From Graffiti to CEO: A Creative's Guide to Leading Creatives

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In this episode of UX Leadership By Design, host Mark Baldino speaks with Pablo Stanley. Pablo, a designer and artist, shares his journey from being a graffiti artist in his teenage years to becoming a creative director and founder of multiple companies. He discusses the challenges and triumphs of leading a team of creatives, including the balance between guiding them and allowing them to explore new ideas. Pablo also emphasizes the importance of bringing one's full self and passion to work, promoting work-life integration rather than separation. He highlights the benefits of integrating personal interests and hobbies into the creative process, leading to more motivated and efficient employees. Pablo thoughtfully emphasizes the importance of collaboration, autonomy, and allowing others to make decisions. Pablo also shares his perspective on AI in design, highlighting its potential to unblock creativity and free up time for more impactful work -- while acknowledging the concerns around AI and the need for ethical and legal regulations.

Key Takeaways

• The transition from being an artist to a leader in the creative field can be gradual and natural, with experiences like being in a band or playing video games helping to develop skills in teamwork and collaboration.
• Leading a team of creatives requires finding a balance between guiding them and allowing them to explore new ideas, while also fostering trust and respect.
• Promoting work-life integration and allowing employees to bring their personal interests and passions into their work can lead to more motivated and efficient teams.
• Creatives often crave control and perfection, but it's important to embrace the culture of making mistakes and learning from them.
• Work should feel less like work and more like fun, where employees can bring their full selves and passion to what they do. Leadership involves bringing people together, fostering collaboration, and avoiding silos and isolation.
• As a leader, it's important to let go of control and allow others to contribute and make decisions.
• AI in design can unblock creativity and free up time for more impactful work, but human input is still necessary for selecting and refining ideas.
• There are concerns and ethical considerations around AI, particularly in terms of artists' work being used to train models without consent.
• Learn how Pablo's tool, Lumi, offers AI-generated assets for creative projects.

Resources & Links

• Connect with Pabloe on LinkedIn 
• Pablo's AI design tool companies: https://musho.ai/ and https://www.lummi.ai/

• Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
• Fuzzy Math - B2B & Enterprise UX Design Consultancy