We were lucky to catch up with Candace Parker recently and have shared our conversation below.
Candace, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
Creativity is one of the main values I offer to my clients when I work on their branding – with “creative” literally in my business name, it is a service I offer not just in terms of graphic design but also in problem solving and thinking differently to make my clients’ brands stand out.
Sometimes, being creative can feel like a constant task on my to-do list and it does not always come easy. I may be tired, unmotivated, or bored on certain days… that is when I turn to one of my 4 go-to sources of inspiration to keep my creativity and passion alive:
1. Get outside – with nothing else to do but walk or even sit, I get energized by letting my mind wander.
2. Reflect – remembering why I started and seeing how far I have come always gives me a boost to keep creating.
3. Intentionally scroll – browsing the ‘gram with purpose will make things click for me if I am feeling stuck.
4. Rage clean – one of my personal favorites! This always makes me feel productive and lets my mind work things out in the process.
I highly suggest stepping away from your projects when you start to feel a slump coming on. Refreshing the brain and coming back to the task with a clean slate will produce much better results and bring you joy in the process instead of stress.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Big Bunny Creative is a branding studio focused on growing businesses through design and merch products.
I started Big Bunny in 2019 as a result of not feeling fulfilled in any employment my 8 years in the industry – I always felt like I was so passionate and wanted more, but I could never find the right fit to really grow myself and use the talents I knew I had to offer. The stars aligned – with my personal and professional life both at pivoting points, it just made sense to take the risk and at least give self-employment a whirl.
Now, 4 years later, I am focused on being the go-to source for badass branding and merch for thought leaders in Houston and around the US. I enjoy growing my network and building an amazing community of women entrepreneurs.
Our core values are centered around a growth mindset, utilizing talents, a truly supportive culture and relationship building.
Big Bunny Creative is my passion – branding and design fills my cup and I am so excited to offer this lifestyle and culture to other women that may be feeling the same way I did when this journey began.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three qualities that have been most impactful on my entrepreneurship journey have been:
1. Know Your Worth
2. Be the Bigger Person
3. Remember Why You Started
My advice to anyone starting their own business or thinking of leaving a job for a new opportunity would be to pin point WHY. This has been my north star when I feel lost or overwhelmed. For me, my why was my son and the life I wanted to provide for him and the mom I wanted to be. Reminding myself of this often helped me keep going and making moves towards my goals.
Knowing your worth while staying humble is also important… I have been taken advantage of countless times and hate that I let that happen, BUT being the bigger person and keeping my cool when things got rough has made it easier for me to move forward with no strings attached.
How would you describe your ideal client?
An ideal client for Big Bunny Creative is one who is ready to grow their brand, one who is open minded to change and one who is prepared to INVEST!
A hesitance for all business owners large and small is spending money. My job is to show my clients the value I provide so that they see our products and services as an investment instead of an expense. We prove our worth to our clients with return on investment – we offer increased brand awareness, brand impressions, brand loyalty and an overall stronger, more consistent brand!
Bonus points if they are creative as well and of course refer us to their friends!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bigbunnycreative.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigbunnycreative/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigbunnycreative
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/53263096/
- Other: Shop promotional products and merch online @ https://www.brandwithbunny.com/
Image Credits
Rumer Creative Sugarfree Studio
