We were lucky to catch up with KC Clark recently and have shared our conversation below.

KC, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

The idea for my agency, Legacy Creative, came one afternoon while I was driving with my oldest daughter, Caitlin. It was less of an idea and more of an invitation—as a person of faith, I pay attention to these moments—the invitation was clear,” I want you to start a company, call it Legacy Creative, and I want you to make space for your kids.”

My response? Okay, that sounds like a great idea, but “Legacy Creative” isn’t a very creative name, and I don’t see how my kids would want anything to do with it.

Despite any of my misgivings about the invitation, I took it. I officially incorporated the name and began operations as Legacy Creative in 2015, and I haven’t looked back. Except for a few short stints, out of necessity, in the corporate world during the pandemic, I have always found my way as a freelancer. It began after graduation from Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) with a degree in Illustration with painting murals, working as an illustrator for an architect, and a short stint as a worship pastor and traveling worship leader.

Because of all these experiences, I acquired a myriad of different skills. I had always been good at visual art, but that skill began to morph and expand through the years. At the heart of it all was a desire for connection and storytelling. As the years passed, I continued to allow my gifts to place me before the right people. Friends became customers who introduced me to their friends and associates. Each connection came with a new story I could be a part of unfolding and putting on display.

My client base has included authors, musicians, visual artists, pastors, churches, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and many other verticals I never knew existed.

I’ve been fortunate that some of those connections became long-standing partnerships that have provided exciting opportunities to steward several brands’ and organizations’ missions, visions, and passions.

But it all comes back to why for me. Dr Leonard Sweet is recognized for saying that “the future belongs to the storytellers and connectors…” and he’s right. I didn’t start a business because I’m good at business. No, I’m good at telling the stories of brands and individuals through different types of media. I’ve also cultivated the skill of building relationships and seeing the connections between them that are mutually beneficial. These two skills became the catalyst that gave me the courage to take risks and eventually leave the security of my 9-5. I believed before I saw and took a risk. Thankfully it worked, and I have been able to provide for my family, serve my community, cultivate deep relationships, and work on unique projects for over 10 years.

I see now that the invitation, as I initially understood, has become something even more. It is a company, but it is also becoming a cause—a place I can confidently say has made space for me to be the man, husband, and dad I wanted to be over twenty years ago.

The circumstances around my encounter in the car that afternoon were things no one saw coming. Our daughter Alaina had contracted Lyme Disease, and it was chronic. My wife Julie and I had recently left the church where I was a worship pastor to pursue creating music again. We had begun traveling locally, leading worship in churches and other events. Alaina’s illness eventually got so bad that Julie stopped traveling to be home full- time because of the severity of her illness and complications (as of the date of this writing, she has been healed for seven years. She is now married and the mother of twin girls). Eventually, Julie and I decided it was best that I stop being gone on the weekends and accept offers to lead and find something new. It was during this time that the invitation came.

KC, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Well, my name is KC Clark. I’m a husband to my amazing wife and best friend, Julie, and father to four kids (Caitlin, Alaina, Celia, and Ben) and a granddad (AKA Papa) to twin girls.

I have spent most of my life as an artist and creative person. My parents, who were both in sales, did their best to understand and support me by always providing opportunities and space for me to explore my creativity.

Growing up, I wasn’t interested in anything extracurricular besides art and music. I immersed myself in creative activities, always drawing or making something with whatever I could cut up, glue, or stitch together. The after-school ritual was dragging out my denim bag of legos, turning on a movie (latch-key kid anyone), and building whatever my imagination or latest fascination fancied. I also grew up singing in church and later became a worship pastor before launching my creative agency. I always tell people I’m an artist who grew up under the grid of business-minded parents, so I think I’d inevitably end up finding the merger of both.

Thankfully, I inherited the “never-met-a-stranger” gene from my parents. In my work and ministry journey, this has served me well and granted me the ability to make friends easily, earn trust quickly, and usually end up in conversations like “So what do you do?” I always hated those questions because, in truth, I found it hard to know where to start. I have always had so many interests, but my core passion has always been to improve people’s lives regardless of what tool or practice came into play.

My friends in our circle knew I was an artist and a decent designer. Many of them (mainly from the music community where I grew up) would ask me to help with album artwork or websites. This began my journey into branding, design, and even some marketing, although, those terms were not even on my radar at the time.

As the needs grew and opportunities came, I learned more about what I could provide. Legacy Creative was always about providing my friends with what they needed to do and what they were passionate about and called to do. I just looked at my role as a way to help them steward it.

I guess what sets me apart from other companies is my central ethos and process as a company.
– We Curate the best things about a business or a brand.
– We Collaborate to discover how they can be organized and retold so that the message or intent are clear, and then…
– We Create the necessary assets, platforms, and pathways to put them on display.
My role as Chief Curator at Legacy Creative allows me to stay at that high level of oversight while also playing a key role in stewarding every step.

Speaking of, the word curate has two meanings. The noun tense is a “Curate,” a person in charge of the care of souls, a pastor, or a priest. The second, the verb tense, relates to what we know of a gallery curator who helps identify, organize, and put things on display for others to enjoy or experience. This resonates with me as someone who ultimately cares about the person over the product while maintaining an understanding that I am also producing something that reflects their dreams and passions, so it should be excellent.

Over the years, I’ve developed several different packages of services. But in recent years, I’ve landed on what works for me: Branding Development and Management, Web + App Experiences, Business Automation, and CRM Setup. I aim to help create the foundation of assets and services to establish a brand or business’s legacy.

Aside from the work we’ve been able to do for our clients, I’m most proud of not adjusting to or succumbing to pressure to be like everyone else or hustle to scale and grow. I’m happy to be a steward to my clients and the opportunities that have always served us well.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I don’t want to go to my grave having veered off course in the pursuit of a buck. Don’t get me wrong; I’m in business to make money; we need it right for the necessities and the niceties. But I don’t want it to rule my world. I’d say that at all costs, I want to help others pursue the passion in their hearts with as much wisdom and grit as they can without sacrificing their integrity or what matters most to them.

I want to build a legacy that is worthy of the man I want to become and to be seen by my family and my peers as someone who cares deeply. My goal is to honor the invitation to make things that make others’ lives, businesses, and ideas better. As I learned in Boy Scouts, to leave people and places better than I found them is the goal. To go the extra mile for their sake. And to make space for those I have the capacity to help.

Earlier, I mentioned my role as Chief Curator. That moniker came by accident. During one of my pivots, I was a Communications Director at a church in NC, and my boss said I needed a better title. He said, ‘Let’s call you Chief Curator,’ and at the time, it seemed like a joke. But over time, it has given language to something I’ve always felt was true about me as an artist and now a business owner.

For me, it’s not about business growth or longevity; it’s about helping others find their true north and staying faithful to it.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Oh man, I have so many. Instead of a specific story, I’ll share a learning. What stands out the most to me is when I’ve had to pivot to find a way forward when the company wasn’t thriving, much less surviving. We’ve almost shut the doors to Legacy Creative so many times.

If I were to give you a snapshot of my mindset during those times, it would be that regardless of what led me to pursue earning money outside of my company, it never ceases to amaze me that I couldn’t find the right fit. It wasn’t a rebellious streak or pride that made me unable to stick it out in the corporate world. It was evident that I wasn’t made for that environment.

As scary as it is to be on your own and follow your passions. I couldn’t thrive inside someone else’s dream. And I tried HARD to make it work. I stayed well beyond my welcome in some cases. But somehow, by grace, I’d end up back at my desk, giving it another go, following my way back to that original invitation. Honestly, there’s no place I’d rather be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://legacycreative.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legacycreative.co/ https://www.instagram.com/kcclark.online/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kcclarkonline/

Image Credits

Headshots @enowenphotography
Live Photography @maria_anglin_here
Creative Photography @kevindeshields