The Creative Leap

4 months into dating his future wife, Gavin Wade decided to pour all his savings into starting a photography business with her, despite the fact that neither of them had any experience in photography at all. What could go wrong? Well, apparently not much. They would go on to create an award-winning photography business, before Gavin would decide to launch his own tech company, CloudSpot: a gallery service for photographers and creatives. Gavin was new the to tech startup world when he launched CloudSpot, relying on his skill as a photographer to inform a product that he knew people like him needed. The thing is, like every leap he has taken, Gavin has never wavered in his commitment to learning. It was tireless and dedicated learning that allowed him to pick up a camera and build an award winning business. Learning that has anchored a healthy marriage, even in business partnership. And learning that reminds him that no matter how big his company grows, there is always something to learn from those who you are serving. I’m so excited to share this talk on creativity, learning and risk-taking. Gavin shows us why as long as we’re committed to pursuing knowledge, we’ll always find a way to carry on.

How many of you had poems read to you as a kid? How many of you studied poetry in high school of college? How many of you, ever felt like you could actually be a poet? For whatever reason, our exposure to poetry is so often limited to the Frost or Whitman we analyze in the class, rather than the voices who are evolving it in the now. In the all-time classic movie, Dead Poet’s society, Robin William’s character John Keating challenges his students saying "You must strive to find your own voice because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are going to find it at all.” He pushes them to live poetry beyond the classroom and be it. To seize the day. That’s exactly what poet Arielle Estoria is doing today. A rising star in the world of spoken word and slam poetry, Arielle is becoming a profound voice in the creative community for her stunning work, which speaks profoundly and vulnerably on topics from body, race, calling and faith. She’s also been one of the most popular event and conference invites around, including being the host of Yellow Conference started by our old friend Joanna Waterfall. Not only that, you’ll find Arielle the face of some of instagrams fastest growing clothing and lifestyle brands. Basically, she’s taking over the world. Her newest book, Write Bloody / Spill pretty was a featured work at Downtown Los Angeles’s acclaimed “The Last Bookstore.” And all of this…all this recognition and opportunity, stems from her poetry. It is the core of her art and rightfully so. Arielle has become such a trusted voice in many of the most difficult topics society is facing today, speaking with grace, truth and balance. She is a creative at heart through and through and shares with us today the knowledge of someone who has not only lived what it means to “be a creative” in every sense, but also someone who has become in many ways, the face of our modern creative community.

What would you do if you woke up one day to find that something you had said was inspiring thousands of people to radically change the way they live? If your quote, put up on the side of a wall, was the inspiration someone need to live more adventurously, courageously, generosity and passionately? That’s the story of Zach Horvath, founder of Live A Great Story.  Live A Great Story, is a diverse community focused on inspiring people to craft their own journey and create meaningful impact. They highlight inspiring stories, foster connection through engaging events, and sell Reminder products that spark inspiration. It all started with one, challenging reminder: “Live A Great Story.” A quote that Zach “installed," as he would lovingly say, on a wall in Austin Texas. Before he knew it, that wall was trending on social media. Then it appeared on more walls. Then it was on stickers. Today, it’s on all kinds of merchandise, being spread by thousands of passionate advocates and inspiring extraordinary stories of community and courage all over the world. None of this, was part of the plan. With his own personal reminder, growing into something he could have never envisioned, Zach chose to step in leadership of his movement. Zach lead’s the "Live" community in such a way that continuously puts the ownership back on us: all of us to be the vehicle that drives this idea forward, together.

Back in 2011, I had made call backs for my schools chamber choir as a freshman. We got a huge packet of music to study for the call back audition and only a few days to do it. I was a music major and had made callbacks so, shouldn’t have been too big of a problem. Except, I didn’t know how to read music. At all. I stumbled through some practice halls, until eventually, I found a guy practicing the pieces who seemed to have a good handle on things. Naturally, I busted into the room and begged him to help me. Not desperate at all. Of course, with such preparation and natural ability, you can guess what happened next…we both made it in. I would pretty much count on Steven the exact same way through 4 years of concerts, performances in the Vatican City and international competitions around the world. Going back further to 2009, Steven and his best friend Cristian Guerrero decided to take a REALLY big creative leap. Steven, the composer and Cristian, the actor/writer/director, decided they would write a musical together. Never could they imagine that there show, “Mad World” based on the life and mystery of Alice in Wonderland creator, Charles Dodgson or Lewis Carrol, would become what it is today. Having won prestigious competitions and having been given the highest distinction in history by the Lewis Carrol society itself, Mad World has become one of the nation's fastest rising musicals. The duo have gone on to launch a theater company as well to write another show, Bravo, which recently won the New Musical Inc. award for Best New Musical, as well as a $25,000 prize and Broadway World coverage! They are truly, rising stars. Taking the leap into music is difficult enough. Musicals, take it to a whole new level. I’m so excited for you to get an inside look at the process of creating this beautiful and rare art form. Their story is filled with inspiring reminders of how to take risks doing what you love, as well as the power of community in the creative process. So, follow us down the rabbit hole for a moment, on The Creative Leap by Dubsado.

To be a creative entrepreneur means doing things your way. From the business you start, to how you brand yourself and even where you work, one of the best things about this lifestyle is the freedom it gives us in so many ways. Married couple Stephen Hepner and Jamie Townsend were a freelance photography and web design duo, living the creative mobile lifestyle, when they asked themselves if they could make it easier. With two kids and all the equipment you can imagine, they wondered if anyone else wished they had one beautiful, practical and durable bag to hold all of their work and living supplies. With no prior experience in retail or product development, they set out to design a stunning leather bag that would become the foundation of their company Atlas Supply Co. The bags have traveled to countless countries, graced some of the most exclusive insta-feeds and even prompted moments of community between entrepreneurs around the world. This was their first ever podcast interview, but they were total naturals. Hear how this amazing couple is redefining the workplace and empowering "Atlaspreneurs" around the world.

According to the latest statistics, more than 30 million people suffer from slavery and human trafficking world wide. In 2005, that's the knowledge that Blythe Hill found herself coming to terms with. Despite her deep sense of urgency to help, she felt powerless. She wasn't a lawyer or a doctor or a social worker; her interests and talents were in fashion, trend analysis, and blogging. She didn't think she had much to offer the fight. That is, until 2009 when Blythe challenged herself to wear a dress every day of December (hence: Dressember), mostly just for fun. The next year, a few friends joined in. By the third year, her friends' friends began to participate and she realized the possibility for something much greater than she had ever imagined. By 2013, the movement blossomed into something completely unexpected - an international campaign to aid the fight against sex trafficking. In less than four years, Dressember advocates have raised over $3 million, committing to increasing global awareness and eradication of slavery and sex trafficking. On this weeks episode, we learn how Blythe turned her love of fashion into a powerful worldwide movement, what Dressember is doing this year and how you can get involved.

What would it look like to go from a shower thought, to launching one of the most popular and successful creative conferences in the nation, with NO prior experience? That’s the story of Joanna Waterfall, founder, and inspiration behind The Yellow Conference and Yellow Collective. Launching in 2014, The Yellow Conference began as a way to empower creative entrepreneurial women to become agents of good and has since attracted some of the most sought-after speakers and participants in the country. The success of the conference has paved way for Yellow to launch its membership society, Yellow Collective. In today's episode, we talk about the roots of creativity, pivoting from freelance to founder and how Yellow is continuing to impact the creative entrepreneur community.

Introduction to "The Creative Leap" Podcast