When you work in advertising, you are surrounded by insanely creative people. People who are paid to come up with ideas that no one else has thought up. And I’m so jealous I could throw up. I may work in advertising but I am not one of those insanely creative people. Boo-frickin-hoo.
My “creativity” at work relies on what color chart I use for a report. Or an interesting way to talk about cost per leads. Or a flowchart that is… OK, I know it’s boring. I like it. But there’s not much creativity behind it unless you consider negotiating creative. So when I’m not using my 8-key, I’m taking photos. Only for fun though.
So why am I talking about these insanely creative, artsy-fartsy, profound-wisdom-producing people? Because a few of them aren’t just doing it nine-to-five; they’re having fun too. And offering it to the masses. Let me introduce you to a few.

My pal Meredith is a freelance copy writer by day and needle crafter by night. She joined forces with her sister to create ElizaLeigh, a handmade shop on Etsy that offers hand crafted and designed blankets, pillows, aprons and crocheted accessories. Their aprons are adorable and functional… and there appear to be none in their inventory. Goes to show how awesome they are – they’re sold out.
Since I don’t know jack squat about sewing (that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to know… it’s just that sharp needles scare me), I find ElizaLeigh’s creations to be fun, flirty and different than all the rest. You can’t find this at WalMart, kids.

Robby of Davis Illustration and Design is wicked talented. The man does some damage with pencils. And his graphic design is even better. His art has donned the covers of the local LEO Weekly and I’m not going to lie, I pick up a copy just to look at his drawings. He’s that good. I have one right in front me as I type.
Robby just opened an Etsy store, showcasing his quirky illustrations. I find it hard to describe them; they’re whimsical but rough around the edges. OK, there’s no way around it, you just have to go visit his store and see for yourself. It’s wicked.

Aaron relocated to Louisville from Brooklyn. Which, of what I’ve seen of Brooklyn, tells me he’s pretty fly. I think the awesome kicks and hair are a slight giveaway too. So what is ume dream and what does Aaron create? Hand silkscreen apparel. With “super limited prints suckas”. Love it.
I was blown away when he brought some of his inventory to work. His prints are unique, hip and cool as all get out. And his web site is pretty kickass too.
So know you see the kind of creativeness I experience – day in and day out – that makes me want to throw up. They write copy – I build spreadsheets in Excel. They share their talent with the world – I post pictures on le blog. Eh – it all works out to be good in the end; we all like what we do.