EPISODE 1

A Deep Dive Into Our Creative Careers

With hosts Yen Azzaro and Hafsah Mijinyawa

Hafsah and Yan take a deep dive into the day-to-day lives of creative professionals. They break down their workflows, tools, and processes, offering insights into the realities of working in design, motion graphics, and graphic recording. From navigating client relationships to finding efficiency in daily tasks, this episode is a practical guide for anyone looking to understand how creatives make their work happen.

"We need humans to be the drivers behind the big ideas.”
-Yen

Key takeaways from this episode

  1. DefiThe transition from studying creative fields to applying those skills in real-world work takes experimentation, trial, and error.

  2. A structured daily routine helps creatives manage multiple projects and deadlines efficiently.

  3. The balance between independent freelancing and working within a company brings different workflows, expectations, and challenges.

  4. Effective client communication, setting clear expectations, and structuring contracts are essential to avoiding project scope creep.

  5. AI tools can serve as assistants in creative work but cannot replace human intuition, problem-solving, and storytelling.

  6. Personal branding and adding thoughtful touches—like thank-you notes or accessibility-friendly work—can make a significant difference in building long-term client relationships.

Show Notes & Resources

Tools used for creative work and client communication:

  • Adobe Creative Cloud (After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)

  • Figma (prototyping and digital design)

  • Procreate (for graphic recording)

  • ClickUp (project management)

  • FreshBooks (invoicing)

  • Wave (invoicing & payments)

  • Slack (team communication)

  • Dropbox Paper (note-taking)

  • AI tools (ChatGPT for scripting)

  • Paperless Post (client thank-yous)