Introducing The Creative Brink
This newsletter is for anyone who is interested in following my journey! I share insights i've gained as an Independent Agency Founder and updates on what I'm reading, listening to, learning, and anything else I'm interested in.
The Creative Brink
I've been debating about starting a newsletter for a while, mostly because I wanted to find an authentic way to connect with others beyond curated feeds and conference video screens.
In 2011, as I was making my foray into tech, I ran a music blog & community that connected underground artists with their audiences. There was not a lot of thought given to metrics, page views, or sponsored posts. Every post was about the things the small team and I loved; we wrote because we loved underground music, but didn't see a lot of coverage for indie artists. From the blog, we launched a limited series of t-shirts and partnered with featured artists to sell their merch on the site. You could say we were doing NFTs before NFTs was a thing. It wasn't lucrative (at all) but, it was fulfilling.
The site was shuttered in 2013 because I needed to focus on my career and didn't have time for side projects, but I never considered the experience a failure because it taught me valuable lessons about running a business, leading a team, growing an audience, and staying committed to that audience even as the world around us shifted.
I took those learnings and launched Visionary Rising, a creative agency and production studio, in 2016. Through the years, my work has focused on expanding footprints for artists and the audiences they covet while continuing to lean into my technology career at Fortune 100 companies. During this time, I haven't had space to do any side projects. I've either been creating for work or creating for others. I lost sight of what it meant to create for myself, and why, as an artist, creating for the sake of creating is so important. With Creative Brink, I'm getting back to my roots.
“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” - Emile Zola
I've recently made some changes in my career which started with leaving a job that no longer fulfilled me (I will absolutely share more on that soon) and taken the last few months to connect with the things that mean the most to me: connection, creativity, and community.
This newsletter will provide updates on everything I am learning on my journey of self discovery including thoughts on life, love, artistic pursuits, and of course, resources to help creators elevate their output, live the best lives they can, and reach expansive heights.
I'm not setting a schedule - yet. I want to experiment with the idea of simply experimenting and share those learnings without obligations or expectations.
Let me know what you'd like to see more of - I am definitely open to feedback from the community.
Love + Light
LT
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UPDATES
Visionary Rising x Wethos are partnering on #InSession: A Series for Creators. Register here and join me as we explore ways to scale your consultancy and win more business.
New episodes of the "Creatives on the Rise" podcast are back - check out our recent favorites:
MY PICKS
Book:
I read "Vibrate Higher Daily" by Lalah Delia in September and reading again this month because it's that good! Grab the accompanying meditation and get ready to level up. The book is one I wasn't able to put down and have found myself reading again to make sure I've fully digested it.
Podcast:
Aside from my interview with Junae Brown (linked above), the Jason Mayden episode of Professional Troublemaker is a can't miss listen. Jason, a legendary shoe designer and current President of Fear of God Athletics, has some of the most profound insights on the creative experience. I always find myself digging deeper after I listen to his interviews.
Spend some time with these picks this week and let me know your thoughts.
Questions I am asking this week:
What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
What are the best resources you wish you had as a freelancer?
Follow me on Twitter & Instagram, and stay tuned for the next drop.