Cadence: A Podcast for Creatives

Cadence: A Podcast for Creatives

by Hafsah and Yen

Design Education

Season 2

A Deep Dive Into Our Creative Careers

Hafsah and Yan take a deep dive into the day-to-day lives of creative professionals. They break down their workflows, tools, and processes, offering insights into the realities of working in design, motion graphics, and graphic recording. From navigating client relationships to finding efficiency in daily tasks, this episode is a practical guide for anyone looking to understand how creatives make their work happen.

Season 1

The best of the worst-case scenarios - Hafsah & Yen

In the final episode of Season 1, hosts Hafsah and Yen reflect on their six-month journey of launching Cadence, sharing lessons learned, growth experienced, and their gratitude for the guests and listeners who've made it all possible. We dive into the importance of commitment, navigating red flags, overcoming imposter syndrome, and finding balance in creative work. As the new year begins, Hafsah and Yen encourage listeners to embrace creativity, trust their instincts, and continue growing both personally and professionally.

How to protect your business - feat. Chris Johnson

Insurance is not the most fun thing to think about when you're starting out in your career, but it's a vital component of building peace of mind into your journey. Hafsah and Yen grill Chris on what to cover when you're an individual creative versus a mid-sized organization versus a big-sized production. Chris helps us to navigate how to get started with the insurance process and most importantly, and how to cover our butts when the worst case scenario becomes real.

How to price your work - feat. Linette Lao

It's never easy to talk about money. In this episode Hafsah and Yen dive down this rabbit hole with the principal graphic designer of Invisible Engines, a design consultancy that specializes in working with nonprofits and human-centered organizations. Linette talks about why charging hourly is not always the right fit for everyone, and offers insight on how to reframe the value of the dollar. We also discuss the nuances of being a woman in the workplace, how that affects salary disparity between genders historically, and what actions could be taken to combat that reality.

Building client relationships - feat. Donald Harrison

In this episode, the hosts are joined by Donald Harrison, the lead producer and director at 7 Cylinders Studio. Donald shares insights from his extensive experience in film and video production. With his treasure trove of experiences, Donald shares nuggets of wisdom on everything from tackling the beast of client expectations, to why treating your work like a heartfelt collaboration can lead to magic. He schools us on the gentle art of educating clients, transforming them from question marks into exclamation points of understanding and appreciation for the creative process.

The long & short project process - feat. Paloma Núñez-Regueiro

Artist and printmaker Paloma Núñez-Regueiro shares insights into how she manages her complex schedule, balances long-term projects with immediate tasks, and how she factors in self-care and planning as a key component of her her creative process. In this episode, we fan girl over something you might not expect—project management! Mind maps, Pomodoro techniques, and constructive critique—oh my! The conversation delves into overcoming anxieties related to the creative process, the challenges of embracing change, and the joys of experimentation and play in art-making.

Building your personal brand - feat. Pete Baker

Hafsah and Yen welcome Pete Baker, photographer, graphic designer, creative director, product design leader, and more recently, bar proprietor. We talk to him about how his personal brand (or more so how he doesn't have a personal brand) and how it's meandered to serve a myriad of markets and clients over the years. Pete talks about why it's so important to demonstrate your usefulness and push away the desire to be transactional in the beginning. He shares the period of his career he was doing his worst work and why Daft Punk was a no-brainer.

Leveraging your education - feat. Dr. Cam McComb

Hafsah and Yen talk to Dr. Cam McComb, Associate Professor of Visual Art Education at Eastern Michigan University, about the continued path of learning, regardless of where or how you do it. Dr. Cam talks to us about what her students think that becoming an art teacher means and what it actually entails. She offers insight on what "creative" means and how it's flexible with possibility for reshaping and growth. And she blows our minds when she tells us that "perfectionism is a learning disability".

The Genesis of Creative Ideas - With Hafsah & Yen

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. Hafsah Mijinyawa is an actual army brat that moved around a lot and 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.

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