Creatives In The Wild Justine Mulliez

Kaylee Litle (she/her) is the founder of Kindling Design, a graphic design studio specializing in branding, web, and brand experiences for outdoor-minded companies.
Through thoughtful design and creative problem solving, Kaylee's Signature Bonfire Brand Process offers clients an in-depth, guided experience through creating a meaningful visual identity that stands out.

 
In this episode, Justine and Kaylee chat about:
How building relationships and setting consistent expectations are keys to business.
Questions to help determine whether a potential client is a good fit for you.
How taking charge in the client relationship serves both parties.
The importance of having an established process for client work.
Question asking as a skill to determine your own needs and those of your clients
How Kaylee differentiates being a "creative" vs. a "designer"
Understanding yourself, your "why", and your work's "why"
A creative way to brainstorm potential new services to offer
How transparency is more valuable than money
You are your biggest hurdle: Tips for newer freelancers

 
 

 
and more!

 
Connect with Kaylee
Website: https://www.kindlingdesignco.com
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kindlingdesign

 
Connect with Justine:
Website: https://www.justawildthought.com 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justawildthought 
 
Was this episode helpful? Screenshot this and tell a friend to go to justawildthought.com/podcast! Please rate and review Creatives in the Wild on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Micheli Oliver (she/they) is a filmmaker, photographer and storyteller based in Denver, Colorado. Her work centers her family, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and femme voices to facilitate connection and help folx build strong relationships with the land.
Micheli works to create safe spaces for honest and joyful storytelling across different creative media and just premiered her debut film "Provide."
 

 
In this episode, Justine and Micheli chat about:
 
- Growing up in Colorado with a passion for hunting, fishing, and camping

- How being stranded in the middle of Idaho with a new camera led her to photography as a potential career path

- Challenging the way that media portrays time outdoors; there's no one way to be outside

- Uniting diverse groups through their love and appreciation of the land

- Personal values and ethics in creativity, selling, and the outdoor industry

- Embracing truth and joy in storytelling

- Projects and people that inspire her like: Jojo The Toad Musical, Max Romey and Alexandra Houchin
 
- The joy and learnings of working with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina

- The challenges of balancing commercial projects with personal projects
 

 



 
and more!

 
Connect with Micheli
Website: https://www.michelioliver.com
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/micheliphoto

 
Connect with Justine:
Website: https://www.justawildthought.com 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justawildthought 
 
Was this episode helpful? Screenshot this and tell a friend to go to justawildthought.com/podcast! Please rate and review Creatives in the Wild on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Dawn Rae Knoth (she/her) is a Color Designer + Trend Strategist who has been consulting with brands in the outdoor industry for over 21 years. She works with clients to implement meaningful, functional creative visions that elevate a brand's purpose, positioning, and consumer engagement. 
Dawn Rae loves how her work combines multiple things that excite and fascinate her: art, pattern recognition, math, human behavior, emotional landscapes, curiosity, and science. In her monthly newsletter, Creative Intelligence, she shares insights on color and trend strategy, design, palette creation, and merchandising. 
Outside of work, you will find her bikepacking with her family, trying to get to genius level on the Spelling Bee, and listening to podcasts that unpack the human experience.

 
In this episode, Justine and Dawn Rae chat about:
 
- Color strategy and branding in the outdoor industry, which blends science and art

- Embracing your unique personality and perspective as a freelancer, even if you’re not the absolute best at every single service you offer

- Working with brands and reaching their goals even with logistical and budget constraints

- How past work set Dawn Rae up with a big knowledge and experience base to start her own business

- Leveraging long-term industry relationships and the importance of a wide-view industry perspective

- Working with clients on a long-term basis: season to season or year after year

- The emotion, stories, and strategy behind color

- Building trust with clients through clear processes

- Maintaining a personal artistic voice through a creative newsletter
 
 



 
and more!

 
📢 Special announcement: The Money Clarity Course for Freelancers hybrid program starts 4/1/24!
Go to https://www.justawildthought.com/money to tackle your money demons, beat your blind spots, and learn how to make intentional choices in your business finances. We're using Q2 of 2024 to work through coursework and activities around pricing, selling, financial forecasting, money management and more, and we'll meet for three live coaching sessions. The Money Clarity Course is a holistic experience for long-term money confidence in business. We hope you'll join us this spring!
 
Connect with Dawn Rae:
Website: https://dawnrae.com
 
Creative Intelligence: https://dawnrae.substack.com
 
Business IG: https://www.instagram.com/dawnrae_colors/
 
Personal IG: https://www.instagram.com/dawnraek/
 
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@dawnrae_colors
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnrae/

 
Connect with Justine:
Website: https://www.justawildthought.com 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justawildthought 
 
Was this episode helpful? Screenshot this and tell a friend to go to justawildthought.com/podcast! Please rate and review Creatives in the Wild on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Jessica Kennedy (she/her) is a website designer and SEO specialist who builds, manages, and optimizes WordPress and Squarespace websites for small business owners.
She loves working with outdoor-loving folks who are starting a business or looking to improve their online presence. When not working, Jessica is usually dog-walking, camping, or laughing at something absurd on TikTok.

 
In this episode, Justine and Jessica chat about:
 
- Always knowing that she'd work for herself someday, but still trying to make a "desk job" work

- The journey to her current business, including taking a desk job at Yosemite National Park

- How freelancing makes it easier for Jessica to live and work aligned with her values

- Balancing creativity with client desires and taking leadership while serving clients

- Dismantling people-pleasing tendencies

- The importance of freelancers to create a sense of safety for their clients

- The value of word of mouth marketing, time with peers, and coaching

- How Jessica makes intentional decisions in her business and beyond, noticing intuition and truly listening to what she does and doesn't want to do

- Using structure to add data and science to her intuition in business
 

 
 



 
and more!

 
📢 Special announcement: Freelancer Boot Camp starts 3/28!
Go to https://www.justawildthought.com/freelancer-bootcamp now to learn about this 12 week coaching community designed for aspiring and current freelancers. Together, we'll outline your business vision, reshape your mindset, and get into the nitty gritty to turn your creative pursuit into a fully functioning business.
 
Connect with Jessica:
Website: https://www.jesskenn.com
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesskenn/ 

 

 
 
Connect with Justine:
Website: https://www.justawildthought.com 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justawildthought 
 
Was this episode helpful? Screenshot this and tell a friend to go to justawildthought.com/podcast! Please rate and review Creatives in the Wild on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Iz La Motte (she/her) is an adventure photographer and filmmaker who splits her time between Utah’s Wasatch Range and her off-grid cabin in the woods of Vermont. 
Iz has developed her craft into one that focuses on the human story and its relation to the world. Her passion lies in working with individuals and brands to tell their own impactful stories in a way that feels true to them.
Her work has been seen in marketing campaigns across the ski industry, in print publications such as Freeskier and Backcountry Magazine, and in the film festival circuit at Mountainfilm and Banff Film Festival.

 
 
In this episode, Justine and Iz chat about:
 
- Iz's career dream at 12 years old (that turned into reality)

- building a career in film, from "Fuel" to "Advice For Girls"

 - being able to choose whose opinions matter most in your work

- using risk-taking and feedback for growth and development

- the importance of money talks, both with clients and with peers in your industry

- how pricing secrecy can hinder a whole industry

- balancing paid work with doing your craft for fun, including having days just for personal enjoyment

- the pressures of seasonality in photography and filmmaking

- there's no one way to have a creative career, and you can make it fun

- living in the woods and making it work without wifi or cell service
 


 
 
and more!

 
📢 Special announcement: Freelancer Boot Camp starts 3/28!
Go to https://www.justawildthought.com/freelancer-bootcamp now to learn about this 12 week coaching community designed for aspiring and current freelancers. Together, we'll outline your business vision, reshape your mindset, and get into the nitty gritty to turn your creative pursuit into a fully functioning business.
 
Connect with Iz:
Website: https://www.makeplusequal.com

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeplusequal (use #makeplusequal)

 

Article: https://www.outsideonline.com/business-journal/issues/the-20-most-influential-people-in-the-outdoor-industry/

 
Connect with Justine:
Website: https://www.justawildthought.com 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justawildthought 
 
Was this episode helpful? Screenshot this and tell a friend to go to justawildthought.com/podcast! Please rate and review Creatives in the Wild on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Andrea Kelly (she/her) is the Founder/CEO/Advisor of Make Plus Equal, an advisory agency that helps outdoor apparel brands serve diverse body types.
Voted by Outside Business Journal as one of 2022's Twenty Most Influential people in the Outdoor Industry, Andrea has been championing Size Inclusion for over 10 years. Her efforts and expertise not only doubled the revenue for the Inclusive Sizes program at her former employer, but have also positioned her to serve on various industry panels, keynotes, podcasts, and magazine articles. 
By sharing 23+ years of outdoor apparel experience, Andrea educates brands so they can feel confident about driving their business forward, build more inclusive collections, and grow their revenue and market-share by earning the trust of loyal customers who have long awaited this change in the industry.

 
 
In this episode, Justine and Andrea chat about:
 
- having 23 years of experience in the outdoor apparel industry and finding a passion for inclusive sizing

- shifting from corporate work to consulting

- being driven by a desire to change an industry from the inside out

- making the outdoors available to everyone, regardless of size, by providing equal choices for all

- a recent shift in the marketing and imagery of plus-size athletes that is moving the needle for inclusivity

- educating brands on how to communicate with plus-size consumers and mitigate barriers to inclusive product development

- the importance of taking risks and embracing twists and turns over a career, and how that can build confidence

- Andrea's experience with Justine's Freelancer Boot Camp

- navigating negative self thoughts when you're self-employed

- finding purpose through entrepreneurship, despite challenges
 
- taking intentional left turns in a career in order to build skills and credibility


 


 
 
and more!

 
Connect with Andrea:
Website: https://www.makeplusequal.com

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeplusequal (use #makeplusequal)

 

Article: https://www.outsideonline.com/business-journal/issues/the-20-most-influential-people-in-the-outdoor-industry/

 
Connect with Justine:
Website: https://www.justawildthought.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/justawildthought
 
Was this episode helpful? Screenshot this and tell a friend to go to justawildthought.com/podcast! Please rate and review Creatives in the Wild on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.