The Creative Come Up in partnership with Converse is a dynamic, multifaceted content series supporting and celebrating the achievements of boundary-breaking women of color and individuals who stem from all walks of life and are pursuing their creative passions to the fullest.Through amplifying the voices, journeys and experiences of Black female creatives and gender nonconforming people of color who are defying the status quo to pave one’s own way forward, The Creative Come Up will act as an inspirational mode that provides aspiring creatives with the tools, resources, and education to achieve their dreams and creative pursuits.
Crystal Anderson on Self-Made Entrepreneurship and How to Build an Inclusive Brand
Crystal Anderson is the enigmatic, multifaceted creative and
self-made entrepreneur fearlessly blazing her own trail across film, television, music and fashion. As the Co-Founder and Head of Creative at a very good job — an experiential creative agency based in Los Angeles and Brooklyn — she and her fiance Kiesh have developed a formidable business that values inclusivity and creating opportunities for people of color.
Before launching her business at the height of the pandemic, the prolific talent learned the inner workings of how to run a creative company with the aid of mentor, activist and icon Bethann Hardison, who offered Anderson her first job at IMG. Harnessing invaluable lessons she’s gained throughout the course of her career, Anderson’s deep-rooted passion and ability for cultivating powerful narratives and experiential events are indicative of the undeniable impact she’s made within the Black entrepreneurial landscape. With a firm grasp on radically altering the creative arts by hiring and amplifying the voices as well as talents of Black and brown creatives, Anderson and her forward-thinking company are bringing representation to the forefront.
As part of the fifth installment of The Creative Come Up in partnership with Converse, Anderson outlined three vital lessons and key learnings for becoming a self-made entrepreneur and building an inclusive brand. Leveraging her expertise and brilliance within all facets of creative industries, she discussed how to build an authentic brand from the ground up, ways to network and build your company’s clientele and how to successfully scale a business.
To gain insight into how Crystal Anderson has distinguished herself as an influential creative and to hear her advice for young creatives looking to launch their own business, watch the video above.
Below, check out the featured resources for aspiring artists and creatives.
Allies
in Art
StartOut
Black Art Futures Fund
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 6
Episode 5
Episode 4
Dana Scruggs
AYA BROWN
Dua Saleh
SANDRINE CHARLES
Crystal Anderson
Elizabeth Acevedo
The Creative Come Up in partnership with Converse is a dynamic, multifaceted content series supporting and celebrating the achievements of boundary-breaking women of color and individuals who stem from all walks of life and are pursuing their creative passions to the fullest.Through amplifying the voices, journeys and experiences of Black female creatives and gender nonconforming people of color who are defying the status quo to pave one’s own way forward, The Creative Come Up will act as an inspirational mode that provides aspiring creatives with the tools, resources, and education to achieve their dreams and creative pursuits.
Crystal Anderson on Self-Made Entrepreneurship and How to Build an Inclusive Brand
As an award-winning author and poet, storytelling and shaping powerful narratives are not only an integral part of Elizabeth Acevedo’s chosen career path, but are representative of her desire to share stories of everyday heroes who go unnoticed within mass media. Growing up in a neighborhood with rich culture and taking pride in the oral traditions passed down from her family of storytellers, the Harlem-native was inspired to write compelling works that pay tribute to her Dominican heritage, upbringing and history.
By crafting narratives with heartfelt purpose and shedding light on marginalized and underrepresented communities, Acevedo has reached critical acclaim with her books and poetry that place value on the experiences as well as journeys of people of color. Through reinvigorating the world of literature with her thought-provoking works, the visionary author is paving the future forward for a new generation of writers who seek to shift the literary landscape. With each published work, Acevedo continues to express and explore the inner-lives of young, Afro-Latinas while imbuing biographical elements of her own personal experiences to facilitate stories that depict and celebrate the identities of people of color.
As part of the fourth installment of The Creative Come Up in partnership with Converse, Acevedo reveals three vital lessons for aspiring writers in search of making their foray into the world of literature and harnessing their heritage as a form of inspiration. As a highly-esteemed writer who places value on tapping into her roots, Acevedo advises emerging creatives to do the same by trusting in one’s storytelling capabilities, being emotionally-ready when sharing vulnerable work and finding the right platform to share your work.
To gain insight into how Elizabeth Acevedo amplifies her culture and Afro-Dominican roots through poignant storytelling, and to hear her advice for future writers, watch the video above.
Below, check out the featured resources for aspiring artists and creatives.
Allies
in Art
StartOut
Black Art Futures Fund
Episode 6
SANDRINE CHARLES
Episode 5
Crystal Anderson
Episode 4
Elizabeth Acevedo
Episode 3
Dua Saleh
Episode 2
aya brown
Episode 1
Dana Scruggs