A Creative’s Guide to Work and Life, According to Tiffany Pratt
Having just arrived in Toronto, I am incredibly excited to experience everything the city has to offer. So you can imagine my joy to find out about Design TO, Canada’s largest festival celebrating all things creative. This ten-day initiative has over 100 events spread all over the Great Toronto Area and as I filtered down my favorites, one that really popped was a talk with Tiffany Pratt.
Maybe it was the pink hair, maybe it was the fact that she has just as much trouble labeling what she does for a living as I do (designer? Stylist? TV host? Whatevs), but I instantly resonated with her energy and sincerity. As Tiffany began telling the story of how she got to where she is today — an incredibly successful creative professional — I furiously tried to jot down every little piece of wisdom, until I ultimately gave up and started recording the whole thing. Here are the fifteen lessons I got out of this amazing, 40-minute talk that inspired the hell-o out of me. I truly hope it inspires you too.
1. Be humble.
While most speakers wait until the end of their speech to thank the audience, Tiffany actually opened with that. She was genuinely moved by the turnout (it was the Monday evening after a major snowstorm had hit the city) and thanked every single one of us who came out to hear what she had to say. That in itself is a lesson in humility, a trait that was mentioned a couple of times throughout the talk.
2. Embrace who you are.
If I had to sum up the evening into the overall formula for Tiffany’s success, it would go along the lines of finding yourself and putting your essence into your work. No matter how many references you collect, what will really make you stand out and eventually turn into your signature is that unique feature that each of us was born with. Basically, “the more we stop telling ourselves who we are, the more we start becoming who we’re supposed to be.”
3. Everything you can do with two hands matters.
This one was particularly emotional for me to hear because self-doubt is something I have been struggling with for quite some time. Tiffany was adamant: be of service with what you love. “If you do things with love, you’re happy. Everyone likes being around happy people, so they’ll hire you for jobs.”
Repeat: I am of use. I am inspiring.
4. Things happen when you use the big word “yes”.
So once you’ve pulled yourself together and start thinking about the things you love to do, say yes to every opportunity. Say yes to people. Say yes to projects. All of these connections turn into interesting experiences.
5. Show up.
There’s no point in saying yes if you won’t commit to the endeavor. Dedication and responsibility go a long way.
6. Be excited about what others can teach you.
Everyone is really good at something, so embrace what the people around you have to offer. It’s easy to shut ourselves in our social circle, but every encounter presents a great learning opportunity.
7. Creative communities are built with each other.
Direct quote: “As creatives, we can’t do this alone. We can’t be sitting in front of our computers feeling like we are an island of misfit toys, because we are not. We have each other. We just have to open our eyes to being grateful to who we have around us that can support our dreams.”
Let me raise you up. Let me need you, because you need me.
8. We love what we love.
This is an interesting reinforcement of item 2 that popped up in the middle of the talk. Once you accept who you are, make sure to imprint your point of view into your work. Your personal brand isn’t made up of your personality alone — your aesthetic, your preferences, even the team you assemble for a project are reflections of who you are as a creative professional.
9. Start to take note on who you are.
In order to bring item 8 into your daily work, pay attention to what inspires you. Ask yourself WHY you like what you like. When you see something that catches your eye, take a minute to think about what you find so appealing about it — is it the color, the style, the simplicity of it all? Are you particularly fond of green, for example? If so, maybe plants will play a huge role in your next project. And that may even turn into your signature for future undertakings (you know, when people start saying, “oh, just do what you do!”)
10. Art is life.
Another direct quote, because I can’t say it any better: “What we do in this life is art. What you choose to spend your days with is how you come off into the world. If I can go to bed at night and know I did something cool, or I made something cool, or I worked really hard, or I made someone happy, there’s nothing better than that.”
That’s what we do as creatives, we’re bringing happiness into the world.
11. Be grateful.
“Regardless of what we choose to do with our days, be grateful for all the things that happen. Good and bad. Understand that life is full of dichotomic experiences. Nothing is ever as it appears to be on social media. Understand that everything is how we feel it to be in our hearts.”
(There’s no way I can place “dichotomic” so beautifully in a sentence, so you know that’s another direct quote.)
12. Believe in your work.
When you’re creating something, create the thing that you would want to buy, the place you would want to go to, the thing you would want to see. If it doesn’t pass by you, it’s not going to pass by anybody else. Believe in why you got there and why you love it — it’s authentic and it will resonate.
13. Take a chance on yourself.
There will be naysayers. Go back to number 12 and believe in your vision. When you’re designing from an authentic place, the idea you put forward is very likely to work. Being the “yes” person in a room full of “nos” may just make you the hero. And once you become a hero, there’s no turning back.
14. Formulate a method to your madness.
Up until this point, we’ve been talking about embracing your singularity — which is a huge part of getting your creative career on track. However, others will judge it, especially in the beginning. The best way to combat this is by being able to rationally pitch your ideas so that people will come onboard with you. What will make a client trust you? Why will your team stick with you to the end? How can you keep everyone safe and comfortable with your process throughout the entire project?
15. Keep yourself on the edge.
Finally, find out what keeps you stimulated. As long as you’re creatively excited, you’re going to be creating incredible things. Outdo yourself every time. That’s what it’s all about.
Bonus tip: Get off Instagram
“Treat Instagram like a fire drill: get in and get out. Drop that shot and you’re gone! You don’t need to look at all that — what you have inside yourself is enough creative reference material for a lifetime. So, it doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing. Do only what you want, what makes you happy.”
