Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ryan Paulaitis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ryan, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I love this question. First off I want to say that we as a culture focus so much on what we do and not who we are. We are each born with a unique set of talents and things that we enjoy. Ultimately I think it’s leaning into those two things. I was born creative. I am grateful to have known this at a very young age and I leaned into this. I actually grew up with a learning disability so Art, creative writing, and times that we had “artsy” projects were the only times that I actually felt “smart”. When I got older I signed up for art classes and took all the electives I could to figure out what career paths I could take being “artsy”. I even interviewed adults in jobs that I could see myself in – An interior Architect, Marketing Director, Graphic Designer etc.

Looking back over my journey I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I’m still learning and that won’t stop. If it does then I’ve gotten complacent or I’m getting to a place with a big ego which I hope my friends and family would knock me down before then. The SINGLE regret is not studying abroad. Learning creative art in a different country would be a beautiful experience. This ties into the next question nicely….skills. I think that’s been the most essential….and to be very honest, I am still working to cultivate a few everyday such as staying curious, staying humble, working hard, realizing when to speak, realizing when to be silent and just learn, and at the end of the day, it’s not about the product or what we are selling it’s about people and the relationships you build along the way.

Two best pieces of advice I’ve received from Creative Directors I’ve been able to work with are: 1. “If you are complaining about something in your current role or within your work life then be the solution (sometimes that’s even doing things you love outside of what you define as your work)” 2. “Everyone on set is creative. Ultimately you, as an Art Director need to be the one voice in the room keeping everything moving smoothly & staying on point, but everyone is creative in their own way, so ask the stylist what toppings would work best on the burger to really make it look delectable.”

Honestly…my own insecurities and believing the lies in my head. Sometimes, I still get caught up in thoughts like: “If I ask a question I will look stupid or lose my credibility”…Nope, lie. I create space for vulnerable, open conversation. “I could never create this or make it look as amazing as John Smith’s”…Nope. lie. Yes, it won’t look like John Smith’s but that’s the point. I have a different, unique creative style. Just start.

 As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

Well hi, my name is Ryan Paulaitis! I’m a gal from Chicago who was born creative. I loved creating, building and making extravagant school projects with my dad in his basement workshop. My dream was to build spaces like Rainforest Cafe that would take people into a whole new world (I was like 6 haha so cultured). Anyways, I took classes in both Graphic Design & Interior Design then applied to colleges with both. I then ended up going the Graphic Design route.

 What I do today…I wear a ton of different hats: brand strategy, corporate omnichannel, campaigns, creative critical thinking, employer branding, retail experiential & in-store display design, outdoor industry trade-show pop-ups, and directing food photography shoots. I’ve had the pleasure to work with some amazing clients: Vibram USA (check the soles of your shoes the yellow octagon company – also know for the weird 5-fingered toe shoes), Adidas, Reebok, New Balance, Hope International, Cargil, Hormel, Jennie-O, Wayfair, Schneider Electric, JPW, and Pam Transports.

 This may sound so cheesy, but looking back on all these experiences, yea I’ve work on some huge brand names and created some cool stuff, but I am most proud of the leader I’m becoming and the fun times I’ve had with the people in each opportunity. I’m helping two younger designers currently and that is so fulfilling to find joy in doing what you do and make money doing it, but even more when you realize you have the capacity to get out of your bubble and empower younger designers to find their thing too!

 I have a few side hustles…I’m an Apartment Life Coordinator aka: an urban missionary who plans events throughout the year to create authentic community within a Nashville apartment community. And I grip/gaff/direct/shoot/ film live broadcasting at my church, with several friends, Gio & Melissa Gotay and their company Unveiled Productions, and several freelancers, Bryce Barker.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The Juicer. This haunts me and my dad to this day. This was actually a silly college project where we got to pick out of three tools: 1. a hammer 2. a wrench 3. a juicer. The assignment was to recreate the surface area of the selected tool out of paper…sounds easy right? Here’s the catch. We could only use two methods to connect the paper pieces we made: 1. sewing them together 2. Create a tabbing system (like those old paper dolls). So of course I picked the hardest options of both from above and thought okay cool, I want to really try to make something great: a juicer out of tabbed paper pieces. I remember this is only the surface area, so we had to figure out ways that the structure would still be hollow, while being all connected and sturdy. To add insult to injury, I picked the most complex juicer…just google “porcelain juicer”…it’s the one with the bowl, spout, and handle.

Let me set the scene: I had worked throughout my Spring Break and the week back pulled way too many all-nighters that I needed to nap for 10 minutes before pulling 2 more consecutive all-nighters to finish this project by the end of the week. As I came down from the bunk I heard a huge BANG. I forgot I had placed my juicer that I was modeling my paper version out of on my dresser that was also my ladder. White shards of porcelain covered my dorm room floor. I wish I could say that I responded in a mature way…but my dad called me at just the right time and he thought that someone died. I was in PANIC mode. It probably didn’t help that I was running on fumes, but I was freaking out that I only had two days to get this project done and now I didn’t have that exact juicer to finish modeling after. My dad – what a stud – instantly ordered another from amazon. And I ended up turning in my project unfortunately the handle, the bottom rim, and juicer inside weren’t fully connected. I ended up getting a C. But I learned a lot. well one, I wasn’t going to be an Industrial engineer any time soon. In all seriousness, I learned that at the end of the day you do your best and if you fail so what. It’s not the end of the world and if you act like it’s the end of the world then your focus is on the wrong things.

 Contact Info:

• Website: ryanpaulaitis.com

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rypaulaitis/

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-paulaitis-36590564/

Image Credits
Bryce Barker, Thank you for all you’ve done to help, teach, support me and for taking these beautiful BTS shots.