Meet Adrienne Pickett

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Adrienne Pickett. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Adrienne below.

Hi Adrienne , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

After the 2016 election results, I was despondent and had a near breakdown. My children were young at the time, and I was constantly questioning what kind of world we were leaving them.

My mom, not one to mince words, said to me, “And what are you going to do about it?” It was a challenge to pick myself up, reflect, and examine how I could be the change I wanted to see, how I could use my time, talent, and treasure to make some kind of sense of this moment.

So I dove headfirst into activism and community organizing. First, joining Forward Action Michigan and then the Indivisible movement. I met amazing people who were all feeling similarly to me. And they all wanted to run for office or start an organization. And that’s when I realized that I could help.

As a designer and Creative Director, I worked with seven first-time candidates, mostly pro bono, on all of their marketing materials. And every single one of them won their elections in November. From there, suddenly, there was an interest in what I had to offer.

My purpose became showing my kids that you can pivot, create something from nothing, and help create a better world, right in your own backyard. Since then, The Guerrilla Politic has supported almost 200 Democratic candidates run for office. And we’ve helped dozens of non-profit organizations make real direct impact in their communities.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I started my life out as an artist. I have very supportive parents who always encouraged that part of me. I attended design school at the University of Michigan, and after graduation, I worked at traditional multi-national agencies on billion-dollar brands throughout the first half of my career. I’m also an artist and a muralist. And I had never put starting my own ad agency on my BINGO card at 22 when I was first starting.

I’m the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Guerrilla Politic and our sister agency, IDEA39. We offer ourselves as a fractional marketing agency for non-profits, NGOs, municipalities, and candidates running for office. We offer a unique blend of design, advocacy, and storytelling to move people toward progress.

What excites me most about what I do is using creativity as a tool for change, helping campaigns, movements, and mission-driven organizations turn values like equity, access, and justice into something people can see and feel has been the honor of my life. We’ve worked with disability resource organizations, and when I’ve heard that people who needed help were able to receive support, that’s what makes me truly excited to do this work.

What’s new for me and The Guerrilla Politic and IDEA39 right now is growth. We’re expanding on our digital and visual storytelling work while mentoring the next generation of designers and strategists who want to use creativity for good. I also co-host a podcast called the Point of Disorder, and we’re doing really interesting things with digital right now.

It’s been a beautiful full circle: art in service of people and progress.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three things that really stand out to me are having a supportive community around you, networking constantly, and going in search of the answers when you may not have them, even when it’s hard.

It’s clear to me that I couldn’t have done this without the support of my family and friends. As a single parent with young kids, having my mom and cousin step in while I worked long hours, especially during the pandemic, when things felt bleak, made all the difference. Entrepreneurship can be isolating and unpredictable, so having a community you can lean on, laugh with, and decompress alongside is absolutely essential.

And while “networking” can feel like such a strange, transactional word, for me it’s really just about being kind to people. Always. You never know who someone knows, what opportunities might come your way, or what impression you’ll leave behind. Some of my best collaborations and new friendships have come not from marketing budgets or business cards, but from simply treating people with respect and genuine warmth. Kindness travels fast and it always comes back around.

I’ve also benefited enormously from the free and low-cost entrepreneurship programs available in Michigan. They’ve really mirrored my own journey. I started with the basics, SBA courses at my local community college, where I learned about EINs, business plans, and the fundamentals of starting a company. From there, I joined the BUILD Institute in Detroit, a nonprofit dedicated to helping grow the small business ecosystem. That experience gave me the foundation and confidence I needed to take the next leap.

I was later accepted into the Tory Burch Foundation Fellowship for women entrepreneurs, where I proudly represented Michigan, and then into Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses program. It was an incredibly intensive four-month experience that pushed me to examine every part of my business. I made amazing friends in that program. Along the way, I’ve stayed committed to learning and growing: attending workshops through Oakland Thrive and the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council, listening to podcasts, taking LinkedIn Learning modules, and meeting regularly with my business advisor to exchange ideas.

For me, the best way I’ve found to succeed has been to surround myself with a strong, supportive community, stay curious, and never lose my growth mindset.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

I don’t think I’ve met anyone recently who didn’t feel completely overwhelmed. It’s hard out there. My own advice to myself this year has been to allow myself to take rest and to reframe rest as necessary to continue the work. Unplugging from screens and going outside to “touch grass,” as my kids would say, has also been a helpful strategy this year.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Daniel Moen – Dijuri Media

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Productivity
What do you do for self-care and what impact has it had on your effectiveness?

We asked some of the most productive entrepreneurs and creatives out there to open up

Resilience
Where do you get your resilience from?

Resilience is often the x-factor that differentiates between mild and wild success. The stories of

Productivity
How do you keep your creativity alive?

Keeping your creativity alive has always been a challenge, but in the era of work