Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m just not creative”? In this episode, I’m chatting with Scott Gordon, a brand designer who also teaches in secondary school, about whether creativity is something you’re born with or something you can learn.

We talk about what happens when a student is convinced they can’t come up with ideas, why being brilliant with design software doesn’t necessarily mean the ideas will follow, and how much of brand design starts with being curious enough to really listen to a client.

Scott also shares what it’s been like building Pure Good Graphics alongside teaching. If you’ve ever wondered where other designers get their ideas, or worried that yours aren’t coming quickly enough, come and join us for this one.

Find Scott and his work at Pure Good Graphics or search for Scott Gordon on LinkedIn.

If you enjoy the episode, I’d love to hear what you think, you can drop me a message on IG - instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries

And if you have a moment to leave a rating or review on your podcast app, it really helps more designers find The Honest Designer Diaries.

Juls

Courtney started designing £5 logos on her phone during lockdown, while still thinking graphic design would probably remain something she did at weekends alongside her retail job.

Six years later, she’s running Funky Enough, working with branding and website clients around the world, building a small freelance team and creating the bold, colourful work she’s now known for.

In this episode, we chat about becoming a self-taught designer, learning as you go and why not having a design degree doesn’t make you any less legitimate. We also get into the snobbery that still exists around Canva, Adobe Express and the software designers are “supposed” to use.

You can find Courtney on Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest at @funkyenoughh.

I’d love to hear what you think of this episode, send me a message on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries/.

Till next time
Juls

In this episode, I’m chatting with brand designer Abi Lee about something we don’t hear discussed very often, how you keep a freelance business going when you’re grieving.

Two years ago, Abi lost her dad very suddenly. While trying to process what had happened and support her family, she was also dealing with the reality of working for herself, where there’s no compassionate leave and nobody else automatically steps in to manage the clients, deadlines and bills.

We chat about the guilt of trying to be everywhere at once, how Abi slowly found her way back into work and the impact the experience had on the way she now thinks about her business and what she wants from it.

It’s a very open and personal conversation about grief, freelancing and trying to keep going when life changes overnight.

You can find Abi and see more of her work on Instagram at @abileedesigns.

Please be aware that this episode includes a conversation about the sudden illness and death of a parent, intensive care and bereavement.

I’d love to hear what you think of this episode. If you’ve listened and any part of Abi's chat resonated with you, send me a message on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/designerinyourpocket_juls/ or https://www.instagram.com/thehonestdesignerdiaries/.

Take care

Juls