EPISODE 2: CHOOSING CREATIVITY OVER COMPETITION
Join us for a round table with Aundre Larrow, Tutes, Dan Rubin, and Dan Cohen as we discuss how to choose creativity over competition and the importance of building communities while growing as a creative.
THE ROUND TABLE EXPLORES
How do we listen to the artist we are and who we want to be AND how can we navigate that in a time where our creative identity can be pulled in many directions? And if it is pulled in many directions, how then, do we find ourselves again in it, learn from the process, and ultimately trust the journey?
A larger umbrella question we’ll sit with here is how could we stay grounded in community through collaboration with our true selves and also in collaboration with others - and silence the voices of competition - which leads to building a community on a genuine foundation.
“In thinking about the meanings of community - and it means something different to everyone - but community and platforms are really not about social media and they’re not about a scale. They’re ultimately about who you are, who you represent yourself as, and understanding that you never know who is listening. That there’s always the potential that you are going to be setting an example for someone.”
MEET THE COLLECTIVE
AUNDRE LARROW. A Jamaican-born photographer based in Brooklyn, NY. Beyond these frankly reductive labels, at his core, Aundre seeks to understand people. From his work as an Adobe Creative Resident exploring stories across the country to working on the set of W. Kamau Bell’s United Shades of America, Aundre seeks to see the fundamental truth in each human being, regardless of background, culture, or upbringing. The primary question he asks in his work is, “What is the shortest distance from me to you?” When Aundre received a Minolta from his high school drama teacher at 15, it wasn’t as much a discovery as it was a completion, an additional sense with which to navigate the world. He truly believes that all people are worth knowing. That pursuit has taken him to Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to capture the Gwich'in people, to his home state of Florida to document the stories of formerly incarcerated folks fighting for their right to vote and to WeWoka, Oklahoma to photograph the largest Black-owned farm in America. His work is an honest portrayal of social issues through the eyes of his subjects who he views as collaborators and not just people to fill his frame with. His work has been published in The NY Times, The Wall Street Journal, Teen Vogue, and many more.
DAN RUBIN. A designer, photographer, and creative director based in the United States and United Kingdom. Dan is an IPA Jury and WPO Academy member, co-curator of the portrait photography exhibition 100 | 50 | 1, and host of the Apple Event series Meet The iPhone Photographer. Dan speaks at conferences worldwide including The Photography Show, South by Southwest, UX London, and WPPI, and consults on topics including product design, user experience, photography, brand communication, art direction, and more for startups and established brands around the world. One of Instagram's earliest beta-testers and a speaker at the world's first mobile photography conference, Dan travels the globe on photographic commissions for select clientele including American Express, The Guardian, Land Rover, The Macallan, Nissan, RedBull, Travel + Leisure, and more.
JOSE TUTIVEN (TUTES). Born in Ecuador and raised in NYC, Tutes is a Bronx based photographer, videographer and producer with a knack for capturing authentic moments and showcasing personal, intimate details through his portraiture and lifestyle work. An enthusiast and highly-engaged creative who is committed to making a difference and bringing value to every assignment/campaign. He has worked with numerous brands, agencies, prestige personalities and pioneered the use of Digital Content as a medium for creative expression in branding, marketing and documentation for companies such as Google, Lincoln Motors, Lyft, Oprah Winfrey, Nike, Movado, Coach And Many Others. He also enjoys being able to spend time on personal projects, traveling and collaborating with people and brands for greater causes. His work is known mostly for his warmth and energy. Success to Tutes is determined by how well your accomplishments satisfy your purpose.
DAN COHEN. A creative producer and program manager with over 15 years of experience working with a diverse range of creative teams across consumer products. Throughout his career, Dan has managed external agencies and in-house creative teams to execute both marketing campaigns and brand work for hardware, software and service products. His focus is on systems thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and process iteration, as you’ll see - Dan is detail oriented, but always looks to understand the big picture. As Creative Producer at Apple, he helped produce what is now known as Apple’s iconic packaging among other elevated design initiatives within the company As the first Senior Producer, he helped build out the in-house creative team to service the entire company. As Founder of Collective Good, Dan built an organization that connects designers and artists with non-profits to produce events and projects that raise money and awareness around social causes. Currently, Dan is Lead Program Manager at Facebook where for the last 6 years has led many extensive product and experience design and management projects.