If youre a visual creative, you should probably be onBehance.
Creative teams thrive off of the realization that progress is being made.
In 2005 I founded Behance, a platform to showcase and discover work.
The hardships we endured and the team we gathered helped develop me as a leader.
Our first product was actually an organizational product for creative teams called the Action Book.
Five years ago this fascination became a book project calledThe Messy Middle, which just launched.
Take us through a recent workday.
I profess that I schedule every minute, but some blocks are scheduled for clearing & follow-up and family.
My typical day begins with a breakfast with a mentor, friend, or a founder I am advising.
When Im in New York, I make a run at get home for dinner with my family.
What apps, gadgets, or tools cant you live without?
Ive been tracking my sleep lately with theOura ring, because I want to better understand my habits.
I love myDJI Mavic dronefor weekend fun.
Whats your workspace setup like?
Like many of you, I am a mobile warrior!
Sometimes I limit myself to my iPad so I can sketch as well as write.
When I am in extreme productivity mode, Im on my MacBook Pro.
Whats your favorite lesson about working with and for creative professionals?
Creative teams are visual and thrive off of the realization that progress is being made.
The greatest leaders of creative teams and projects are good narrators of the journey.
Magic happens when a creative team is fully aligned with the goal as opposed to just doing the work.
Its also important to manufacture milestones along the way in a long-term creative project.
Unfortunately, we all need short-term rewards to feel motivated.
Whats your best shortcut or life hack?
I create keyboard shortcuts on my iPhone so I can send common messages to people with an acronym.
I also use canned responses in Gmail.
I am constantly trying to parallel process monotonous work with something else.
I give a shot to read or watch something while I brush my teeth.
When I am mindlessly organizing, I am listening to a podcast.
I schedule calls during transit to the airport, etc.
When Im in work mode, I want to feel fully utilized.
Take us through an interesting, unusual, or finicky process you have in place at work.
These items are not tasks.
Instead, they are priorities that I want to keep adding energy to.
My longtime assistant Nina knows my priorities and helps me achieve a balance between work and family time.
She also has great instincts about which meetings and conversations need to happen sooner.
How do you keep track of what you have to do?
Wunderlist for tasks, Evernote for objectives.
How do you recharge or take a break?
I give a shot to take walks on the beach every month, even in the off-season.
The waves clear my mind.
Whats your favorite side project?
Over time, my Evernote file amassed over 830 insights.
What are you currently reading, or what do you recommend?
This summer I readEndurance: Shackletons Incredible Voyageby Alfred Lansing and loved it.
Love that title too.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Whats the best advice youve ever received?
Keep making a ruckus from one of my mentors, Seth Godin.
Whats a problem youre still trying to solve?
How do you make creative products powerful enough for professionals but easy and accessible enough for anyone to use?
Its an exciting problem to solve.
