Cindy Lau is a designer and illustrator. Her fascination for visual storytelling and her eventual career focus was first sparked by her father’s love of comics. We also talk about balancing work opportunities with quality of life, and how teaching has allowed her to value her authenticity.

Sean Kernan is a photographer, writer, and teacher. We chat about his early days in theater an how that transitioned into a very successful photography career. Sean has an amazing ability to stay curious and inspired and we discuss how that has influenced his teachings over the years. 

kHyal's diverse background encompasses experiences rooted in fine art, high end audio, graphic design, marketing, and fashion design. As the founder of Fizz Agency and MegaGlam, the lifestyle brand combining fashion, design and street art, kHyal is far from slowing down. 

Jeremy Brazeal is the Executive Creative Director for Reality. Although Jeremy’s roots started in illustration - he always had his heart set on becoming a creative director. Though there were a few detours along the way, Jeremy eventually led creative teams for both Lego and Coca-Cola. We talk design, leadership, and how cycling keeps him in balance. Enjoy this conversation!

Kelly Walters is an artist, designer, educator, researcher and the founder of Bright Polka Dot. Ever since Kelly was a student at University of Connecticut, many of her creative efforts have focused on race and representation in design. In addition to her studio, Kelly is also the Director of the Communication Design BFA program at Parsons School of Design. We also discuss how continuing her own education is vital to the success of her students. 

Nate Solberg's creative curiosity started at a very young age and he shares how a massive college project shaped his work ethic. He talks about some influential internships and his current role at North American Entertainment Group. We are also very grateful for Nate as he created the logo and brand of this very podcast.

Cassandra Hamer's love of design started very early in her childhood with her classmates being some of her first "clients". Currently, she is on the in house design team of Ace Hardware and talks about how she got there. She shares with us how the lack of design education in public schools contributed to her eagerness to learn and was the motivation to write ABC's of Design. 

Bob Vitale is one of the founding members of the design studio, SVP Partners. He shares how a supportive family allowed him to pursue graphic design and how that sparked the beginning of his career. We also discuss a charity organization near and dear to Bob’s heart called Sticks for Soldiers, which provides support to wounded military veterans.  

For the past 10 years, designer Chuck Brooks has been at the award-winning design studio, Box 8 Creative in New Haven.  Chuck shares some insight into the creative team’s process that has helped steer many successful brands such as Mecha Noodle Bar, Alvarium Brewing and Roasting, and Doro Restaurant Group.

Butch Quick is an illustrator and designer who’s interest in comic books at a young age set him on his creative path. We discuss his experience as a concept artist and his love of package design. Having been in the business for over 40 years, Butch is still evolving, and his more recent interest in portrait photography has allowed him a whole new way to connect. 

Dan Taylor talks about his early days at RIT and then moving to New York City and interning at Pushpin Studios. He talks about how Taylor Design came to be and how he and his team stay focused in an ever-changing world. 

After graduating from the University of Bridgeport, Karl found himself working in commercial art sales to supplement his freelance work. Without knowing it at the time, this led him on the path to start Creative Placement. We talk about the current state of the creative world, his love of photography, and how Designer Journals came to be.  

Ben Keller is a mural artist and painter. From a very young age, painting and drawing were the only things that helped Ben escape the tensions of everyday life. His art became his sense of purpose and has allowed him to develop a style that is uniquely his and very respected in the fine art and commercial worlds.

Today we sit down with CADC Hall of Fame recipient, Richard Hollant. Richard's creativity started at a very young age growing up in Haiti and he shares the common theads that connect everything he does. He has influenced many communities and organizations with his agency Co:Lab and discusses the mindset behind Freecenter.

Chris Piascik "accidentally" became an illustrator after years as a graphic designer. His style and humor has allowed him to work with many brands including Coca-Cola, Nickelodean, and Google. Chris has a large following on YouTube and has hosted many classes on Skillshare. In this conversation we talk about how this all came to be.

Designer Bonnie Siegler is the founder of Eight and a Half design studio. She shares stories of working for MTV in the early years and getting hand written notes from Prince. Since going off on her own, she has worked with VH1, Air America Radio, and Saturday Night Live.  We also chat about two books she's published: Dear Client: This Book Will Teach You How to Get What You Want from Creative People and and The American Way. A great conversation!

Jack Tom is a designer and illustrator with decades of experience. He grew up on the west coast but made his way to New York to meet Milton Glaser. He shares that story and how that led him to work under Chris Blum at Honig-Cooper & Harrington and later to develop his love for magazines working for McCall's. We get into an lot in this episode, enjoy!

We sit down with the founder of Map Agency, John Rudolph. John's roots are in upstate New York, though after attending Syracuse, he made his way to Connecticut where he worked as a designer at numerous small agencies. Great conversation!

Emily Larned is a designer, educator, and publisher. Her path started in grassroots publishing and everything she does today is still influenced by those early years. We visited her studio in Bridgeport to talk about the way people connect today and empowering the next generation of designers. 

As We Create is a production of the Connecticut Art Directors Club, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization. This podcast is produced with listener support. If you like what you are hearing, please donate.

We sit down with legendary designer and CADC Hall of Famer, Alexander Isley. It all started growing up in North Carolina and attending NC State, then off to NYC to attend Cooper Union. Alex spent his early career under the guidance of Tibor Kalman and then moved on to serve as Art Director of Spy Magazine. Alex eventually started his own studio that has quite the client list. 

https://alexanderisley.com/

As We Create is a production of the Connecticut Art Directors Club, a 501(c)(3) non profit organization. This podcast is produced with listener support. If you like what you are hearing, please donate.

Carla Gonzalez is an Associate Creative Director at Mintz + Hoke in Avon, CT. How did her creative path begin? Perhaps wanting to be a designer or illustrator, but no…she was a math teacher. The is a wonderful conversation with someone that always thinks outside the box. She will make you smile!

To find out more about Carla:

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For our first episode, we couldn’t think of a better guest than the CADC’s founder, Mark Vogt. Back in 1975, Mark was a young Art Director, and at the age of 25, he felt that something was missing in Connecticut’s creative community, and decided to do something about it.  He shares the story of bringing together the core group that would create the Connecticut Art Directors Club.

Faye Pite Beresner is the senior creative director at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Faye shares how years of freelancing in graphic design influenced how she later led creative teams for Victorinox and Assa Abloy, and how that compares to her current role. 

Jory Benerofe is a creative director and strategist. While his college career started in fine art, he made a switch to architecture for numerous reasons. Upon leaving school, it was a casual interaction with the owner of a small lifestyle brand defined the first 20 years of his career. That brand was Vinyard Vines. Jory has since gone on to lead creative teams at HumanCo and currently building his own creative consultancy.

This is agreat conversation with CADC Hall of Famer, Mike Scricco. Mike spent decades in the design and advertising world and shares what it was like working at an agency and then becoming a partial owner. We also talk about his current role leading the Civic Design program at the University of Hartford and how it’s given him a level of fulfillment he’s never experienced.

From a very young age, Amy Graver's imagination lived in her personal journals until an art teacher advised her to peruse a career in journalism. While attending school in Boston and working at the Boston Globe, Amy's love of graphic design was born while working in the magazine dept. We chat about running Elements Design Studio for over 20 years and what led to her current role at the Yale School of Engineering. 

Creative Director Tim Anderson leads the team at Roadwerx, an experiential marketing and event production agency. We talk about his early years learning about the commercial art world, running his own agency for 17 years, and making sure he only keeps one toe in reality to make a memorable experience. 

Graeme Swank's path to the creative world was anything but straight, but now he knows he’s where he's supposed to be. We talk about his time at Cooper Union - both as a student and faculty - as well as current projects he’s working on with Typetr and Hoodzpah Design.

Erich Davis is an artist and fabricator. His early love of baseball taught him the patience and discipline needed to become a successful graphic designer and art director. Though eventually, his love of sculpture and fabrication lead him to open his own creative studio and leave the marketing world behind.

Pam Howard is the founder and principal of Firebrick Design. We talk about her early days in journalism and publishing and how that contributed to her work ethic. Pam also shares her thoughts on maintaining creative integrity and how any opportunity contributes to personal growth.

With many decades in advertising and marketing, Andrew Wood shares how things got started for him in England, why he came to the US,  and what has kept him at Mintz + Hoke for so long. Andrew also shares the process behind some campaigns he’s lead and why it’s always important to keep the client in the room. 

Jaeme Brennan McDonald is a songwriter, audio engineer, and educator. His musical aspirations started very young as he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father. Though as he grew older, the studio became a more appealing environment.  We talk about working with other musicians as well as his own creative patience. 

Designer Marie Corriveau's childhood home was filled with music and the arts, though she had aspirations of working in international relations. While on that path, Marie struggled with work/life balance and shares how a design project influenced her to make a change. She shares why she fell in love with design and her current role at Atelier Cho Thompson.

Jake Hamm is a commercial photographer and outdoor enthusiast. We talk about his time at RIT and how his love of competitive mountain biking built the foundation of his career. Jake also talks about his work ethic and experiences with his team at Cannondale Bicycles.

Andre Rochester in an artist, curator, and arts advocate . We talk about how sketching as a child gave him a way to cope while igniting his artistic ambition. Although his college studies had more of a commercial art focus, Andre leaned more in the fine art direction after graduation. His current work takes on many cultural and social issues, and when he is not creating or exhibiting his own work, Andre is mentoring other artists.

Sam Angermann's background is rooted in graphic design, though we talk about how she navigated the highs and lows of past roles to better understand what she was looking for in her career. Always having a love for branding, Sam talks about the joy of her current role at Made by Nacho.

Gene Mayer is a designer, producer, and educator. We talk about his early years at Pratt and how that lead to the beginnings of Gene Mayer and Associates where his client list included Otis Elevators, United Technologies and General Electric. In recent years, things have been shifting and Gene shares his current efforts with Cork Factory Films and the University of New Haven.

Dana Smith has been a successful editorial photographer for over 25 years and he shares how that foundation has contributed to his photo illustration work. We talk about his experience with drive and motivation and how knowing nothing can be your most powerful tool.

Karl Maruyama is a designer who's love of drawing was inspired by underground comics and auto culture. After deciding to purse a path in graphic design, Karl moved to the east coast and had an amazing career. We also talk about his current role as creative director for the Piston Foundation.

Brooke Toczylowski is an interdisiplinary artist, educator, and curator. Having worked internationally in arts education for many years, Brooke shares some experiences where the art was a vehicle for much more. She also takes us through the journey of her recent MFA thesis exploring colonialism in America.

Art was present in Amy Gorreck's life from an early age, but it wasn’t until she attended Portfolio Center that she was able to fully understand the world of graphic design. Amy talks about working for Martha Stewart, starting her own design studio, and her recent love of collage.

Michael Ashtrachan is an illustrator, animator and founder of XVIVO. Ever since he could hold a pencil, Michael has been drawing and sketching. His commercial career started with illustration, though once the tools for animation became accessible, it became his primary focus. We talk about how he got into medical animation and the influence art and creativity has in science.

Jillian Cusano and Rosanna Karabetsos are professional dancers and core members of the Dance Collective. For centuries, dance has been an art form often reserved for the elite, whether in the audience or performing. We talk about the evolutions of their careers and their intentions beyond the stage to make dance more inclusive and accessible for all.

In the golden age of rock and roll, Gerard Huerta's career started at CBS records creating artwork and logos for bands such as AC/DC, Willie Nelson, Blue Oyster Cult, and many more. After leaving CBS to start his own studio, his work expanded to create logos for many iconic brands such as Nabisco, Swiss Army, and Pepsi. We also talk about some recent personal work, which was inspired by his love of guitars.

Ed Johnetta Miller is an accomplished quilt and fiber artist. Her love of textiles began when her family moved out of the south for a better life in the 1950's. Since then, she has become a respected artist, educator, and social justice advocate with work reflecting the riches and struggles of African and African American people. She has works in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian, the Nelson Mandela Museum, and many other international institutions.

Nikita Prokhorov is a letter artist and designer who was influenced by architecture and painting through his Grandfather when he was young. After emigrating from Russia with his family, he shares what lead to his focus in design, his experiences teaching, and why he often keeps the computer off and starts an idea on paper. 

Michael Fielder enlisted in the Navy after high school and that lead to a camera being put into his hands for the first time. We talk about the early days of his career working at the Magnum offices and various newspapers, as well as his ongoing personal project, Working Journal.

Suzanne McKenzie is an entrepreneur, strategist, and designer. A brand has the ability to have social impact and Suzanne shares how her understanding of this came to be. We talk about her time in advertising at Arnold, starting a foundation in memory of a loved one, and how Able Made is creating things responsibly while supporting city-youth empowerment and health education.