In this episode, we chat with Earl Carlson.

I met our guest, Earl, in New Orleans almost a decade ago when we worked out of Civic Center together. Today, Earl is a Senior Product Design Manager at Docker.

From then till now, there's just been magnetic creative energy about Earl. He's both laid-back and highly intentional in his creative work, so it is no surprise that Earl brings some hard-won lessons and perspectives with him.

At the heart of everything Earl does, as an artist, designer, and team leader, are two fundamentals that propel the creative work forward.

Play and Exploration.

Earl knows that before you can play and explore, you must build trust within your team while staying open and curious.

While it's not always easy to be creative, Earl encourages us all to stay optimistic, always be on the lookout for something cool that will resonate, and remember to have fun with creativity.

Key Topics

👉 Curiosity and multidisciplinary design

👉 Learning to Lead and Mentors

👉 Creating a Supportive Network

👉 Creating Space for Play and Exploration

👉 Building Trust and Setting Expectations

👉 Empowering Teams and Delivering Results

👉 Breaking Out of the Norm and Pushing the Design Language

👉 Bringing Personal Experiences to Work

👉 Creating Space for Others and Being Present

👉 Learning to Set Boundaries

👉 Breaking Out of the Flattening of Design

👉 Intentional Engagement and Breaking the Doom Scroll

👉 Cultivating Community

👉 Embracing Change