started a Substack - sign up here: https://thecreativeleadworkshop.substack.com/ -------- I’m Cathy Davenport Lee, and I hope today’s episode leaves you feeling inspired and ready to push the boundaries of your creative career.  Don’t forget to subs...

I've been thinking A LOT about AI lately - and having a lot of passionate discussions about it with various people. In my day job, I'm leading the design for a product suite that contains various AI apps. I also wrote a series of research articles about using GenAI in the key art process on LinkedIn. I'm also giving a talk as a mentor for the Women in AI Summit in the next couple we...

I have a new episode that talks all about a hack I have to help you define your personal (or small business) branding. I was inspired to share this after I went through an exhaustive process of defining my audience, catering my writing and graphics to that audience, and then realizing that the audience in my head wasn't who showed up. (And that that audience probably doesn't even exist...

Today’s topic is all about getting along with other people.  I know that sounds potentially generic or vague, but it’s a vital skill when you work for any company - large or small. I’m personally inspired by the time I spent at a really big company and there were infrastructure changes. When I was thinking about what skill or tool helped me the most during those times, I suddenly remembered someth...

We've all been on that Zoom call when that one guy unmutes himself and suddenly you hear a litany of heavy breathing, explosively loud typing, background noise, popping and clicking. Maybe we don't want to admit it to ourselves, but we definitely get a certain idea in our heads about somebody who has bad audio on a Zoom call, right? I think the opposite is true, too. When somebody has re...

Okay, tell me if this sounds like you.  You've recently started a new business and you're trying to get yourself established...and you feel like you're drowning in all the things you need to do to brand yourself.  Setting up a website, getting a logo in place, starting social media accounts...it's completely overwhelming. You spend two hours adjusting a button style on your web...

When you’re a manager of a team, you’re going to have to figure out how to make sure that the work that needs to get done, gets done. And you’re going to need to figure out how to do that in a way that makes sense - from a budget and a project perspective. But you also want to make sure it makes sense from a HUMAN BEING perspective. One of the biggest mistakes creative managers make (imo) is that...

It's that time of year — you're tired, ready for a break, but there's roughly 1,483 tiny pots boiling over at work.  Or if you're a freelancer, maybe you just got a windfall of client projects and you're afraid to ease off the momentum, even though you feel like you're sleepwalking during the day. So how do you deal with the anxiety you feel about resting long enough...

Having worked on the brand side for a good length of time, I can tell you that there's one thing people do (agencies, vendors and designers alike) that results in major side-eye and skepticism when it comes time to review the creative work. The good news? If you STOP doing this right now, I promise it will make your projects go far more smoothly. It's really simple advice, but it can tak...

Networking: The horror! 😱 OMG...I hate the mere mention of the word.  But yet, you’ll dramatically increase your chances of being hired and finding more opportunities for advancement if you do it. So unfortunately, it’s somewhat necessary.  If you don’t like networking, I’ve found that it doesn’t help to hear about it from someone who LOVES it. So I thought that today I’d give you MY take on netw...

So today I have something that is kind of special to me. It's special because it's based on some advice that my dad gave me a very long time ago when I first started my career. I don't think I'm over exaggerating by saying that might've been the most important advice I've ever gotten.  In fact, the more, more and more I think about it, the more and more it applies to...

When you're running a project, it's important to make your clients feel INSPIRED....but SAFE.  What am I talking about?   Well, I think people go to one of two extremes when they are creatively directing a project. Either they are in full "razzle dazzle" mode - where they're vibing and exploring without a clear plan.... ORRRR they've got the whole project choreographe...

Back again with another installment in getting your work approved. Today I want to discuss the importance of leveraging precedence . Because you can't effectively guide your client into green-lighting a new creative direction if you don't understand and don't have respect for where they've been. It's kind of like knowing how to do traditional photography, even if 99% of th...

Today I wanted to talk about the importance of learning how to get your work approved. The psychology of YES, as it were. Getting things approved is a SKILL. And it’s an important one. Approval doesn’t happen just because the work is amazing (even though our society seems to have this invisible agreement where we pretend we only care about the quality.) IMO, only 50% of the key to getting work app...

Today we're talking about how being BAD at something is actually the secret to becoming good at it. -------- I’m Cathy Davenport Lee, and I hope today’s episode leaves you feeling inspired and ready to push the boundaries of your creative career.  Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and sign up for Lunchbox Notes —my free encouragement and advice letter for creatives. Stay connected fo...

A well-designed system is almost invisible. All you "see" is the absence of a problem. But a poorly-designed one will have you up all night and on edge all day. Join us this week to talk about how getting good at system design is part of becoming a creative lead. -------- I’m Cathy Davenport Lee, and I hope today’s episode leaves you feeling inspired and ready to push the boundaries of y...

Today we’re talking about how a workplace situation that feels chaotic can actually be an opportunity. -------- I’m Cathy Davenport Lee, and I hope today’s episode leaves you feeling inspired and ready to push the boundaries of your creative career.  Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and sign up for Lunchbox Notes —my free encouragement and advice letter for creatives. Stay connected for...

I've noticed that one of the hardest mental transitions people make at work is the transition of thinking about themselves as an individual versus thinking about themselves as a team lead.  I wanted to share with you a personal anecdote about thinking of the team as a whole, and what that can unlock for you and them, if you can successfully manage this mental transition. Listen to hear more a...