Meet Lela Cocoros Goldstein

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lela Cocoros Goldstein a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lela, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?

I’m not someone who is naturally brimming with ideas for my artwork. So I discipline myself by making sure I create something – however small – each day. I get inspiration from looking at other artwork, going through my books and images, thinking about color palettes, and listening to music. I also do some prompts and challenges that come from the collage community. Making a large number of small collages usually leads to doing a larger, more significant project.

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

In the 1980s, I graduated with a BFA from NYU Film School with a vision of getting into either film or television. I wound up in the cable TV industry for my entire career – but on the business side rather than the creative side. While I never lost the desire to create, I found my work fascinating and dedicated myself to learning everything I could about both cable and business. The result was a long and satisfying career that I loved, from becoming the top corporate communications executive at the world’s then-largest cable company, to co-founding an award-winning agency that served mostly industry clients. Today, I am semi-retired and split my time between taking on business projects that feed my creative soul and creating paper collage and mixed media art. I am currently working on a documentary for an industry nonprofit about the history of cable’s broadband technology and how it has made most of our current services – high-speed internet video streaming, telemedicine, distance learning, etc. – possible. As for my art, I have been fortunate to have my work exhibited in galleries and at events in Brooklyn, Phoenix, Southern California and New Orleans. One of my collages, The Divine Hellenic, was recently selected as cover art for the Kolaj Institute’s book entitled “Magic in the Modern World.” I truly enjoy having both sides of my brain working simultaneously.

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?

1) Be open to and positive about working on projects or in areas you might not think are interesting or appealing – you can learn so much and stretch yourself and perhaps even enjoy the process. Be well-rounded and avoid tunnelvision.
2) Read/watch/listen to everything you can on subjects that involve your work, and seek out experts and mentors willing to share their wisdom with you.
3) Be thankful by giving back – as you grow in your career, volunteer to work with/mentor newbies; appreciate your team by recognizing their accomplishments; get involved with industry associations by serving on a board or a committee or organizing an event. This provides excellent networking opportunities and will increase your profile.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

I’ve been lucky to have had some great bosses in my career. Three in particular who saw something in me, even though I’d never taken a business class in my life. One took a chance on hiring me into the company and nurturing my communications skills and creative abilities; one was my mentor and taught me leadership and management skills and how to successfully deal with internal politics; and one brought me into the top level of the company and gave me the freedom to run my own department.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @lelaco
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lela.cocoros
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lelacocoros/

Image Credits

Lela Cocoros Goldstein