Creative consultant Portia Stewart shares her career journey and advice.
1. What made you want to start your own company?
I was inspired to launch Mind Full Creatives because I saw a disconnect between the super smart creatives who come up with amazing ideas and the super smart business execs who set the strategy (and budget!) for the business. Consulting lets me work with many different companies and teams, helping them to connect creativity and innovation to company strategy and growth.
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It’s also given me much greater freedom to create a schedule that works with an intentional approach to life. If I want to block an hour to do yoga or schedule an art day with my friends at the local marketplace, I do.
2. What does your typical day-to-day look like?
No two days are the same, and I love that. There are days where I’m traveling to speak, days when the schedule fills up with meetings and, every once in a while, a quiet day where I’m plugging away at the work. And there’s always work, whether it’s planning brainstorming workshops for clients, marketing, developing the business or researching new tools. I also steal time to take lots of online education.
3. What interests you about the world of content strategy?
I love the experimentation process in content strategy. There are always opportunities to do A/B testing, to try something new and to watch it fly or flop.
4. You’ve been working in media for 20+ years. How have you seen it evolve? What is your advice to new media professionals?
We have a million ways to reach our audiences now, and we need to be in all of the places our audiences live. It’s fun and challenging and it takes relentless fine tuning. Change is the only constant!
5. Who or what inspires you in your career?
Meeting new people! I believe everyone is creative, and unlocking that super power is an ingredient for career growth. When I see that spark in others, I get excited.
6. Anything else you’d like to add?
The media landscape has changed significantly since I started my career. Job titles aren’t the same, the responsibilities have definitely changed, and everyone feels crunched for time. But there’s still such a need for the work those in the media perform. Career paths are often more like winding roads than straight shots, and I encourage people who are looking for a new path to look wide—you might find your next calling in a place you don’t expect.
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