In our ongoing series about the creative process of building a studio, we've covered when and how to hire a team. But what happens when a hire isn't the right fit?

I'm pulling back the curtain on a lesson that cost me months of energy and a piece of my confidence as a leader. You'll often know by week three or four when a new hire isn't going to make it, and waiting six months to act isn't just costly, it's a failure of leadership. I share the difference between a coachable skill gap and a fundamental values misalignment. Discover the two questions that immediately clarify your next move and the three clear, documented conversations you must have before making the final decision. This episode provides a clear, direct process to protect your creative work and act with grace and clarity, because your vision is worth protecting.

00:00 - An Expensive Lesson in Waiting: Why I Didn't Act for Six Months

01:30 - The Six-Month Rule: Knowing When It's Time to Make a Clear Decision

02:40 - Coaching vs. Cutting Loose: When to Invest in Skill vs. Values

04:05 - Making It Better or Just Different: The Two Defining Questions

04:55 - The Three Clear Conversations Before You Let Someone Go

07:05 - How to Have the Firing Conversation: Clarity is Kindness

08:45 - The Cost of Waiting and Why Acting Fast is Great Leadership

10:40 - Am I Coaching Because I Believe or Because I'm Afraid?

Website: https://www.martineseverin.com/

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This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.

You've made the hire and the contract is signed. Yay. Now we can begin the real work. In this final installment of our mini-series on hiring your first assistant, I'm pulling back the curtain on the first crucial 90 days and the art of proper onboarding. I'll be sharing the systems and intentional frameworks, honed from years of building teams in my photography business and overseeing a 120-person team in a co-owned company, that help a new hire fully absorb your vision, not just your tasks.

I'll walk you through the 30-60-90 framework for ensuring your new team member is set up for success. Learn why the first 30 days are purely for learning, when to flip the script on task ownership, and what to watch for by day 60 to prevent costly misalignments. This episode will provide you with the blueprint for creating an operating document, using tools for clear process transfer, and course-correcting early to ensure your future self (and your entire creative business) is amplified, not diluted.

00:00 - Introduction and Series Recap

02:23 - The Crucial 90 Days: Onboarding vs. Orientation

04:44 - Breaking Down the 30-60-90 Framework

07:04 - Why You Must Encourage "Dumb" Questions

09:16 - Honesty Check: Are You Micromanaging?

11:37 - A Concrete Example: Onboarding for Client Communication

14:02 - Creating Your Operating Document and Role-Playing Scenarios

16:21 - The Week Eight Check-in and the Importance of Documentation

18:48 - Setting People Up for Success: Coaching Versus Cutting Loose

Website: https://www.martineseverin.com/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martine.severin/ | https://www.instagram.com/thisishowwecreate_

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This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.

Hiring your first helper is exciting, but it can also be terrifying. After keeping the wrong person on my team for far too long, I realized I had been focusing on all the wrong things. Skills on a resume are table stakes, but you cannot teach someone to care about the details the way you do.

In this episode (Part 2 of our hiring series), I am pulling back the curtain on the screening process that saved me from making that mistake again. I share the specific, behavioral questions I now ask to uncover a candidate's true values, the red flags that signal a poor fit, and the single most important step I take before making any commitment: the paid trial project. This is the guide I wish I had when I started building my team.

00:00 Welcome Back & The Hiring Journey

00:45 The Mistake I Made With My First Hire

02:05 Looking Beyond the Resume: Skills vs. Values

03:00 Why "Culture Fit" Is Everything for a Small Creative Business

04:00 The Pre-Screening Trick for Attention to Detail

05:50 How to Ask About Past Work (The "Prioritization" Question)

07:45 Asking About Mistakes and Listening for Ownership

09:30 How Do They Handle Critical Feedback?

10:30 The Importance of a (Paid) Trial Project

11:50 The Truth Revealed in the Trial

12:20 Red Flags: Badmouthing and Vague Answers

13:00 Why the Questions They Ask Matter

13:30 The One Question I Wish I Had Asked

14:00 Final Thoughts: Aligned, Not Perfect

Website: https://www.martineseverin.com/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martine.severin/ | https://www.instagram.com/thisishowwecreate_

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This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.

Some creatives hire when they're overwhelmed, not when they're ready to lead. Before you bring on that intern or assistant, you need clarity on what you're handing off, bandwidth to train them, and rock-solid values they can execute on. I'm pleased to share the hiring frameworks that rocked my world when it came to bringing on new team members.

00:00 Introduction: The Four-Part Series on Hiring

01:06 The Mistake: Hiring When You Are Not Ready to Lead

02:08 Question 1: What Specific Work Are You Handing Off?

02:49 Question 2: Can You Afford to Train Someone (With Time)?

03:31 Question 3: Do You Know Your Non-Negotiables?

04:30 The EOS Framework and The People Analyzer

05:07 The Three Parts of the People Analyzer: Get It, Want It, Capacity

08:08 Journaling Prompts: Defining Your Core Values

10:30 The Key Advice: Hire for One Job, Not to Replace Yourself

13:10 Coming Up: The Interview Process

Website: https://www.martineseverin.com/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martine.severin/ | https://www.instagram.com/thisishowwecreate_

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This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.

What does it take to change an entire industry? Thirty years ago, Jomo Tariku, then an industrial design student, noticed something profound missing in his university library: contemporary African furniture designers. This observation sparked a decades-long journey of persistence and vision.

I sit down with Jomo to discuss his path from sketching designs in his garage while working other jobs to having his celebrated work featured in The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He shares how his father's incredible story as a refugee gave him the hubris to persist through a 27-year wait for recognition. Tune in to learn how he translates his heritage (from the horns of the Nyala antelope to the powerful symbolism of the Afro-comb) into functional, modern art.

Tune in to this story about patience, process, and the fight to redefine the creative canon.

02:22 The Collector's Home: Early Influences from a Father's Travels

05:13 Breadcrumbs: From Drawing Objects to Industrial Design

09:34 The Missing Narrative: A Thesis on African Furniture

14:14 The "Hubris" of an Orphan: A Father's Legacy of Courage

18:59 The Story of the Mito Chair: Connecting Continents with an Afro-Pick

24:37 A Commission for Seneca Village: The Met Afrofutures Room

26:08 The Designer's Process: Collaboration and Master Craftsmanship

31:40 The Balance of Beauty and Function

33:41 How 3D Printing Changed the Game

39:36 The Cost of a Prototype

42:18 The Nyala Chair: "The One That Put Me on the Map"

42:48 The 27-Year Wait and the Rise of BADG

45:10 Advocating for a More Inclusive Canon

47:33 Redefining Success: Joy, Research, and Community

Connect with Jomo:

Follow Jomo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jomotariku

Jomo's Website: https://jomotariku.com/

Support the Show

Website: http://www.martineseverin.com
Follow on Instagram: @martine.severin | @thisishowwecreate_
Subscribe to the Newsletter: http://www.martineseverin.substack.com

This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.

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I have been thinking a lot lately about the difference between the loud hustle culture of constant visibility and the profound power of simply refusing to give up, even when it feels like nothing is happening.

Join me in this episode as I share unexpected lessons in persistence, inspired by Death Valley.

00:00 - The Unlikely Pairing: Death Valley and Dehydrated Shrimp

01:50 - The Persistence of Fairy Shrimp and Resurrection Moss

02:30 - Redefining Persistence: Why Dormancy is Not Failure

03:40 - When Your Rain Comes: Being Ready to Rise

04:30 - Nature's Pep Talk: The Audacity of a 50-Year Wait

05:30 - A Call to Action for Your Quiet Creative Work

Support the Show

Website: https://www.martineseverin.com/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martine.severin/ | https://www.instagram.com/thisishowwecreate_

Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.martineseverin.substack.com/

This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.

Every so often, we come across an artist whose journey reminds us that creativity is a promise of transformation. What started as a project to design graduation caps (that then went viral) evolved into a story of artistic evolution, mental health healing, and finding purpose through creativity. In this episode, mixed media textile artist Bria Gladney reveals how the most meaningful art comes from the intersection of personal healing, community impact, and the courage to trust the process.

00:00 Introduction to Bria Gladney and Her Journey

03:02 From Class Clown to Pencil: Early Creative Exposures

08:46 The Viral Spark: Designing Graduation Caps in College

11:06 The Decision to Become a Full-Time Artist

11:37 The Spiritual Journey and the Humbling Transformation

17:05 From Canvas to Crochet: The Genesis of the "Dear Cleo" Bears

21:08 Redefining Success: From Chasing Fame to Seeking Impact

23:10 The Craft: Creating Mixed Media Textile Art

24:41 Full-Time Art: Income Streams and Pricing the Work

27:47 The Healing Power of the 'Lovie': Bears as Adult Comfort

29:50 Finding Inspiration Through Conversation and Designated Thinking Time

36:37 Art as Philanthropy: Partnering with the Too Fly Foundation

41:36 Advice on Finding Your Artistic Voice: Stay True to You

Listen to the show on your favorite streaming platform!

Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/4fcopgQ

Spotify: http://bit.ly/4fdkiBs

iHeart Podcast: http://bit.ly/4lRHms3

Connect with Bria:

Follow Bria on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briagladney

Bria's Website: https://www.briagladney.com/

Support the Show

Website: http://www.martineseverin.com
Follow on Instagram: @martine.severin | @thisishowwecreate_
Subscribe to the Newsletter: http://www.martineseverin.substack.com

This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.

• Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

• Leave a review

• Follow us on social media

• Share with fellow creatives

I recently spent time hiking the Four Corners (you know, the area in the US where the states of Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico form corners). After pushing my body to its limits, I ended up on a massage table where an unexpected mantra changed my perspective.

This mantra made me ask: if we have mantras for meditation and our bodies, why not for our creative practice? We, as creatives, spend so much time battling imposter syndrome and the endless feelings of "not enough". Why not use mantras to help us dip into the springwell of our creativity.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome: A Mantra I Didn't Know I Needed

00:40 Hiking the Four Corners and a Body at Its Limit

01:20 The Mantra: "I Am Grounded in the Earth"

02:15 The Realization: Why Not a Mantra for Our Work?

02:45 Battling the "Not Enough" Voice

03:20 This Isn't Toxic Positivity

04:15 How to Find Your Own Creative Mantra

05:20 My Mantra (Right Now)

06:30 Your Turn: Let It Ground You

Support the Show

Website: https://www.martineseverin.com/

Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martine.severin/ | https://www.instagram.com/thisishowwecreate_

Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.martineseverin.substack.com/

This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.