Stay productive with these 5 habits

Magnet Me via Unspalsh

Let’s not pretend that we’re productive 100% of the time. We all know we have the same amount of time in a day as Beyonce, but let’s face it - sometimes we just can’t even.

“I’m not a morning person” does this sound familiar to you? (that’s me, btw) Chances are you’ve said it before. You’ve seen multiple articles telling you, “This CEO gets up every day at 5 am,” and you think; maybe you would be a mogul by now if you were an early bird. But don’t start rewinding your alarm just yet. The fact is we have multiple unproductive slumps because, well, we’re human. Social media hasn’t helped one bit with procrastination at our fingertips, but being in a creative field can also make this extra difficult. We can’t just turn that creative tap on and off between 9 and 5 and expect to produce the most revolutionary outcomes regularly. So how do we stop those pre-coffee blank stares or the mindless scrolling through our social media feeds? Here are a few handy tips that might get you back on track.

1. Stop working

Crazy, but hear me out. The reason your mind is wandering is that you’re in a creative rut. Or you might just be bored with whatever you’re working on (which is totally fine, by the way). So don’t force it; step back, take your eyes away for 5 minutes and just stop thinking about it. It’s like turning yourself OFF and ON again, restart that system and let the creative juices flow.

2. Get Moving

Ok, step one isn’t working for you. You got back into that rut. You need to get off your butt and move those legs! Our best ideas always come to us when our body is in movement. This isn’t just an excuse to wander around your workspace; this is science, (think IDEO problem solving). Rather than sitting with our bodies in passive mode, sending the shut-down signal to our brains, there is a direct correlation between creativity and productivity when we get upright. So one way to break out of ‘too-tired-to-do’ routine is to think on our feet for a bit.

Georgia De Lotz via Unsplash

3. Stop distractions

Don’t allow distractions during work - that includes being the distractor yourself. To start, try putting your phone slightly out of reach or turning off Slack notifications. At the same time, you work so you don’t get sidetracked by every witty GIF popping up. Finally, close all the tabs, browsers, and applications you don’t need - you can’t work with a messy desk, so how can you work with a cluttered desktop. So, organise your workspace so there’s less clutter - let “tidy desktop, tidy mind” be your new mantra.

4. Think big

Don’t sweat the small stuff. Sometimes attention to detail is your enemy! Sure, it’s great to say you have it in a job interview, and it’s helpful in a plethora of circumstances. Still, when you’ve been staring at the same project on your screen for ten minutes, thinking, “how can I possibly? There’s just too much,” that’s when you need to step back from the micro and look at the macro. Think about the big picture and ask yourself:

• What is it that I am trying to achieve?

• Do I have a list of priorities I need to set?

• Divide tasks based on importance, not just urgency.

• Are there any pain points or blockers that I can reach out to others for some guidance?

5. Know your workflow

You’re a morning person and want to message me at 6 am - no worries, but don’t expect a reply. Knowing when your productivity is likely at its peak helps others understand your flow. Know when you need in-the-zone time or when you’re ready to collaborate and problem-solve to achieve your best work, utilising your peak productivity times. There is no right or wrong formula for the average person; you’re the only one that can figure it out. Be protective of your workflow; if you know your best time for being creative is in the middle of the day, clear your calendar - don’t schedule any meetings for that time. That’s your focus time. Let that energy carry you throughout the day.

Brooke Cagle via Unsplash

Productivity is about how much you can create and deliver.

These are only five simple ways that you can keep your mind on track. Still, there are so many more out there. Talk to your circle about managing their productivity - sharing is the best way to get personalised suggestions. Don’t be that person that forces themselves up at 5 am only to crash at 9. Gone are the days of bragging about a 12hr day because being ‘busy’ doesn’t mean you’re productive.

Carol Mackay, Design Business Council, on finding your onliness

Carol Mackay, Design Business Council

Carol Mackay helps Australian creatives manage their business better - more effectively, more efficiently and more sustainably - so they can spend more time creating. After 30+ years running a graphic design firm, Carol moved from client-focused projects to consult to the design industry. Now with the Design Business Council she uses her experience, and research, to help creatives build robust, sustainable businesses, and to help businesses integrate, and profit from, design.

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What’s the difference between personal branding and onliness?

Personal branding is how you want to be perceived by others — or as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos would say, what others say about you when you are not in the room. I prefer to use the term ‘onliness’ – comes without the history and baggage of ‘branding’.

Was your own ‘onliness’ something you instinctively understood, or did it take a lot of trial, error and experience to work out?

I’m relatively new to the importance of thinking about my ‘onliness’ and that’s mainly because I’ve worked alongside my life partner for nearly 40 years. We first worked together for someone else, then in a design studio we co-founded and now at the Design Business Council. During the design studio tenure, we had distinctly separate roles that evolved over a long period of time. Greg had his clients and I had mine. He ran the external face of the studio and I ran the internal. Our roles evolved with the business.

This changed when I closed the studio after 34 years to re-join Greg in a side-hustle we’d co-founded five years earlier. We’d dipped our toes into a venture we thought might work, and then worked hard to get it to a stage it could fund us both.

While I kept the studio going to fund the venture, Greg had had five years to assess, define and refine his new role. And he is is really, really good at what he does. When I joined him, I had to work out how I could add value. Greg and I now have overlapping roles with far less clarity.

Anyone with a successful partner knows if you don’t have clarity around your own strengths and weaknesses, if you don’t have a strong sense of your value, you will continually be overshadowed. Especially if you are second to the table. I’d come from the comfort of a role I had for 34 years into a new challenge needing completely different use of my existing skills.

“I had to find my onliness, and I had to find it quickly. It wasn’t easy.”

Is onliness important when you’re first starting out?

Being aware of your onliness is absolutely of value to a graduate. It means you can stand above the cookie-cutter folio we all graduate with, and more easily sell your value into prospective employers, in writing, in visuals and in person.

What do you think the main obstacles designers come up against when running a small business?

Stamina and sustainability. That first flush of clients may last a year, may last five but we work in a rapidly changing industry that is constantly disrupted. Identifying, adapting and managing change is constant. It takes energy and it takes stamina.

Many small business are founded by people who love what they do, but don’t necessarily love the business of what they do. Sustainability comes from employing someone to work on the business so you can continue to do what you love. If you love what you do, stamina is less of an issue. Energy comes from enjoyment.

You’ve taking your wealth of design knowledge and client-focused experience and pivoted to consulting, are you enjoying the pivot?

I am now. But it took a couple of years to be comfortable in my new role.

Comfortable working as a partnership rather than with an in-house team and running a studio. Comfortable remembering I’m now a supplier to the design industry rather than a designer and comfortable referring projects from ex-clients to other designers.

What I am enjoying is having a forum to share my experience. I would have loved to have a ‘me’ to advise me through the tough spots – that’s what I’m trying to do with others. Running a creative business is hard. Your eye is continually on billings for the end of the week/month/quarter. Having time to future plan is really difficult.

Now I am relishing having time to research better ways of running a design business. I’m relishing having time to talk to others about what they do, why they do it and how they do it. And I’m relishing having a voice to share that knowledge.

Have you had to change your onliness at all?

I am naturally a chatty, enthusiastic introvert who is most comfortable chatting one-on-one. Five-on-one sometimes. Ten-on-one max. This is not a perfect attribute for my new role in the Design Business Council, and it could be said it limited my role.

It was the personal journey map activity (I’m going to share in the Masterclass) that helped me identify what I do well, and what I don’t –  and that helped me change my thinking because I understood where I needed additional skills.

Tell me a little bit about the work you do with Womentor (on hiatus at the mo) and how important do you think mentors are to women in design? And women in general.

Mentors are important. Having the counsel of others can open opportunities and remove obstacles. I’ve not had a mentor (apart from Mary Tyler Moore and Murphy Brown :) but I am sure with one I would have worked more efficiently and more effectively.

On the other hand, I’ve mentored many, as does anyone that employs others, and especially graduate designers. I’ve mentored employees, designers within schemes like AGDA and Womentor, and as a paid gig as part of my role within DBC.

“Mentoring is sharing knowledge and that comes easily to me. I think we all have an obligation to give back to the industry. ”

Where can women find a mentor that’s right for them?

I think many women struggle to find a mentor because of their mindset. They seek someone who will give their time freely, who has the perfect balance of knowledge, character and in an aligned career. Can you see the problem?

Mentoring should be a two-way relationship. Good mentors are open to continually learning, and to new experiences yet many mentees are only interested in taking. I’ve had designers request to buy me a cup of tea only to sit opposite me with an open notebook and grill me with questions until my eyes water and my bladder almost bursts. And then they ask when we can meet again.

Knowing your onliness is about understanding how you can give back to your industry at every level. Perhaps it’s not about finding the right mentor, perhaps it’s about making connections with people with whom you have something or someone in common and with whom you think you could share something you know in return for some advice. Who would not love that?

What’s the one bit of advice you would give women in business?

Firstly, that it’s OK not to be in business. If the business is a weight around your neck, if it is not giving you joy, and you don’t like the majority of your day, then it’s absolutely OK to walk away and support the work of someone else. The world is obsessed with start-ups but having a business is hard on every level.

 It’s hard making the tough financial decisions. It’s hard to continually disrupt yourself and your business in an attempt to stay relevant and it’s hard working solo, but then it’s really hard managing other creatives.

 It is not for everyone and I don’t think enough people consider walking away. That said, the one bit of advice I would give is understand your onliness – what you do differently to others, what makes you distinct. Understanding your strengths and your weaknesses makes it easier to play to your strengths and buy skills that plug your weaknesses.

And that’s what makes it easy to portray a successful personal brand.

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Join us for Carol’s Masterclass on Friday November 6th at 1pm. Subscribe to her weekly article that helps designers manage their business. You can view her current work at Design Business School and see an archive of her design work at mbdesign.com.au

On being creative and having a resume

5 min read

I can write almost anything for anyone however when it comes to writing my own resume, something terrible happens. 

As a communications professional of 14 years, my resume is still the most agitating and draining task to face. The irony being that my resume says how well I can write, it says I have attention to detail and how well I generate creative solutions to complex problems. 

It’s very ‘meta’ writing a resume about copywriting skills and same for a web designer’s website. It tends to be all or nothing, and there can be no errors or otherwise I am not walking my own talk. The slightest oversight, double space or outdated format will see my resume be the faux-pas that gets overlooked.  

It’s enough to make me want to run for the hills, get work as a gardener swapping skills for rent and never return to civilisation again. The uncomfortableness of being visible and signifying that I am creative but professional has always been a tight rope to walk. 

However, in more recent years, I came in to some huge unexpected barriers. 

I had shifted out of traditional workplaces in to start ups, freelance work and then I faced some personal tragedies and great losses. All work and decisions were impeded by a grief fog and my resume suffered greatly for it. 

As the grief slowly shifted, and in an attempt to meet home loan requirements, I went through several foiled interviews for day jobs but for the first time in my adult life, I struggled with my identity and explaining my scenario because it was no longer straight forward like it had been in my late 20s and early 30s.  

I had significant life events outside of work but that didn’t mean I had been stripped of my skills or experience in any way shape or form, my degree and experience doesn’t magically disintegrate if I take a short break to recover. If anything, it greatly improved my professional confidence, capacity for joy, hunger for intellectual stimulation and need for fun and light heartedness with my colleagues and friends.

But none of that mattered because it was all unexplainable in a resume format. It turns out there is no place for women’s lived experiences in a job application.

I tried to shine it on as best I could but I was coming across plain confusing to people. Startups thought I was too old yet traditional workplaces with interview manels didn’t like that my linear career had taken some very small and slight detours. I had found myself between worlds, between identities, between stages of life and it was all stopping me from moving forward. I had also run out of savings.

It was at this turning point I started the biggest job application research project of the century.

I booked resume writers, career counsellors, met with recruiters, quizzed my contacts, studied the history and philosophy of resumes and I volunteered. There was no school of thought about these topics that I didn’t devour and try on for myself in applications. After about a year of trial and error, I finally learnt how to have a good resume again, as a mid 30s woman. 

And I learnt how to have a resume as a creative woman. 

I now have a part-time day job as well as making websites and resumes for other women as part of my new business. I named my business Joan and Daughters after my grandmother and her five daughters to acknowledge the work of women in my family. The work that has so many transferable skills, creativity, colour, style, unmatched quality and ‘human centred’ elements. 

The work that ought to pay, and pay well. The work that can be outlined, highlighted and celebrated.

Your resume and LinkedIn are great ways to do exactly that! 

Here are some of the things that helped turn it all around for me:

1.    Career ‘Stories’

There needs to be a cohesive theme that is obvious at first glance. This alone, trips a lot of people up.

Lack of cohesion can be derailing for anyone, it’s kryptonite to people who have lives outside of work (how dare you) but as with my own story, it doesn’t have to keep being a roadblock for you. All you have to do is elevate and spotlight the common elements, skills, themes, industries, position titles, or even locations. 

Make sure you explain the connection between each of the companies, positions, and projects - modifying the language so it’s all connected goes a very long way. Say who the clients are, include your volunteer work and list your professional development courses to better capture the level you are at.

Wrap up all your efforts in an amazing container that is super clear and amplifies the direction you are going in. It needs to have some things in common with where you want to be next so (unfortunately) customising for each and every application is a must.

2. Formatting is (almost) more important than content

• Show people instead of telling them. 

• Creative flair is best demonstrated in your folio, or online presence rather than in the resume document.

• Scannable position titles, keywords and company names rather than tangled sentences. Those keywords and phrases are vital when applying at larger companies thanks to AI.

• No daggy photos or fonts, no more than one colour if you’re using a designed template.

• Use single columns, good spacing and classic styled bullets.

• For LinkedIn, use all the functions and fields as they are intended to be used.

• If it looks polished like any other serious business document, then you’re more than halfway there. 

3. Numbers

• Include data, numbers, statistics, percentages and ratios to demonstrate the impact your work has had.

• The credibility of business outcomes and outputs will shift the perception of you significantly, as long as you don’t lean on them like they are a signpost.

• Having a few stats will level up applications for in-house roles as well as things like getting funding for art-based projects, tenders, securing finance and it will illuminate your freelance work in a way that words alone cannot.

4. Forge past those ‘old chestnuts’

A big chunk of our purpose is from the work we do so it can feel very brutal when you are rejected. Unsuccessful interview feedback for creative women can often be contradictory and perplexing if others don’t perceive you to fall in to a clear category.

I am sure recruiters mean no disrespect when they come at you with old chestnuts like ‘you’re over qualified’ but the very next week you’re under qualified for a similar role. The bottom line is if you didn’t get it, they have to say something to you (or at least they feel they do).

I have sat on panels and seen perfectly suited candidates turned away because of strict recruitment policies where there’s a voting system where the majority rules, and nothing more than that. My favourite was when I applied for the exact same role I had held previously, at the same university but in a different department to be told over the phone that someone else had ‘closer, more relevant experience’. 

It’s important these old chestnuts don’t derail you, or your future applications. Focus and forge on because your work matters, even if someone else says otherwise in an awkward attempt to let you down gently.

Updating your resume can be pivotal (as much as it can be painful). But you are capturing the work of a creative woman that may not otherwise be acknowledged or said anywhere else, ever. If you’re out of sight, you’re out of mind and you’re out of work. 

Simply listing it out and declaring what your work means both now and in the future is a powerful thing. If all else fails, there is always a need for gardeners.

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Author Bio: 

Emily is a web designer, copywriter and owner of Joan and Daughters. She helps creatives and businesses translate their work into websites, resumes and more. Emily has had an extensive communications career and loves working with women who are forging their own path and creating their own damn jobs. 

Meet Cat Rewha

Cat is a digital performance specialist working in the Australian live events industry. A music-head by night and data nerd by day, she is working toward building data frameworks that can predict sustainable economic trends in Australian arts & culture.

With a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.), Cat specialises in music as communication and is passionate about using the intersection of music, tech & culture as a tool to educate people about marginalised cultures.

Cat joins the CWC Board this year heading up Communications.

Tell us a bit about yourself. 

Studied - I dabbled a lot, but then focused in the end.
Philosophy, then communications, then marketing, then film, then back to communications to do an Honours in Ethnomusicology. It took 7 years to finally get a degree but I made it in the end.

Music - My Dad was a musician so my whole childhood centred around learning and listening to music. Nowadays I’m more of a listener but nothing truly excites me more than hearing a good transition in a DJ set.

Travel - I’m very interested in the different ways communities operate around the world so I like to get out of Australia every now and again to learn a thing or two about different ways of living. At the moment, I’m obsessed with the Nordics and have been lucky enough to take my travels there a few times.

What does a typical work day look like for you? 

The only thing typical about my day is I take lunch at the same time everyday otherwise I get hangry.

What is your current business/creative pursuit/job?

I’m the Head of Digital at a creative and marketing agency called Bolster. We specialise in music and entertainment and I’m lucky to have a very diverse role that allows me to work with lots of very talented people.

Outside of that, I try my hand at film photography, writing and playing piano.

What is the most important aspect of your job/ creative pursuit? 

Maintaining healthy relationships with the people around me so that we can all achieve the same goals in the smoothest way possible.

What do you do in your ‘down time’ (and do you have a guilty pleasure)?

I’m not sure if this is ‘down time’ but I exercise if I want to relax. Running, walking, F45. That’s my definition of relaxing. My guilty pleasure is Jersey Shore. 

What are some of the things which inspires you?

Our next generations. The worldliness and creativity coming out of Gen Z is inspirational and mind-blowing. 

Grassroots activism - It’s inspiring to know that there are always people in our communities working tirelessly to make this world a fairer and safer place to live in. Their stories and achievements drive me to find meaningful purpose in everything that I do.

Best creative memory?

I was in a band for awhile so some of my best memories were sitting around in rehearsal rooms coming up with songs, laughing about nothing and being able to sit around for half a day and just play music with my mates.

I also had a piece published a few years ago about idolising female musicians when I was growing up, one of which was Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth.  The article spread around a bit on Twitter and finally made it’s way to Kim Gordon who read it and inboxed me to thank me and wish me luck. That was pretty special.

What would you tell your younger self?

Good things take time.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to break into the industry you are in?

You don’t always have to have the answers and you don’t always need to get it right. You just need to have the willingness to learn and the resilience to pick yourself up again when something goes wrong.

Meet Mirte van der Lugt, Brand Director of Hey Tiger!

Hey Tiger's Brand Director Mirte, originally from The Netherlands, moved to Australia four years ago. With a background in both fashion and branding across Europe and Australia, she worked on campaigns for brands such as Nike, Landrover, Microsoft and a variety of young start ups. She brings a different approach to the Australian chocolate industry, looking at Hey Tiger as a lifestyle brand vs confectionary. For her, brands are all about inclusivity, making people feel accepted and part of something greater. Every like, follow, thumbs up and comment is a real human interaction and it’s important to never lose sight of that.

I grew up in…

the Netherlands. In a town 40 minutes outside of Amsterdam. My younger brother and I were (and are) incredibly lucky with our parents. My mum introduced me to art and encouraged my creative side. While my father brought in philosophy and a wide understanding of business and human behaviour. When I think of it that way, it was the perfect melting pot for a career in branding. 

Education

My early school life was off to a rocky start. With my Dyslexia and ADHD labels firmly clipped to my back, I was anything but the ideal student. Schools denied me, test results were covered up as to not effect the schools reputation and the teachers weren't all that excited to have this difficult kid in their class. If it wasn’t for my parents and one incredible teacher who believed I could do more, I truly don’t know where I would have ended up. It wasn’t until I made a big change in high school that everything turned around. I found my passion for art and film and the kid that was once called dumb by her teachers (no joke) was now thriving at school. It’s funny what happens when a kid realises they only have themselves to rely on when it comes to education. I was only going to get out what I was putting in. Now that I was doing it for myself and I no longer listened to the negative feedback from my teachers,  I started kicking ass.

After High school I travelled for 3 months through Thailand where I met my Aussie beau Damon. After meeting him, I decided to live in Australia for a year and then Damon and I moved back to Amsterdam. I began my bachelor degree at The Amsterdam Fashion Institute where I studied fashion and branding.

What did you do straight after your studies?

I moved to Australia to be with my now husband Damon. I first began working at an ad agency where I worked on brands such as Nike and Jeep. After that, I moved to a branding agency to work on brands such as Cadbury and Matilda Bay’s Fat Yak. But something was missing. I wanted to work for brands that my values aligned with and put my creativity into campaigns that truly do some form of good in the world. I then set out on my own, working with my own clients. A little while later,  holy smokes! How grateful was I to meet the glorious Cyan Ta’eed - but we can fan-girl about her later.

My business is located at

Our kitchen and office is in Cremorne, Melbourne but you can buy Hey Tiger online via our website. 

What does a typical work day look like for you?

My role is split into a bunch of different pieces. Let’s put it down to Manager, Producer, Planner and Do-er.

As a manager I need to manage and motivate my team. Make sure they know exactly what they're doing, where the priority lies and that they keep up-beat and feel heard. We’re a young, small company that is growing fast. This means we’re demanding a lot from everyone. So it’s important that they know we’re a team and how valuable and important their piece of the puzzle is.

As a producer I need to make sure departments work together to get our deadlines over the line. From external work with clients like Mecca to internal work like filming content for our socials, creating presentations for wholesale and getting new packaging to print. This would be impossible without our amazing new junior designer Erin Langford. Her incredible eye for detail and brilliant creative mind have become invaluable to our team.

As a planner I need to make sure our future campaigns are living up to our audiences expectations. For this I heavily lean on my right hand Breana Phillips (gulp! I just freaked out a little thinking of what Hey Tiger life would be like without her! I might need to take Beyonce’s advice and buy her that ring. Too much?). We work tirelessly and seamlessly to make sure all our marketing efforts are effective and on brand.

As a do’er, I also need to create and do The-Work. New campaigns, packaging designs, website collateral, ad’s, photoshoots, social content, styling… this is where Hey Tiger’s brand truly comes to life.
Oh and did I mention meetings and emails yet? Let’s just leave that for now shall we.

What have been some of the biggest challenges in your career?

I once was part of the growth of a small branding agency. I was in charge of building the agencies brand, new business and its culture. We started with 6 people and soon grew to about 15. Our energy and growth caught the attention of big clients and soon its father company saw an opportunity. They decided to merge the two in order to leverage the expertise of the father company and the youthfulness and growth of ours. I remember being worried this would negatively affect everything we had worked so hard on. Sadly my worries became reality. 

What followed was a year long struggle in knowing it was time for me to leave while wanting so much to stay and have it return to its old glory. I saw its culture diminish, I saw mistakes being made. I saw the company turn its back on its people and the fun and quirky brand we’d created - which had done so much for clients and culture. 

In hindsight, I stayed too long, but I learned so much from the experience. The importance of taking authentic risks with your brand and the importance of culture and team. 

What do you love best about your job?

Seeing people in our social community create artwork, photography, video’s with our products and on top of that, hearing how Hey Tiger makes them feel. This makes it incredibly rewarding. People truly feel part of our family and Hey Tiger genuinely gives them that unfiltered, simple joy.

Inclusiveness is one of my biggest personal values and Hey Tiger is no different. We put incredible effort into making everyone who contacts us feel heard and seen (even if we get negative comments - everyone gets treated the same). When someone posts about us, we make sure we thank them, TRULY, thank them. because what an honour that they graced us with that small square on their feed! I believe that it’s because of this that people feel so connected to Hey Tiger.

On top of that, it is our purpose. I'm incredibly grateful for Cyan Ta’eed (fannngirl time!) who founded Hey Tiger and brought this unique group of people together. She said “how can something (chocolate) that gives us so much joy do so much harm in the world?” and the action she took truly speaks to her character. She could have set up a for profit company but instead she turned the other way. Starting a value based brand that truly does good in the world. The fact that we’re not all bells and whistles but actually walk the talk with a stellar product, a learning attitude and an important purpose is a dream come true. I know that our hard work is not just lining the pockets of the big cheese but instead it is going to support our efforts to positively change an industry that is fundamentally broken.    

What do you get up to when not working?

I’m a bit of an extroverted introvert. While during the week I bounce around a million miles an hour, I like to take it easy on the weekend. My husband and I bought a block of land in Daylesford a few years ago and are now in the process of building our house so we can escape there on the weekends. The concrete has been poured and last weekend we saw the wooden frames that will make up our walls. Walking through this was an incredible experience and we can’t wait for it all to be done. This won’t only mean we will be able to escape to the incredible Australian nature on the weekend but also that specifically my parents can make the 24 hour flight down under and come stay here for several months. I truly want to make them feel at home and having them here would mean so much. Yes, your girl misses her Mum and Pops every day.

What’s on the horizon for the future? 

Hey Tiger, Hey Tiger, Hey Tiger. I believe this brand, its team, its product and its purpose is at the start of something big and I’m willing to work my butt off to get it there. Besides that, my husband and I always dream of creating our own furniture. He is a furniture maker and we’re always juggling ideas on how to make this a reality. The piles and piles of wood on our land in Daylesford is looking like a good opportunity to make this a reality BUT all in good time.

If you had any creative business advice what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to take risks and show your authenticity though your brand. We love leaning against the weird, having fun and joking around. We recently did a collaboration with instagram’s favourite dog Tofu. (@tofupupper). It took some convincing in the team, afterall, dogs don’t eat chocolate right? But it was one of our most successful campaigns to date. Decisions like this is what sets us apart from our competitors and makes us truly stand out - while having a whole lot of fun in the process. The genuine fun we have during our campaigns truly shines through our work and our audience feels that.

Screenshot of ‘Tofu’s Dream’ campaign video by Hey Tiger.

If you could be anyone else for a day, who would it be and why?

I’m really into philosophy, psychology and cultural behaviours. Because of that I would love to step into the mind of the people who write about or work in this space. I have a list of historical people but let’s keep it into 2019 shall we? Psychologist Esther Perel is one of them. To be in her mind and work with her patience would be incredible. For those interested, she recently started a podcast “Where should we begin” where she takes you into her counselling sessions with couples. It’s fascinating to listen to people's struggles and problems as it shows us how similar and human we really are but also how incredibly hard and beautiful it is for people to live and love together. It’s humbling. Other people would be the historian and philosopher Yuval Hoah Harari (Sapiens), the American Journalist Sebastian Junger (Tribe) and the author Robert Greene (The Laws of Human Nature). To step into their mind for a day and have the knowledge they possess. Pffeeewwweee transport me now... 

Say hello to new CWC president Amber Bonney

Amber Bonney wears many hats. As well as being the force behind her creative studio Edison Agency , she is a mother, wife, sister, strategic, designer, artist, writer, planner, mentor and mediator. Amber now adds the role of CWC President to that list. Prior to accepting the role , she was on the AGDA Victoria Council and spearheaded the development of their Professional Mentorship program. We chat with Amber on work, life, and the things in between.

Tell us about yourself

I was born and bred in Melbourne, a girl of the mid 70’s who is now resenting my slow metabolism and thickening waistline and enjoying my sparkling wine more than ever! I have 3 children aged 16, 14 and 4 and my husband and I have a blended ‘modern’ family so life’s pretty full-on… hence my love of sparkling wine! I come from a large family of 5 girls so life has always been big and hectic and I learnt early only how to hustle through life to get my needs met. As the middle child I have always been self-driven and independent and have developed strong mediation skills which have been useful as a business owner.

What do you do?

I am the founder of The Edison Agency, a strategic brand and design consultancy with offices in Melbourne and Sydney. We use strategy and design to help businesses make positive change. My role is Managing Director and Head of Strategy and I am responsible for the executive creative direction of all major brand projects. Over the past 22 years, I am proud to have been influential in helping iconic Australian and international brands maintain relevancy, define their purpose and vision, and connect with their audiences in a more meaningful way.

How did you get into this industry?

I’m a communication designer by trade, an Alumni of Swinburne University, and have been blessed with a single minded career focus all my life. My father introduced me to the industry through his career in the marketing and packaging industry. Since the time I was 14 and went to my first University Open day, I knew this was what I wanted to do.

When you get to know me, you will understand why people refer to me sometimes as “a bull at a gate”. My mind moves quickly (great for creative strategy and thinking on ones feet) but it can be mentally and physically exhausting so I do try to manage my overactive brain with regular mindfulness practices using my phone app (I appreciate the irony) and of course the odd vino! I’m naturally intuitive which helps me forge strong and lasting personal and business relationships, some of my current clients are people I’ve worked with for over 15 years. 

What does a typical work day look like for you?

I like to schedule my time and live and die by my diary! My day is spent straddling client meetings, internal planning of projects, financial planning, and working closely with both our Group Account Director, Design Director and CFO. We are a small team of 10, so about 10% of my time would also be dedicated to making decisions and planning around people and culture.

Typically when we have a large meaty project starting I am consumed by research and strategy phases – I tend to be more involved in the first half of a project to establish the vision and creative precedence and then required less as the project evolves. I have a highly skilled team of people propping me up!

What is the most important aspect of your job?

I am inspired by the potential design has to transform people, culture and business. Knowing that our work is helping make positive change for our clients is uber rewarding. Also, I am a sucker for complex design challenges. When I’m working on something difficult, I completely immerse myself in that business, brand, problem and deconstruct it until I can see and understand all the inputs and components. Only when I’ve done this can I put it back together and develop a strategic solution. I am obsessed with understanding “why” and go to enormous lengths as part of the research phase to really get under the skin of a brand or problem.

What have been some of the biggest challenges in your career?  

I’m a proud feminist and I’m intolerant of the chauvinism our industry (and culture in general) is still accepting but I do see change and have high hopes for the world my daughter will grow up in. I’m a firm believer that it takes women banding together in support and advocacy of one another to truly make change. We are powerful, clever and innately resilient and this is why I believe in organisations like Creative Women’s Circle to shape the way women interact with each other, and within their industries.

What do you do in your ‘down time’ (and do you have a guilty pleasure)?

I spend most of my down time with my children down in coastal Victoria where I live. I am re-energized by the beach and am looking forward to summer where I can swim, play lawn bowls and make pina-coladas at home (guilty pleasure). My husband and I are both passionate mid-century design enthusiasts and we spent allot of time reading books, magazine and watching architecture and design-based TV series.

Best creative memory?

Seeing the first ad I designed in the weekend newspaper – think it was back in 1998! I think I still have it somewhere.

What would you tell your younger self?

You teach people how to treat you. Don’t accept sub-standard behaviour as it creates a pattern that’s hard to break. This is an important message for young women especially in the face of male dominated environments and with the rise of domestic violence issues.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to break into the industry you are in?

Be brave. Take risks. Don’t be afraid to ask the “dumb” questions. Find a mentor. Research every potential employer, every client, every project – always be prepared and understand the “why” in every design challenge.

How to plan a photoshoot

As a small ( or not so small ) business owner / creative there will perhaps come a time to consider hiring a professional photographer for a photoshoot. Whether it’s for a headshot / portrait, product photography for your website or social media, a market stall application, event photography, pitch to a magazine… but where do you begin?

There are many things to consider - including choosing the actual photographer, but first up is usually the budget - what can you afford? Perhaps you have the $’s to fly to the Maldives with a team of stylists, models and make-up artists - but realistically, most of us don’t!

Costs

After you’ve established your rough budget, most photographers will work in hourly or half day / full day rates. Their rates are usually dependant on their skill and experience, plus post production and editing time on your chosen images.

Communication with your chosen photographer is key - from the outset, know what you want and whether it is achievable in the time frame that meets your budget. Shooting 50 products in 2 locations in 1 hour is unlikely!

Licensing of images

There are usually licensing or usage costs per image - this will vary from photographer to photographer and the client. For example, the terms of usage for a big brand’s large scale advertising campaign would generally cost more than a small business product shoot. There may be usage limitations on the images, and a smaller usage will often equate to a smaller fee. Some examples of usage are:

• Usage for social media content only.

• Photography for use in a packaging / element of a new product or that will be a product for resale.

• Photography of your business / product for your website and branding.

Some photographers may also set a time frame limitations in licensing. One example is that you might have usage of those images for 12 months, then they will be available for you to re-license for an additional time and fee. Or they will give you total rights to those images for 6-12 months and then after that the photographer may license the images to another company or magazine.

How to find a photographer

Unless you have a good friend or a family member that is a professional photographer, it can be difficult to know where to start. Word of mouth is usually the easiest way - ask around your network. There are also many creative networking groups online where you can post a job and then go through the photographers profile/ website. Another good way is to look on social media at other brands/ imagery that you like and see who they have used. Many will include a photographer’s credit on a shoot. 

Questions to ask/ things to think about prior to booking a shoot

Location: Where will the photo shoot take place? Is it in your own home/ office/ studio? Does the photographer work from their own studio? Will your shoot be on location, in a public space?

Some locations require permits for a photo shoot, with approval and payment prior to the shoot taking place. As an example, see Heide Museum which has requirements for using their site. With this in mind, is the location/ studio hire an additional cost to add into your budget ? Is the location out of town, and will it incur an additional photographer’s travel fee?

Props: Will you be sourcing the props / backdrops yourself or will you be employing a stylist ? A photographer will often have an existing supply of props or backdrops, however there may be a need for prop hire for flowers, food, additional products, plinths etc. Who will supply what ? Can you borrow items from friends ? Many retail shops will also hire furniture and props for a fee.

Create a brief: What exactly are you after ? Try to include any image examples/ sketches /mood board /colour /vibe etc. Pinterest is a great tool for this. Here’s an example of a food mood board I created recently.

Set a time frame: Do you require the images under a tight deadline? Most photographers will have a 1-2 week turnaround on post production of images, if not longer. If you need images ASAP, there may be an additional fee.

Know what you want, so that you can communicate your needs to your photographer, then they can provide a quote.

Here’s an example…

I was approached via email to shoot a product range of 5 new artwork prints, with the possibility of photographing the existing range if time permitted. I met in person with the business owner of Gussy - Simone (who agreed to me including this shoot here) to discuss further and to provide a quote. 

Considerations were her budget, the time required for the shoot - we agreed upon a half day / 4 hour shoot. The chosen location was her home interior, utilising 6 different rooms. Each artwork required individual styling, using props from her home, my collection or borrowed from friends. So additional costs were minimal. We set ourselves the target of photographing her entire range of 18 prints in 4 hours, prioritising the new edition prints. We discussed that the images were for her website and social media/ promotion.

We created a Pinterest board and Simone organised a shot list, including which artworks would hang where within her home and with what props to suit each artwork, so time was not wasted on the day. 

Here are some of the images from the shoot:

One thing to also consider with image usage is that we shoot in either and landscape or portrait mode, however posting to Instagram or your website design may be square - so images will need to be cropped. Remember to discuss this as an option in your usage/ editing or composition at the shoot. Also websites such as Shopify have their own file specifications / colour management. 

Find a Photographer you can work and communicate with, ask questions - it may seem daunting, but most of us are nice!!!

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Based in Melbourne, Australia, Natalie Jeffcott is a professional freelance photographer - specialising in editorial, interiors, small business lifestyle and product photography.

All images by Natalie Jeffcott.

http://www.nataliejeffcott.com/