The Busy Creator Podcast With Prescott Perez-fox - Conversations On Creative Culture, Workflow & Productivity

Kyle Bollinger (@WhoaKB) and Kristin Burkhart are the in-house design team for PureChat, an software tool enabling websites to offer chat-based support. Dividing their duties between product and marketing, Kyle and Kristin have developed a workflow that allows them to work swiftly and efficiently, while still experimenting with new industry practices. In this conversation, we discuss company culture for a small SAAS startup, how the designer collaborate with internal stakeholders, and some unravel technical challenges around versioning and fast iteration. GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 83 (MP3, 37:04, 17.9 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 83 (OGG, 37:04, 16.5 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES   Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android Show Notes & Links Kyle is a product-focused UI/UX designer Kristin is a marketing and web focused-design PureChat is chat software for websites SAAS Both Kyle and Kristin started at agencies, working for m

Danny Gregory (@DannyGregory) is an advertising veteran who has worked across just about medium of creativity, including writing, design, photography, and teaching. He's published several books including his latest, Shut Your Monkey. In this conversation, we examine the topics of the book which include self-doubt, anxiety, distraction, and other mindset struggles faced by creative pros.  Shut Your Monkey by Danny Gregory Keep you with Danny on his website or his blog. Shut Your Monkey is now available for order.   GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 82 (MP3, 55:39, 40.4 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 82 (OGG, 55:39, 30.1 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES   Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android Show Notes & Links According to his website, Danny is an artist/author/creative director/blogger/teacher/speaker Danny's new book, Shut Your Monkey Sketchbook Skool Danny has worked in Hanoi and Doha to build creativity schools Danny has blogged f

Jonathan Raymond (@JonathanRaymond) is an author, coach, consultant, and CEO of Refound, working with business leaders and managers to install better workplace habits and company culture, including mentoring. Over the years, he's seen numerous workplace dynamics, not just within the creative fields, and shares some of his patterns with us. In this conversation, we search for definitions of culture, discuss the differences between mentoring and simply bossing, and offer some advice for both the employee and the manager to build better relationships and in turn, a better team. Jonathan has written a book, Good Authority, which will be released later in 2016. Support his efforts by reading more about the book and by pre-ordering. GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 81 (MP3, 52:36, 25.4 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 81 (OGG, 52:36, 28.7 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES   Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android Show Notes & Links Jonathan "helps

Laura Roeder (@LKR) is the co-founder of Edgar, a social media scheduling and management tool. Laura began her career as a web designer, moving first to solo practice, and then to social media consulting. From this conversation, you'll learn how Laura transitioned away from work-a-day design and into entrepreneurship, how her team at Edgar manages their software development, and some of the philosophies behind their hiring and company management.  One thing we don't cover are the features of the software itself, and the idiosyncrasies which separate Edgar from competitors like Hootsuite or Buffer. To learn more about Edgar itself, scroll down to the show notes for examples of Laura explaining in further detail on other podcasts, and some embedded videos showing off Edgar itself. That said, Laura and her team have offered listeners of The Busy Creator a free month of service for Edgar. Sign up before May 31, 2016 and use the code SUNANDSURF.   GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 79 (MP3

Bryce Bladon (@BryceBladon) is a freelance writer and editor of the popular blog Clients From Hell. Bryce has been editing and curating the site for years, and has overseen dramatic growth both in blog readership and in creating outside partnerships, products, and offerings.  In our conversation, we discuss the origins of Clients From Hell, how a blog can become a viable business, and how all of us who provide services can avoid clients from hell to have a better working life. Bryce has recent authored the second book from Clients From Hell, Hell To Pay, concerning the ever-popular topic of getting paid for freelance work and avoiding money-related drama.  Hell To Pay, the new book from Clients From Hell Listeners of The Busy Creator can save 50% by using code "BusyCreator" when purchasing from this link.  

Kristine Neil (@TheKNeil) is head of branding and design company Markon Brand Design. She purchased Markon when it was an old-fashion sign company, and has since transformed it into a small creative studio, now boasting a team of three. In our conversation, we cover the quirks and rituals used by the team at Markon, Kristine's personal productivity habits, and the general challenges that face all busy design teams nowadays. GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 77 (MP3, 41:52, 25.3 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 77 (OGG, 41:52, 19.9 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES   Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android Show Notes & Links Kristine describe her work as "varied" Markon is a small agency focusing on branding for small- to medium-sized businesses Kristine purchased Markon rather than founded it. Previously, it was a sign company. The Markon team is now three strong — Kristine, Mike, and Jenna "It's a scary thing to say 'I need some Help'." —K

Alice Coles (@HulloAlice) is an illustrator, artist, designer, and video producer based in Colorado. She has honed her skills and created a signature style thanks largely to her own video production schedule. Alice publishes tutorial videos and showcases her experiments on her YouTube channel, HulloAlice. In this conversation, we discuss Alice's origins as an illustrator, how she found supporters in the YouTube community, what art supplies she relies on, and what sort of desk setup she uses to film her own work as it happens. See more of Alice's work and get in touch on her website, AliceRColes.com.   GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 76 (MP3, 38:55 18.7 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 76 (OGG, 38:55, 20.2 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES   Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android     Show Notes & Links Prescott and Alice met at a design conference in Phoenix Alice describes her work as "an exploration of herself, her memories, and her place

Kirsten Modestow (@KModestow) is the founder & creative director of Brigade, a branding and design firm in Massachusetts. Brigade focuses on consumer packaging and communications; they create brands for products, and help them stand out on shelves. In recent years, this has translated to digital promotion and social media as well. In this conversation, Kirsten discusses her origins as a young designer, learning from her elders, how she started Brigade in her house and where the company is now, and examines the curious culture of an agency that grows fast and lives in an open-plan office. GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 75 (MP3, 49:55, 72.1 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 75 (OGG, 49:55, 23.7 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES   Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android Show Notes & Links Brigade focuses on food & beverage clients, within the packaging and communication media types, so not everything. In-store design materials include

Matt Inglot (@MattInglot) is the founder of Tilted Pixel, a results-focused web design agency based in Calgary, Canada. A veteran web designer, Matt has been an agency owner most of his career, beginning when he was still a student. Over the years he's refined his own business strategy to bring greater value to his own clients, and in turn build a thriving practice. Matt is also the host of the Freelance Transformation podcast, where he speaks with creative entrepreneurs and practitioners about business and freelance issues. In this conversation, Matt discusses his role in the business, how systematic (or not) he likes to be with prospective clients, and how he handles working from home.

Freelancers can no longer be ignored as fringe workers, in-betweeners, and the occassional slacker seeking to hide his true unemployment. Freelancers now make up a significant portion of the creative economy, especially in Cities like New York where fashion, film, theatre, design, and music industries thrive outside the walls of conventional employment relationships. In this episode, we hear from Alex Signh (@AutomaticYes), Co-Founder of Domino, an online community for freelancers, Matt Inglot (@MattInglot), host of the Freelance Transformation podcast, and Jaime Campbell (@TierOneServices), a CPA and business coach who has worked with freelancers throughout her career. Together we examine some definitions, ailments, and mindsets shared by freelancers. We also drop a few action steps any freelancer can take to make the transition — or the next step — that much smoother. Show Notes & Links 6 Mistakes Every New Freelancer Makes by Domino The New Normal by Kristen Fischer Kristen Fischer on The Busy Creator

Debbie Millman (@DebbieMillman) is a design and branding industry impresario. She will, at any given moment, be involved in a multitude of projects and roles across the profession. For nearly 20 years, she’s been the President of Sterling Brands, a design and brand strategy firm based in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Since 2005, she’s hosted Design Matters, one of the most successful radio shows (now podcasts) about design and creativity. She also founded and chairs the Master’s in Branding course at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and has authored numerous books. In this episode, Debbie speaks about the structure and workflow of Sterling — now a corporate agency, how she stays energized across her many endeavors, and how she’s still working to overcome awkwardness in her life and career. We also get to hear the story of how Debbie and Prescott first met.   Show Notes & Links Design Matters was recognized as an iTunes Best of 2015 show. Amazing achievement. Design Matters is among the

This episode is a rundown of resource I've been collecting and analysing for some time. The Busy Creator Podcast is far from the only place online to learn business skills and discuss productivity, so strap yourself in and listen to this collection of 27 online resources where creative pros can learn business skills.   Tools & Website Fizzle, Community The Fizzle Show Seanwes, Community The Podcast Dude Freelancers' Union FU Hives Stack Exchange GraphicDesign.StackExchange.com Lynda LinkedIn acquires Lynda for $1.5B InDesignSecrets.com Skillshare Coursera Udemy Udacity Chip Kidd on Skillshare Jessica Hische on Skillshare Erica Heinz on Skillshare Erica Heinz on The Busy Creator Podcast Courtney Eliseo on Skillshare Courtney Eliseo on The Busy Creator Podcast General Assembly The Flatiron School Digital Strategy School Marie Poulin & Ben Borowski Marie Poulin on The Busy Creator Podcast Ben Borowski on The Busy Creator Podcast Nathalie Lussier 30-Day Listbuilding Challenge Louder Than Ten Marketing Me

How should a creative professional go about building an audience for an online project or brand? What can we do to connect with likeminded people and potential partners? How can bring a killer app or perfect gift to a hungry audience?  Like many others on the Internet, I don't have all the answers, but I know a few experts. In this episode, we hear from Johanna (@GoodVibesJo) and Charles (@TheBrownVegan), the team behind Good Vibes Life, on the hard lessons learned in their first year of online brand-building. We also hear from Ben Kreuger (@BenWKreuger), of Cashflow Podcasting, on popular and proven tactics for audience growth. Finally, Kate Erickson (@KateLErickson) of Entrepreneur on Fire and Kate's Take shares the Top 7 Strategies: How to Grow a Podcast Audience.  When all's said and done, there are a few genuinely proven routes to take to building an audience, but each takes consistency, energy, and time. Lots of time. Learn what they are in today's conversation. Show Notes & Links Johanna is a holi

Kitty Chan (@IMKittyChan) and Alice Chan (@AliceChan319) are twin sisters and co-workers at Procurify, an online software company based in Richmond, BC, Canada. The duo work together within the design team at Procurify, and have originated many of the company's creative workflows and protocols, grown the product and marketing offerings from the ground up, and installed a healthy creative culture. In this conversation, we discuss how the sisters came to work together at Procurify, some of the early creative challenges faced by a small software company, and what sort of workflows and rituals you can use in your own company to help create order and harmony. Procurify is an online tool to aide companies in their purchasing and procurement. Check them out at Procurify.com   Show Notes & Links Alice and Kitty are UX/UI designers Procurify helps businesses with their procurement processes, to help businesses buy the stuff they need The design team is only three designers, so everyone wears multiple hats Procuri

Betsy Helmuth (@BetsyHelmuth) is an interior designer & decorator in New York City. Her company, Affordable Interior Design, offers, well, affordable interior design. Over the years, she's designed rooms in over 1,000 apartments, as well as many offices and home offices. In this conversation, we discuss some simple steps that we creative pros can take to improve our workspaces — both while renting an office and in fixing up our home office. We cover lighting, colour, shelving, storage, and other little "hacks" for setting up shop and enjoying a happy, productive, creative work-day. Show Notes & Links Betsy is the founder of Affordable Interior Design She believes you can "maximise your productivity and creativity by changing the atmosphere in which you work" When looking for an office, look for the basics — location, space, costs Also look for a building with similar businesses for future collaboration Many companies overlook their interior office design — they look good online, but it doesn't transl

This bonus show is dedicated to Ethan Frederick Greene, my friend and a talented musician, who passed away September 13, 2015. Featured are a selection of Ethan’s composition work across multiple genres included electronica, chamber music, opera, ambient, and other bits that defy category. For more about Ethan, please visit his site, EthanGreene.org Ethan Greene on SoundCloud

Dan Fields (@danthebeast) is a Vice President of Operations at Aarra, an interactive management firm based in New York and Chicago. Once a humble Flash developer, Dan has moved into a sales and new business role, building relationships with large agencies and small shops alike. Our conversations discusses the need for sales and relationships in creative businesses, how Dan made the transition to new biz, and some of the challenges facing the ever-changing advertising industry. Catch up with Dan on his personal site Danfields.com or via his podcast, Save It For The Show. Show Notes & Links Dan is “no expert” but is a working professional with a passion project on the side. (Aren’t we all?!) Dan is a New Business & Strategy agent for a number of design & interactive studios He started as a Flash developer, gaining an understanding of the creative process  Matt Keefe, Josh Miles, previous guests on the Podcast The challenge is now “How do you get potential clients into the room?”  “You have to hav

Mignon Fogarty (@MignonFogarty) is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips, the multi-faceted publishing website that produces dozens of topic-specific podcasts based on several characters, the most famous of which is Grammar Girl. Since creating the Grammar Girl Podcast, Mignon has authored 7 books, collected a host of podcasting awards, and recently assumed the Donald W. Reynolds Chair in Media Entrepreneurship at the University of Nevada Reno. Our conversation follows Mignon's origins in online business, how she leveraged her early podcast success and existing personal relationships to create a broader network, and how she still prefers to do certain production elements herself.   Show Notes & Links Mignon Fogarty is a professor — not a doctor — but her students call her by her first name Britons will call Professors as such, whereas the Americans favour Doctor, when that's available. e.g. Professor Alice Roberts (@DrAliceRoberts), a medical doctor and professor at the University of Birmingham "There's

Ben Elijah (@inkandben) is a consultant in the productivity sector and author of the book The Productivity Habits. In this conversation, we dig into the productivity sector as a whole, and discuss his origins as an author and as a not-very-productive person. The Productivity Habits, by Ben Elijah This episode is oddly self-referential, as we, two productivity nerds, talk about how bad we are with our own habits, and about how we continually struggle to stay productive — at least in our own eyes. Ben writes and speaks about the topic, which is an ongoing struggle for all of us. You’ll learn some of Ben’s tested habits and techniques you can use to get started down the road toward better effectiveness. Catch up with Ben via his site, InkAndBen.com Show Notes & Links In case you’ve forgotten, The Busy Creator discusses Tools, Techniques, and Habits Ben admits that he came to focus on productivity because he’s “very bad at it” Getting Things Done by David Allen On Amazon and On Audible The Productivity Hab

Cathryn Lavery (@CathrynLavery) is an architect-turned-designer, entrepreneur, and maker. After leaving architecture, she created Calm The Ham, where she designs and sells posters and other products. Cat's next project is The Self Journal, a printed, bound journal with templates to help you craft a productive morning routine and accomplish your quarterly goals. Our conversation covers Cat's productivity habits, especially as they relate to morning routines, how she leverages her passions for design but leaves the marketing duties to other people, and how she takes a systematic approach to launching on Kickstarter by manipulating her media contacts. Catch up with Cat on her personal blog, LittleMight.com, or via CalmTheHam.com and TheSelfJournal.com Listen Now [smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/busycreator/TheBusyCreator_65_CathrynLavery.mp3" color="3E3315" image="http://busycreator.com/images/TheBusyCreator_2_80x80_buzz.png" title="Ep. 65 w/Cathryn Lavery" artist="The Busy Creator Podcast with