Perspectives Archives

If you’re passionate about your career — and about being a great parent — welcome to the juggle… er, jungle? Only kidding.

Caregiving can be challenging, exhausting, and incredibly rewarding, all at once. If you’re feeling the weight of responsibilities both at home and in your career, you’re not alone. Our online community recently shared some of their biggest challenges as employed parents — their top response? Finding work/life balance.

While there is no one-size-fits-all parenting plan, it can help to hear what’s worked for others. So, we asked 10 parents from Creative Circle to share their advice for juggling employment and parenting. Here’s what they had to say:

Meeting Caregiving Responsibilities and Spending Time with Loved Ones

Prioritize Your Tasks

To-do lists can feel overwhelming, but it can help to prioritize. Some tasks are urgent, while others can wait. Be intentional about what truly matters to you. Does the laundry need to be folded RIGHT NOW? Do you really need to answer that email on a Saturday? Probably not. But if it gives you mental peace, then absolutely yes.

Lauren Ferrara, senior vice president and mother of two, says she prioritizes her tasks and time ruthlessly and sets clear boundaries between work and home. “I focus on quality over quantity with my children. When I’m with them, I aim to be fully present,” Lauren says.

Lyla Weiss, recruitment manager and mother of two, finds quality time in the little moments. She says the best part of her day is when she picks her girls up from school. “From pickup to bedtime, we get the next several hours together,” says Lyla. She goes “full mom mode” during this time, putting the employment part of her brain to rest as much as possible. Lyla recognizes that things come up and sometimes schedules need to shift; she advises that parents embrace flexibility and be adaptable as family needs change. And she reminds us, “Don’t be too hard on yourself if things don’t go according to plan.”

Leverage Workplace Flexibility

While it’s not for everyone — or available to everyone — working from home can be instrumental in supporting parents and caregivers. Eliminating your daily commute gives you precious time back to accomplish other things, be it playing with your kids, tackling a home project, or making space for self-care. If you have the type of job that can be done from home, even if it’s just some of the time, consider taking advantage of this flexibility.

Brian Pope, lead recruiter and father of two, says in the 14 years of his career, the shift to a remote workplace has been the most impactful in achieving a more balanced work and home life. “And all the caregivers I’ve spoken to feel the same,” Brian says. “Hopefully remote work will be here to stay.”

Put Down the Device

In our increasingly connected world, it’s essential to recognize the impact of technology on our relationships. Have you looked at the screen time report on your phone recently? According to Data Reportal, the average screen time spent by users aged 16 to 64 across different devices is 6 hours 37 minutes per day. Consider putting down the device and being present — for you, and for your family.

Jason Lindberg, managing director and father of four says, “Work responsibilities aside (I have a job to do), I force myself to put down the device and be in the game. I only have so many nights to be present before the kids are grown. Spending time is as simple as talking to my family without the phone, iPad, or TV being on.”

Performing Well at Your Job and Reaching Career Goals

Communicate and Set Boundaries

Clear communication helps set realistic expectations. By communicating openly, working parents can express their needs, challenges, and limitations. And this applies both at home and in the office — communicate with your manager, with your partner, with your children, with your caretaker.

Brian Lamsback, regional director and father of two, says he’s blessed to have a great parenting teammate at home. They communicate about schedules, career needs, and goals often. Brain says, “Ask your spouse, friend, or a family member to help you juggle things at home so you can prioritize your work when you need to.”

Lauren Schneider, lead account executive and proud mother of her baby girl, says, “You can absolutely be an ambitious career person and an amazing parent.” She confirms that communicating with her manager has been pivotal in her success with this.

Kurt Brown, senior vice president and father of three, says his boundaries with his family are crystal clear — especially because he works from home. “If Dad’s office door is shut, you cannot come in,” he says. Set physical barriers so you can focus on work, and stick to them.

Have a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset can significantly benefit working parents by encouraging them to view time constraint challenges as opportunities. You don’t have to log 50+ hours per week in the office to succeed — learn to thrive in your allotted work time and approach your tasks with optimism. And while it won’t be easy at first, over time you will establish routines and practices that help you juggle home and work.

Chris Coates, chief financial officer and father of three, says it’s all about effort and attitude for him. He says, “There’s always going to be folks that are ‘smarter’ than me, or may have other perceived advantages, but they might not have what I’ve got — determination. And I’m always in full control of that.”

Self-Care: Being Kind to Yourself

Use PTO and Sick Time

If you receive paid time off or sick time at your company, remember that it’s part of your total compensation and should be used when you need it. PTO isn’t just for vacations. Take the day to tend to your needs, whatever they might be. And if you’re sick — physically ill or mentally drained — take the sick day to heal and keep your life in balance.

Regional director Brian Lamsback says his team has taken an intentional approach to destigmatizing mental health days. He says, “We’ve agreed ahead of time, as a group, that we don’t have to say we’re sick when we’re not. Telling our managers that we ‘need to take a sick day’ is sufficient.” He says this approach helps his team check in with themselves more often, and hopefully helps avoid potential burnout.

Nurture Your Well-Being

There’s a reason the airlines tell parents to put their oxygen mask on first: you can’t pour from an empty cup. Prioritizing self-care is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family. Sure, it might not look the same as it did before children, but it can, and should, be on your list of priorities — right up there with “feed the kids breakfast.”

Katie Welker, manager and proud mother of her baby boy, says she’s recently made a list of “non-negotiables” to help recharge after a busy work week. “I go to a Pilates class, walk my dog, and plan meals for the week ahead.” Katie emphasizes how important this is for her. “I look forward to this time and my family knows I need to do this to avoid getting overwhelmed.”

Emily Webber, senior vice president and mother of two, can’t say enough about the importance of prioritizing self-care. “Taking care of my body through nutrition and exercise has made a difference in my overall attitude, patience level, and happiness.” She says it doesn’t take much time — she dedicates 30 minutes to one hour each day. “The time I commit to myself is just an important as any care I give directly to my children. Plus, I know I am setting a healthy example for my daughters,” she says. When parents take care of themselves, it benefits everyone in the family.

Lead account executive Lauren Schneider reminds us to lean on our village. “Don’t just lean on your village when you need to take care of things at work — lean on them when you need to take care of yourself, too.” Lauren adds, “There’s a strength in accepting support and a beauty in watching your loved ones experience your family along with you.”

Managing director Jason Lindberg shares an important reminder: “Flush the Instagram influencers’ sparkling homes and perfection! It’s not real. Raising a family can be messy, and sometimes frustrating. Real life isn’t social posts. It’s dishes in the sink, laundry for days, and basic house projects you should have finished a year ago. The mess and frustrations will soon be gone. You only have so long with kids before you’ll be longing for the chaos again.”

Creative Circle’s Support for Working Parents and Caregivers

At Creative Circle, we’re committed to providing support to our employees through family-building resources, parental benefits and leave, and work-from-home-flexibility. We have an employee resource group dedicated to parents, caregivers, and allies; their mission is to empower and nurture our parent and caregiver community and to support healthy and productive lives — inclusive of work relationships.

About the Author.
Kayleigh is a Creative Circle freelancer — when she’s not chasing around her two young boys or biking on the canal with her husband, she spends her time creating content for us! She specializes in sharing advice for our talent community, so if you’re a creative with an appetite for blogs on market trends, job search guidance, and freelance life, subscribe to our newsletter to ensure you never miss the latest.

Do you have any matchmakers in your life? We do — in fact, dozens of them! Their professional title is “recruiter”, but metaphorically speaking, we think of them as Cupid.

To us, each arrow in Cupid’s quiver represents an essential recruiter skill: analyzing resumes, interviewing, negotiation, patience, empathy, and listening. Cupid’s wings symbolize the express transport our candidates and clients ride on when working with our recruiters — an expedited job and talent search.

We sat down with our most tenured recruiter, Jennifer Marshall, to walk through some of the steps involved in her 20+ years of matchmaking success.

1. Understanding Wants and Needs

Recruiters work closely with employers to understand their requirements, including job descriptions, skills, experience levels, and any specific qualifications or certifications needed for the positions. But it goes deeper than that. When working regularly with an employer, recruiters gain a deep understanding of what makes a candidate the right “fit” for them. Recruiters use this expertise to home in on specific qualities that align with the employer’s needs and assess if they would mesh well with the existing team.

Sure, the candidate enjoys long walks on the beach… but if the conversation isn’t great along the way, the match is not a good one. After all, the number one reason employees leave their job is due to a lack of connection with the company culture.

Jenn says, “It’s a mix of experience and vibes, so the more you can get to know your client and candidate, the easier it is to get a sense of what will click. Resumes tell part of the story but personality, desires, goals — these things aren’t on there. Building strong relationships with both parties truly levels up the entire matchmaking process.”

2. Making the Match

Recruiters find candidates through various methods, including job boards, online platforms like LinkedIn, and internal databases. But the real diamonds are often in referrals. Jenn estimates that about 60% of her matches come from referrals within her network.

Like online dating apps, the algorithms can work…sometimes. But, odds are the date you land with your friend’s friend will go better than the one with the guy or gal on Tinder.

Jenn says the recruiter/candidate/client relationship is what sets recruiters apart from AI algorithms. “I’ve placed candidates on jobs they would have never originally considered!” She shared a story about how she recently called a candidate she has known for years with a role that was completely outside of her industry experience. The candidate went for it and got offered the job — an AI bot would never have led her there.

Opening yourself up to something that doesn’t have the surface-level traits you thought you wanted can be pretty eye-opening.

3. Setting Up the Date (Interview)

Recruiters play a crucial role in helping candidates prepare for interviews. They share essential details about the interview process and can offer tips and techniques to excel. The reassurance and support a recruiter provides can help candidates feel more comfortable and confident going in.

Jenn offers two pieces of interview advice to candidates and clients:

“It’s imperative that candidates research the company they’re interviewing with beforehand, and that knowledge should be displayed in the questions they ask. Candidates should express interest in what the company does, even if they’re not that interested.”

“Clients should remember that not every candidate gives good interviews. And, good interviewers aren’t always the best employees. Make sure to look beyond the surface.”

Full Disclosure

Recruiters get compensated when a candidate works a job through them. It’s how they make a living! So, if there is anyone on this Earth (other than you) who wants to find you the perfect match, it’s your recruiter.

Simple logos are everywhere. Corporate giants like Pepsi, HBO Max, and Johnson&Johnson simplified their logos in 2023 as part of a larger rebrand. In 2022, we saw GSK, Nākd, and Buick make a big shift toward minimalistic designs.

And then of course, there’s Pringles. Back in 2020, Mr. Pringle went bald, and his mustache turned to flat black. It completely divided the internet!

So, do consumers like it?

Social media posts like this one, lamenting the standardization and simplification of the Super Bowl logos, have been circulating for several years. Graphic artists, in particular, don’t seem all that inspired by the designs.

Veronica Fuentes, a digital marketing manager in Los Angeles, says, “There’s a fine line between brand recognition and creativity. We must never sacrifice one for the other.”
Lorit Queller, a content manager in Los Angeles, suggests big recognizable brands (like the NFL) have an opportunity to make their logos unique and fun.
Ernest Esterne, a graphic designer in West Palm Beach, ardently states that “creativity died in 2011.”

If consumers feel that the evolution to minimal logos is boring, why are corporations so tied to the trend?

Brand Recognition: Cutting Through the Noise

Simplifying a logo makes it easier to recognize, according to Blue Text Marketing Agency. A clean and simple design stands out in a complex and cluttered digital environment. Bold and well-defined shapes, minimal colors, and clear typography grab attention quickly and are easier to recall.

Adaptability: We Live in a Digital World

Before the digital era, logos were seen in entirely different contexts (billboards, newspapers, packaging). “The world now operates from the palm of our hands; we’re working on smaller screens with smaller real-estate,” says LinkedIn’s Digital Marketing Leader Jennifer Buntin. From small mobile devices to large desktop monitors, logos designed with clean lines and minimal details can easily be scaled up or down without losing their visual impact or legibility.

Timeless Quality: Leaves Room for Change

By eliminating unnecessary details and complexities, minimalistic logos can transcend passing design trends and maintain a timeless appeal. Additionally, such logos are less likely to be tied to specific products, giving brands some flexibility to change services over time. Unless you’re McDonald’s. Their giant French fry logo (bent into the shape of an “M”) is arguably the most timeless and more famous than its actual menu. Can you imagine McDonald’s without the Golden Arches?

What do you think? Are simple corporate logos a smart and timeless move, or does this trend suppress creativity and make it harder for brands to stand out? Join the conversation on LinkedIn!

Three experts tell us how creatives can best position themselves to thrive in this AI era.

AI has already had a monumental impact on creative work — and its evolution is only accelerating. How can creatives best position themselves to thrive in this AI era? What new opportunities does AI present, and what risks should we all be aware of?

To get our finger on the pulse, we brought in three experts for a panel discussion. Meet Andrew, Claire, and Laura! They’re the first panelists to participate in our Conversations with Creatives series. They sat down with us, in front of hundreds of intrigued minds across North America, to discuss their experience using AI in the creative space.

Andrew Morner is an “AI-obsessed” Creative Director at Pillar Marketing Corporation, a full-service digital marketing, design, and mar-tech agency based in Los Angeles. He uses AI in every single project that he works on.

Claire Berlin is currently the Director of Academic Marketing Strategy at Ohio University. Before that, she was working in the tech industry and got her hands on many generative AI tools as they were launching.

Laura Gagliardi is a freelance content designer, currently on contract as a Conversational Designer and Strategist with Verizon. She uses AI to enhance her services and provide a high-quality experience for the end-user.

Here’s what we covered! Click the links to skip to the associated timestamped spot in our insightful hour-long discussion.

How did you evolve your role into an AI-focused position?

Laura started her freelance career as a copywriter. Her role evolved when she began leveraging her education in psychology to shape how companies and brands communicate with their consumers. She used AI to focus on putting humanity behind the robot’s interactions with users.

How do you use AI for marketing-focused projects?

Claire uses AI as a brainstorming tool and often leans on it to kickstart or refine her creative process.

Laura says AI serves as a catalyst for inspiration — she pulls parts and pieces from the responses it generates and builds out her content from there. “AI enables me to be more efficient; it refines my ideas and inspires me,” says Laura. “It’s a muse!”

How are you using AI as a tool to streamline your projects and processes?

Claire uses AI to make the most of her time! Some examples are:

Using AI notetaking tools (Zoom and Google Meet) to do the busy work so she can actively listen during meetings with her clients.
Drafting marketing strategy and frameworks.

How are you using AI in design and creative?

Andrew is using AI to significantly augment his creative process. He uses it for everything from writing email and social media copy to graphic design, researching and auditing organizations, and developing site maps.

“We use it for pretty much every project that we find ourselves working on,” says Andrew. “It’s really augmenting our process in huge ways and it’s becoming the missing piece to a puzzle in a lot of ways.”

He speaks to how “unintuitive” ChatGPT can be and how important descriptive prompts are — it forces him to ask himself “Am I asking it the right question?”. Through trial and error, and a little help from Reddit users, he’s perfected his prompts.

What AI design tools are you using regularly?

Midjourney, Dall-E 3, and Photoshop Generative AI are Andrew’s favorites, but he emphasized how quickly AI evolves and suggested that creatives always keep an eye out for new systems.

How do you use AI as a research tool in marketing strategy?

Claire relies on AI for persona research and learning about unfamiliar audiences. AI systems can outline the things the audience cares about, the language that resonates with them, etc.

“AI is incredibly helpful with persona research! With the proper prompts and guiderails, it can tell you a lot about a specific audience.” says Claire. She’s used it to adapt her content and messaging when targeting less familiar audiences, such as younger generations, c-suite level executives, and medical professionals. She reminds us, however, that it’s not 100% accurate: “It’s a CliffsNotes version and it always needs a second set of eyes.”

How transparent are you with your clients about your use of AI?

Andrew walks his clients through his AI use and process upfront. He makes sure to tell them that it’s a huge value-add to his services because he can build out a campaign calendar in a fraction of the time it would otherwise take (and at a fraction of the cost).

“AI allows us to create more things, at a higher fidelity, in a quicker amount of time,” says Andrew, “…and the outcome is that the client is happier for it.”

What ethical elements should we be mindful of when using this technology?

Quality checking the content that AI is generating for you is essential. Andrew says, “You must be intentional with your use of AI. A quick way to get let go of your job is to submit something that’s completely AI generated and not check it once.”

“Hallucinations are huge problem with AI; it will make up information and be very confident about it,” he adds. Andrew emphasizes that it’s important for AI to not replace the creative thought process. Instead, it should operate like an assistant, and you should always double check the work.

Claire admits that “AI can be scary.” She says, “anything that you input into AI can be spit out for any other user and that’s a little concerning.”

Digital hygiene is critical, our panelists warned. “OpenAI is using everything that’s currently online and anything that’s being fed to it as training data for future instances. Anything that AI knows comes from things that exist,” says Andrew. “It’s only as good as the training data; stay mindful of that.”

Learn More
Our panelists covered many other burning AI questions, including “How do you expect the creative industry to evolve as AI becomes more prevalent”? and ”What tips do you have to help creatives expand their knowledge on AI?”. If you find these conversations intriguing and you’re left wanting more, watch the full discussion from the start and don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments. Also, subscribe to our newsletter to stay tuned for future installments of Conversations with Creatives!

This one’s for the job seekers! The ones who are applying, the ones who are interviewing, and the ones who are STRUGGLING! The general consensus is that the market is hard (not that stating it helps). We asked our network to tell us what they hate about applying for jobs. Hopefully one of their responses will make you feel like you are not alone because applying for jobs sucks. To join in on the conversation or make a complaint, visit our poll here.

Tell me how you REALLY feel! Please.

My password manager is in overdrive right now.

Oh, the hoops we jump through.

Who knew ghosting doesn’t only exist on Tinder?

EXACTLY.

Is the cover letter dead? Yes, no, maybe so! From hiring managers and HR professionals to candidates, we called for all the gripes, best tips, and positives about cover letters being on the decline. Here’s what they had to say about the dreaded cover letter. We wanna hear what you have to say, join in on the conversation here!

Thank you notes > cover letters.

Yes! Say it louder for the hiring professionals in the back!

A “portfolio” is worth a thousand words.

We (candidates) are begging, please listen to this!

This.

Women’s History Month commemorates the vital role of women within American history and society, paying tribute to historical women who have paved the way for the next generation of trailblazers. Here at Creative Circle, we want to celebrate our network of influential women leaders and learn about what has uplifted them along the way. This month, we’re highlighting the voices of our Circlers with everything from their favorite female leaders to advice to their past selves – we want to share it all!

1. What advice would you share with your younger self?

To have more fun and not take life so seriously

2. Who is an influential female figure in your life?

My mother, Meghan Markle, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

3. Which women helped you create your Creative Circle community and how?

There are so many to name! Houston Lead Recruiter Ramsay McCoy was the first friend I made at Creative Circle. She was also the first person to identify that I had what it took to really accomplish a lot within this company. Other women in my community include Enterprise Accounts Managing Director Alexandra Whitmore, Enterprise Sales Managing Director Lizzy Griffin, Dallas Managing Director Amy Knigge, Enterprise Accounts Managing Director Kristen Rosselli, Enterprise Accounts Managing Director Molly McGlynn Peek, Regional Director Ramona Estephan, Regional Director Gretchen Ciampi, Regional Director Carrie Ek, Regional Director Jenna Miller. I could honestly go on and on!

4. What do the women in your life mean to you?

Everything. I belong to several women-based communities where we can freely discuss finances, life, fears, career, goals, and family. The support system is crucial to my mental health and survival.

5. What are some ways you’ve felt supported as a woman during your career? Who has supported you?

I’ve worked with mostly or only women for most of my career, which has been a blessing. My past leaders and managers at Creative Circle both advocated and created paths for advancement in my career.

6. If you had to invite one inspiring woman to a dinner party, who would it be and why?

Definitely former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. I have followed her journey as one of the youngest national leaders in the world during her time as PM of New Zealand. She led one of the strongest responses to COVID in her country, leading to a very low spread in their region. Additionally, she showed that a leader can have children, enjoy a night dancing with friends on video, and still lead the world. I know she stepped down due to burnout but I wish she would’ve stayed in her post. I often find women put pressure and standards on themselves that men won’t.

7. What do you love about being a woman?

I love that we are so multifaceted. We can be strong, powerful, smart, and empathetic but also beautiful all in the same day.