We recently connected with Todd Coats and have shared our conversation below.
Todd, 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?
That’s a really good (and important) question!
Creativity is a muscle like any other that needs constant training and challenges. So, you have to put in the hours to explore, discover and fail.
For me, I give myself projects all the time. Since I’m a professional creative for commerce, those projects can be designed pieces, such as a collection of tabloid celebrity playing cards for fun, or grammatical flash cards to expose my child to the beauty of language.
I also try to create something every single day. It could be a drawing, painting, writing or music.
As creatives, we have to keep moving!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I will always be a visual creator. That’s just how I can understand the world.
Yet professionally, my career is embedding creative thinking into business. That obviously can show up in their marketing and design programs, but it goes further than that. A lot of business partners that I work with are myopic. They see their organization through very thick glasses. I help them understand their business from a 360 degree point of view. Then we set out to challenge traditional thinking to help them rise above the marketplace fray.
I guess in short, I focus on something my parents taught me, “Leave everything better.”
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?
Work hard. Always realize someone is better than you. Talent is subjective. What isn’t subjective is showing you care enough about your career and client’s business to put in the hard hours. That benefits you both.
Be kind. Unfortunately, creatives get a reputation for being prickly, having big egos or being aloof. Those are often protection practices to cover our imposter syndrome and sensitivity. Get over yourself. Talent and humility will take you further than talent and assholiness.
Stay curious. Ask “Why?” The more you understand why you’re doing something, the better you will be.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
As cliche as it sounds, they believed in me. I was a super shy kid who drew constantly, so I thought maybe I could make money from this. Didn’t know how. But maybe. Both of my parents were raised on farms in North Carolina. They instilled in me the value of hard work and respect.
They also made sacrifices so I could attend a university. Although neither pursued education after high school, they let me choose (and paid for) a university path in art and design. I imagine they struggled to understand how that would lead to a career but they never were anything but supportive and celebrated my successes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.toddcoats.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toddcoats/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddcoats/
- Twitter: @2deswalkin2abar
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TwoDesignersWalkIntoaBar
- Other: Check out the podcast I co-host the brilliant Elliot Strunk. https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com
Image Credits
Portrait by Natalia Weedy
