We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Samantha Tilkins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Samantha, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.

I think AI is a huge trend we’re seeing in the industry right now. I work a corporate job doing content strategy/creation, graphic design and photography and it’s becoming part of my daily tools. I am able to be so much more productive by using AI tools and have decided to fully embrace it instead of fighting it. I think the introduction of AI is as similar in my field as the introduction of computers – you either have to get on board or get left in the dust. I also think that I am able to be more creative with my approach and execution, sometimes it almost feels like you’re working with a partner and if they take some of the mental load, you’re free to use that mental free space toward more creative ideas.

Samantha, 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?

I have been doing art, photography and design for as long as I can remember and professionally for about 10 years. I currently work a corporate job for a medical device manufacturer doing content creation and strategy which I really love. That provides me with the stability to be able to do more creative things in my spare time. I love photographing and designing, specifically my friends in the music industry and being able to brainstorm and execute visuals with them to help promote their brand identities. I also love to draw and paint and have more recently started both painting and using chalk as a medium for large scale art with my best friend which is super fun and rewarding! It’s really fun challenging myself to learn new things and rewarding getting to work with and be creative with my friends, and also meet new people!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think grind culture is so engrained in us. While I can appreciate the grind, I noticed it was burning me out. I absolutely love what I do but there’s definitely such thing as too much of a good thing. The biggest lesson my dad always taught me was “life is all about balance.” That’s been my mantra, realizing it’s okay to take a step back and say no sometimes. Once you can achieve balance in your life, you’ll be so much more at peace. That looks different for everyone. For me it means being able to spend ample time with friends and family and pets, do well at my day job, focus on making time for my health and wellness, and get time to be creative. It’s a lot to manage sometimes, but I think with time we are able to prioritize what’s important to us.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Seeing past projects and reflecting on where I was at that point in my journey and the progress I’ve made. Also after a lot of work, seeing something tangible come out if it that you can be proud of!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @prismavice