In this episode, you will learn that doing CrossFit while pregnant is probably not the best way to train for childbirth. Also, how having doubt and self-sabotaging your work and maybe your sanity alongside that doubt can be a valuable part of the creative process. This is a conversation we were really excited to have and it does not disappoint.
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Lists, Meditation, Support Groups & No Phone Zones: A Creative's Guide To Living With ADD
Jonathan Hyla is on a mission to demystify ADD, explore the nuances and (yes) even the benefits of having ADD. I spoke with Hyla to learn more about his documentary film project and the corresponding book he’s writing, as well as some advice for those of us who struggle to focus when our very jobs depend on it.
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Illustration by WNW Member Miriam Persand
Pulling Back the Curtain of Big Tech: Confessions of an Anonymous Art Director, Part 2
We independent artists love to complain, especially about vague feedback and bizarre requests, without considering the source of these concerns form in the mouths of other artists. After all, in-house creative teams are the messengers, attempting to unite talent they love with budgets that work.
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Illustration by WNW Member Miriam Persand
Pulling Back the Curtain of Big Tech: Confessions of an Anonymous Art Director, Part 1
The inner workings of the large companies that hire me, an independent artist, are a mystery…I reached out to an anonymous art director friend at a large corporation to gain clarity. We discussed the mood boarding process for a global campaign, where things go awry, and when a company decides to make pre-emptive restitution.
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Amsterdam Illustrator Simon Flöter Is Enjoying the Spoils from the Best Trade He’s Ever Made
Simon discusses dream projects, what scares him most about a creative career, why it’s good to stay inside your comfort zone (as long as you’re expanding what fits inside it), and why at this point he might be addicted to the feedback loop.
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Jason Raish’s Illustrations Are Detail-Obsessed Yet Rich with Dynamic Juxtapositions
The New York-based illustrator not only combines hyper-realism and incredible attention to detail with playfully imaginative concepts for clients like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Nike, and Facebook—he did so for two different projects on this magazine you’re reading right now.
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The Collected Works Overhauled Their Portfolio Site. Here’s What They Learned in the Process.
New York-based studio The Collected Works recently overhauled their portfolio site, and it’s a statement piece in itself, worthy of the same attention as any creative project that it houses. So we talked to founders Justin Colt and Jose Fresneda to pick their brain on some of the do’s and don’t’s that frame how The Collected Works presents itself.
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Photography by WNW Member Ben Sellon
Meet Mt. Freelance, an Online Course Built to Take Your Career to New Heights
If you’re looking to start living the freelance dream, continue basking in it, or are simply looking for ways to fine-tune your independence, meet Mt. Freelance, a 4-level, 33+ lesson online video course built with practical steps to become a master of your freelance career.
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Photo by Jack Dylan, Sr. Design, Global Communications at Huge
Courtney Burns & Margaret Morales Break Down Huge’s Reputation, Creative Culture, & Talent Hiring Approach
We talk to Courtney Burns and Margaret Morales from the hiring team at Huge about the digital agency’s reputation for innovation, as well as how their hiring approach further shapes and solidifies Huge’s reputation and culture.
Read MoreElectronic Arts’ Angelo Ferrugia on How to Hire for High-Skill Creative Roles
Electronic Arts’ Head of Global Production shares where he goes to find highly skilled creatives for his team, plus how he evaluates candidates to make sure whomever he chooses has the chops to get things done right the first time.
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Animated illustration by Emily Parsons
Creative Turns: Mic Nguyen—Former Educational Analyst, Current Copywriter & Comedian
“Creative Turns” is a new series about the unexpected paths that bring individuals to embrace a creative profession. It’s never too late to apply your experiences in a seemingly disparate field to your new career. As an educational analyst-turned-copywriter and comedian, Mic Nguyen is a model example of this idea.
Read MoreHow Alex Center, Former Design Director at Coca-Cola, Gets Amazing Work from His New Creative Team
In our conversation, Alex Center shared the specific strategies he uses to ensure his CENTER team is able to produce their best work, along with where he finds new creative talent for projects.
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Photography by Mohammad Amir Hamza
Want to Work on Patriot Act’s Emmy-Winning Creative Team? Here’s What It Takes
Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj just won an Emmy for Outstanding Motion Design. Justine Webster, the Netflix show’s Graphics Producer, tells us about her approach to building a creative dream team that can tackle the workload and time crunch while maintaining a collaborative spirit and comedic touch.
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Hand the Keys Over & Trust Luca Venter’s Photographic Instincts
WNW Member Luca Venter is a South African photographer and director currently based in New York. We love his aesthetic and approach, on display with companies like Nike, Google, The New York Times, GAP, and Billie, and musical acts like Tennis, Liam Benzvi, and MF Doom.
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Get to Know the Playful Yet Sophisticated Work of Creative Studio Butter
Cari Sekendur shares why it was time to open her own studio, how Butter determines which projects to take on, whether her approach has changed from her days as a freelancer, and the biggest challenges and surprised in building a studio.
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A New Filmmaker Documents His Mother’s Journey as an Artist Living with Parkinson’s Disease
“Filmmaking has now gone from being a vague ambition to a vehicle to exorcise some really complicated feelings.” Zack Grant’s creative background is primarily as a producer on the agency side. But when his mom, an artist, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, he felt a calling to document both the journey of her health as well as the effects it has on her work and family.
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Want to Work at Animation Studio Giant Ant? Meet Partner & Creative Director Jay Grandin
Jay Grandin, Partner and Creative Director, on the defining principles that allow Giant Ant to grow the right way in the competitive animation space, which kinds of projects ultimately make him proudest, and how the company approaches the hiring process.
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Public Library On Constructing the Visual Landscape for Local Natives' Album "Violet Street"
“There is so much heart, pain, and joy that the artists go through to create these records; we owe it to them to deliver a pure expression that holds up to what they have spent years agonizing over. Being able to translate what they hear in their heads to what they see on the cover is such an incredible undertaking, and results in a lot of our favorite work.”
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Parisian Typographer Tyrsa Discusses Donald Glover, the Influence of Graffiti, & Us By Night
WNW Member Alexis Taieb (AKA Tyrsa) is a Paris-based Typographer who has worked with clients including Nike, Jordan, Drew League, Criterion, Timberland, and Donald Glover. In our interview, we discuss his recurring collaboration with Donald Glover, from “This Is America” to Guava Island, and also touch on how graffiti has influenced his typographic work and why he’s excited to return to the Us By Night festival this year (and the next ten.)
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