“Say your full name, say the name you want to be called, and don't be afraid to correct people.”
- Yen
E1. The genesis of
creative ideas
Hafsah and Yen hash out how they met, who they are professionally and personally, and why they decided to start a podcast.
Yen Azzaro is a full time graphic recorder, drawing what people say in real time (no, they don't look like courtroom drawings), illustrator and artist. She talks about the amount of time she's worked for others, and how much more she likes working for herself. Which, makes her kind of a brat.
During her early school years, Hafsah Mijinyawa dug into technical and conceptual learning around graphic and motion design, landing her in the tech world. She started out as a freelance graphic designer just out of school.
Both Hafsah and Yen talk about their identities, how they are perceived and how stereotypes affect expected behavior. They also touch on why it's important to get someone's name right and how to execute an idea rather than letting it sit there. Follow them through the cadence of each episode with Labor, Leisure, Tactics and Homework.
Tactics From this Episode
Tactics are takeaways that a listener can do based on what we’ve discussed in an episode.
Tactic #1 - If you have a spark of an idea, follow it and see what happens. (like a podcast!)
Tactic #2 - Meet people! This can be difficult for introverted creatives, but it can pay off with great relationships we’d have otherwise missed out on.
Tactic #3 - Make the time to make a plan. Even if it’s a rough one. It can be hard to know where to go, how to get there or how to even start out. This is where sitting down with yourself to formulate a strategy—even a simple one—can make all the difference.
Homework
Homework is a way to help you apply what you’ve learned in each episode to your real world practice.
Homework #1 - Pick up an idea you discarded or never finished. Get a second opinion from someone you trust—maybe someone who has never heard about what you're working on. Take the time to build a strategy around how you will accomplish that idea.
Homework #2 - Set your own requirement for what "done" looks like. Don't leave things too open ended.