Perspective Podcast | Fuel For Your Mind & Creative Grind

3 Crucial Lessons for Your Creative Pursuits During & Post-QuarantineLife has been a rollercoaster since shit started hitting the fan in early March.If you’re like I am, your entire routine was tossed to the curb, flattened by an 18-wheeler big rig truck, and then washed into the sewers with rats and poop.You’ve had to learn how to respond, adapt, and evolve when this adversity caught you with a Mike Tyson uppercut to the chin.There are 3 crucial lessons I’ve learned during quarantine that I know you’ll be able to relate to.*The goal is to: *Empower you to survive and thrive once the dust settles.Become pandemic proof and on your creative pursuits.Give yourself permission to rest so you can fight another day.No. 3 has been my biggest weakness that I’m working on the most moving forward.Free Toolkit to Side Hustle Freedom6 FREE resources to help you grow an audience and build a profitable creative side hustle outside your day job. Download here.Purchase The Side Hustler's Handbook PDF CourseThe proven blue

Lincoln Design Co. Shares Their Identity Process + Logo MAYhem SpecialIn the world of design, April Showers don’t bring May Flowers...they bring a heavy-hitting logo-centric May episode. My Lincoln Design familia is back for Round 3 for a special Logo MAY-hem Edition (Round 1: EP 41, Round 2: EP 155).Lincoln Design Co., an industry-leading juggernaut, crushes the dopest identity systems, branding, packaging, merch, and more.They slay design dragons for the biggest brands in the world like Hasbro, Mattel, Disney, Harley, Nike, WWE, Google, and more.Today, we’re peering into the brains of the Lincoln team and break down their logo identity as seen in their hella popular: Logo Mayhem Book.NOTE: Get 10% OFF everything in their shop, especially this Logo Mayhem Book, with promo code Perspective10.In this episode, we also talk about:Getting inside the client’s mind.Advice for young designers.Logo tips and strategies.Showing the work you want to attract.Lincoln’s inspiration, personal branding, making moves during a

James Lewis on Creating Engaging Content That People Share Like CrazyThere are 3 important lessons I’ve learned along my creative grind:Your creative dream won’t manifest overnightThe process is more important than the destinationBeing consistent and willing to fail leads to breakthroughs OVER TIMEIf you can embrace these truths, then you have a wildly successful creative career ahead of you.Today’s guest, James Lewis, is a prime example of someone who’s embraced these 3 lessons and is tapping into new breakthroughs year after year.As I record this, he’s amassed an Instagram following of just shy of a million followers and a massive following of 2 million on TikTok..Safe to say, James knows what he’s doing when it comes to creating engaging content that gets shared like wildfire.Take notes as we’re about to dive deep on:Crafting a killer content strategySetting expectations and building an audienceCreating content that thrives on different platformsAnalytical awareness and consciously consumingExperimenting,

Josh Sullivan on How to Build a Successful Creative BusinessWhose path are you following right now:The path of someone you highly admire and draw a lot of inspiration from?The path you’ve been blazing on your own terms?No doubt, success leaves clues...but I’d advise you to steer away from building your creative empire based on the coattails of someone else’s achievements.You can take inspiration and learn from others all day, but inject your secret sauce and make it unmistakably your own.That’s why I respect today’s guest so much—he’s a rising juggernaut you should take notice of in the creative realms.I’m talking about my brother, Josh Sullivan, slaying design dragons out of Springfield, Missouri (Not Illinois)...He operates under the identities of:Fried Design Company which specializes in Vice for Brand Identity, Packaging, Illustration, and ApparelSupper Agency which specializes in premium Brand Strategy, Design & Identity, and AdvertisingNot only is Josh a G with his design/illustration skills, but he

Melinda Livsey on How to Attract and Serve Your Ideal Client and/or TribeIt’s extremely hard to gain traction and see progress if you’re not sure:Who your work, product, or service is forWhat your secret sauce is that sets you apartThe value you provide and why someone should careRegardless if you’re a side hustling artist, designer, or freelancer, these should be top of mind if you want to win in the short-term and thrive in the long-term.These are all pieces of a puzzle in the greater jigsaw of Brand Strategy.Luckily, today’s guest is a wizard in this world.I’m talking about Melinda Livsey, founder and creative director of Marks & Makers, and a valuable asset to Chris Do and The Futur and their ongoing series, The Process.She went from designing identity systems to getting paid by her ideal clients to help them accomplish their big target goals and shape their bigger picture.Today, Melinda’s here to simplify this complex Brand Strategy monster and parallel it to attracting and helping our ideal clients

Meg Lewis on How to Thrive by Being Yourself in Your Creative WorkMeg Lewis is a rad freelance brand designer, motivating mentor, creative cheerleader, and wicked dancer who injects fun into whatever she touches out of Minneapolis, MN.I respect and admire the impact she’s making on the world through her books, videos, workshops, and talks titled Full Time You...and a new workshop called Find Your Personal Style.Today, Meg and I peel back the layers on the topics of your journey of self-discovery, using fear as fuel, finding your superpowers, and more!Stick around to the end to find out how you can win a Digital Version of the Full Time You Self-Discovery Workbook and Video Series!View the full show notes: https://www.perspective-collective.com/166CONNECT WITH MEG► Instagram https://www.instagram.com/darngooood/?hl=en► Website https://darngood.co/► Twitter https://twitter.com/darngoooodFULL TIME YOU WEBSITEhttps://www.fulltimeyou.co/LISTEN TO MEG’S PODCASTS | Dribbble Overtime | Sit There & Do Nothing► htt

In-Q on Inquiring Within - Working on Yourself Means Working on Your ArtHave you ever been so passionate about something that no type of struggle, rock bottom, or gutter can keep you from pursuing it?That’s how it played out for today’s special guest, Adam Schmalholz aka In-Q, a national award-winning poet, spoken word juggernaut, storytelling savant, and multi-platinum songwriter for artists like Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Mike Posner, and Foster the People.I’ve witnessed the profound impact his stories, poems, and even witty humor can make on us hungry humans who desire to create change...especially on someone like you.I wanna see your notes on this one as In-Q goes deep on: celebrating your vulnerability, operating from excitement versus fear, and creating for glory over impact.-CONNECT WITH IN-QInstagram ► https://www.instagram.com/inqlife/?hl=enWeb ► https://in-q.com/Shows ► https://love.consciouscityguide.com/inqBUY HIS BOOKAmazon ► https://amzn.to/2WctJe3-DOWNLOAD THE SIDE HUSTLER’S HANDBOOK PDF COURSE

Pt. 2 Getting Creatively Unstuck - Side Hustler’s Coaching Student SpecialPicking up where we left off last week, we close out this Side Hustler’s Program Student Spotlight Special with part 2 of the coaching call.For those who missed last week’s episode, I suggest listening to that first because I break down what the 3-Month Side Hustler’s Coaching Program is all about.Just know it isn’t a cakewalk, as these hand-selected students have made significant investments in their time, energy, and finances to tap into the next level of their creative career potential. The results they're getting speak for themselves!There’s a ton of actionable steps and takeaways baked in throughout our chat, so I hope you’re taking notes!ShownotesConnect with Charlie: Web | InstagramConnect with Amanda: InstagramConnect with Nancy: InstagramConnect with Chris: InstagramConnect with Krissa: InstagramConnect with Benny: InstagramConnect with Melissa: InstagramConnect with Blake: Web | InstagramConnect with Luke: Web | InstagramConne

Side Hustler's Group 2.0 on Niching Down for a Season and Creating an Instagram Hashtag StrategyI have another Side Hustler’s Program Student Spotlight Special in store for you today that’s coming atcha in 2 parts.First off, what is the Side Hustler’s Coaching Program?This is a 3-month Group Coaching Mastermind between a select handful of applications all across the world. This is a premium program that requires a significant investment of your time, energy, and yes, money...but you get back what you put in and more!The 2 main goals of the program are:To create a passion project that you kick out at least once a week to build up a body of work you can leverage moving forward.To master the building blocks of overcoming mental hurdles, managing your time, promoting yourself and your work strategically, and so much more. These principles will carry you to creative career success far after the program and your passion project is completed.Outside of the course material and doing the work, I try to give little ext

Mike Jones on Serving The Bigger Picture and Cultivating CommunityAre you tired of hearing me say that relationships are everything?Even if you are, I’m going to continue to beat this drum, especially in terms of getting out of your bubble and doing everything in your ability to attend a conference.I started doing some research on this thing called Creative South. I was a year into Perspective-Collective, and my audience was growing quickly...but I still felt stuck, and this conference felt like something that could give me a new spark (not to mention it’d get me out of Iowa).I came home from Creative South on fire and started my blog. It helped me find my voice and build some tiny amount of authority in the form of encouraging creatives. Little did I know, this spark would lead me to speaking on the Creative South big stage the next year.One of them more specifically was Mike Jones, who just so happens to be today’s guest. This man gave me the opportunity of a lifetime out of nowhere.  I don’t know where I w

The Secret Sauce Blender | Making the Perfect Personal Pan PizzaImagine you’re baking a pizza...of course, what a Scotty thing to say, right?Except in this scenario, the same crust, cheese, and toppings are provided to you and everyone else.What’s going to make your pizza truly stand out from the noise is the sauce you make for the pizza.What’s the secret to making the secret sauce that’ll keep people craving for yours while others seem to get lost in the shuffle?It's a personalized dash, smidgen, and a pinch of ingredients that makes you, YOUnique.You combine all these ingredients up in a blender...or maybe a food processor...and voilà! Here's your secret sauce that'll make your pizza shine.Anyone can try to mimic the pizza you bake, but no one can rip your secret sauce!In our creative world, we pretty much all have access to similar tools, mediums, and distribution channels to get our work out there. However, the way we rise above the noise is how we show up and pour ourselves into our work.This isn't a new

Hellcats on Building Your Brand and Growing Your Audience Before Slanging MerchIt seems everyone and their grandma wants to start a clothing line or slang merch these days (I say this because I’m guilty of both).I get it, you want to see your work tangibly exist and find its way into the little nooks and crannies of this planet.It’s dope to manifest your idea in your noggin’ to something you can physically touch. However, when you’re just starting off, you gotta keep your expectations in check, as finding success in these realms takes far more work and time than you realize.Everyone wants the end results, but they don’t have the patience nor grit to put in the grind over time to tap into that success.If you’re a long-time listener, you know I’ll never sugar coat shit here. I don’t believe in fluff or telling you what I think you want to hear.You can’t just show up and put something into this world and expect people to buy it.Trust me, I’ve been there and have learned plenty of hard lessons.I spent 4 years bui

Matt Dawson on Making Priorities and Building CommunitiesI’m going to say something that may strike a nerve. It may even put a bad taste in your mouth when you think of me…However, I say this because I truly do give a shit about you and your future goals.I say this because it used to be me, and I realize how I was really just in my own way.If there’s something you want to do or accomplish, saying you don’t have the time to pursue it is just a big ole excuse to make yourself feel better about not following through and taking action.When, in reality, it’s not that you don’t have the time—it’s that you haven’t made it a priority.Making something a priority means sacrificing elsewhere.You have to take a long, hard look at areas you're over-consuming, wasting time, or working on that doesn’t serve the bigger picture.In order to get the results you want with your ambitious side hustle pursuits, you have to be willing to make the time and put in that time to grind over time.I’ll say that again, you have to make the

Why You're Missing Your BreakthroughI don't care about your religious or spiritual beliefs (but I respect and welcome them all).I want to know if you're the type of person who believes in signs? (No, I'm not referring to M. Night Shyamalan's highly underappreciated 2002 science fiction film Signs.)When I'm talking about signs, I'm talking about the signposts of life—your gut/intuition/heart attempting to serve as your internal compass.I used to think this was all a bunch of woo-woo malarky for people who've done a little bit too much LSD and think they interact with angels (yet I'm the same dude who's believed in ghosts and aliens my entire life.)Things have changed, and I shifted my perspective on the matter.Now I live for this shit, and the more I've tapped into my self-awareness, the more I'm able to notice these signs and open myself up for the opportunities flowing my way.There are signs and omens all around us, and it's our job to notice them. You could be ignoring the exact thing you didn't know you ne

Iron Bean Coffee Company on Creating Raging Fans Around Your PassionI’m big on connecting the dots, so I can understand how my past experiences influence my current actions, beliefs, and mindsets.If you know me by now, you know how open I am about growing up severely tormented and bullied. In fact, I had bullies all the way throughout college.Being bullied made me crave acceptance, which I thought for a long time came in the form of popularity. I now understand the acceptance I craved comes in the form of community.Being bullied was a blessing in disguise because it’s the catalyst for my strong beliefs in inclusivity, connection, positivity, and empowerment.It’s why I created the FREE Perspective-Collective private Facebook Community where isolated creatives all over the world can tap into a like-minded tribe of people who think differently and want more out of life.It's why I coached football in the past, which evolved into coaching creatives today on how to build fulfilling and profitable side hustles.Commu

The Phases of Your Creative Side Hustle...in My OpinionI want to preface this preface of today’s interview: I’m speaking solely from experience here on my philosophy on the phases of your side hustle.I think, early on in your hustle—once you truly accept you’re a creative and you’re figuring out what direction to go—that experimentation and trying new things is important. I think of this as Phase 1, and I was totally there. In fact, I played in this Phase for like 4 years, until I reached what I feel is Phase 2.Phase 2: you start to figure out what is and what isn’t working. I call this the "sweet spot secret sauce" that overlaps your greatest passion/interests with your greatest strengths. You start to narrow down and go deeper down this rabbit hole and connecting with yourself and your potential audience/clients on a deeper level. You start to really understand yourself and what these hungry and connected humans want/need and how you could potentially provide that solution...that’s where Phase 3 starts to c

Lincoln Design Co. on Hiring Yourself & Leveraging Your Side HustleWhich type of person are you?The type of person who just shows up at your day job to get the work done so you can clock out, go home, and binge some Netflix or watch hours of cat videos/people falling down?The type of person who can’t turn off the love for creating so you work on things you love outside of work (aka side hustle) and leverage those skills for both day job and personal work?Because you’re listening to this podcast, it’s safe for me to assume you’re the second type of individual or are striving to become this person.I never was truly person #1, as I always craved to do something more outside of my previous day jobs...but I never took myself seriously until I was like 26 and a year into Perspective-Collective.However, designing, drawing, and just creating in general has been flowing through my veins my entire life.Person #2 is the type of person who can’t shut it off. You see good as well as bad design/art all around you 24/7.

Dina Rodriguez on How to Build a Thriving Community Around Your ArtI don’t care what anyone says, but every one of us, whether we know it or not, is creating a personal brand.Every interaction we have, every post we publish, and every action we take begins to design what we show the world and the people we are trying to repel or attract to our tribe.When you’re self-aware of this, you can use it to your advantage and be more specific and strategic about creating and speaking to the things that you hold highest in your belief system and interests.In our creative community, one of the most self-aware people I know who shows up as their truest self online and in-person, is my new friend Dina Rodriguez who slays under the name Letter Shoppe.Dina creates art that supports mental health, body positivity, and cannabis culture. In the process, she's created an insanely supportive and engaged community.Yes, she’s a talented artist, but she’s an even wittier and savvier marketer who knows how to give her audience what

Lisa Congdon on Standing Out, Imposter Syndrome, & Your Artistic VoiceAs creatives, why do we make things so hard on ourselves?Why do we stand in our own way and block ourselves from chasing what we really want?It’s like we’ve been given the keys to the Ferrari, but we talk ourselves out of turning on the ignition and pressing the gas to go (I realize new Ferraris most likely have a push to start button, but let’s pretend anyway.)We are the Ferrari, and the key is something we all have deep inside of us. We already possess the tool within us, which we’ll talk about today, we need to thrive. Yet, we let inner and external forces influence us to play it safe and live a "comfortable life," even though there’s another muffled inner voice that yearns to do more.Let’s unmuffle and empower that voice...our artistic voice, that is.My new friend today is someone who was a late bloomer to the game but has used that as her advantage.I’m talking about the profound illustrator, author, and speaker, Lisa Congdon. She w

A Christmas That Changed My LifeI remember it like it was yesterday—two years ago to this date on Christmas Morning 2017. Emily and I had just gotten back from Christmas at my parents, and we were opening our stockings (and giving stockings to our cats Lucy and Flora, of course).She had been acting weird all morning and even left early to go to Walgreens for a “last-minute stocking stuffer.”After we finished exchanging our stockings, she awkwardly said, “We need to talk.”That’s never been a good conversation starter, so I had a million negative scenarios running through my head.That’s when she told me, “I’m pregnant, hope you’re not mad…”I was stunned, shocked, and awed. Of course, I wasn’t mad, I was thrilled!We both started crying. Little did the cats know that they weren’t going to be the only babies in the house anymore.Then it happened...After the shock wore off, I was immediately flooded with fear.How will I provide for this human, as we barely make enough to get by?I’m so immature...how will I be able