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

Shaunté, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

Absolutely!
Growing up I was the “different” kid on two very different fronts. I lived on Long Island, and was the only Black student in the class. There were Marys and Sallys, but no Shaunté’s. I was the outcast and I was teased.
The stares I got during Black History Month were almost comical. There was a sea of turned heads staring back at me, and I remember thinking, “I grew up with all of you guys. This is news to me, too.”
When I was 12 my family moved to Queens, and the demographics shifted overnight. Suddenly I was sitting with other Black students, but they said I sounded like a white valley‑girl. Once again, I was the outcast and I was teased.
Realizing I wouldn’t fit in, no matter what I did forced me to build my own worlds, which is what I do today with collage and my creative‑consulting business.
My logo is Medusa and I chose her because she was misunderstood. She was not a villain, she was a warning because of her strength and independence.
I now use The Medusa Method™ in my work. It’s a four‑week sprint that digs up the gritty, authentic parts of a brand. The origin stories. The things people want to hide, but don’t realize they should be highlighting.
The strikethroughs lead to breakthroughs. I help creative entrepreneurs turn their “monster” moments into the very thing that makes them unforgettable.

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 back background and context?

Hi! I’m Shaunté Ledger. I grew up in New York (Oh how I miss real pizza and thunderstorms) and now I’m based in Los Angeles. I’m an artist and creative consultant with a background that blends the practical and the playful: I’m a Certified Scrum Master with 15+ years in marketing, branding, and creative direction.

I’m also a collage artist, tarot reader, and gothic Monster Gardener.

I spent almost a decade at NPR, where I was on the team that launched the Tiny Desk Concert Contest series. That experience was so much fun. It showed me how powerful storytelling can be—not just in sound or visuals, but in the quiet threads that connect people to one another.

Eventually, I left the newsroom to start my own business. Now I help multi-passionate creatives and entrepreneurs unlearn the rules, stop apologizing for who they are, and own their brilliance out loud. I work with clients one-on-one, and I also lead creative workshops and retreats.

Most of my clients come to me because they feel stuck or scattered. They think they have “too many interests” and don’t know how to bring them together. Or they’re introverted and afraid to be visible and to tell their true story.

I’m all about catswiping the table, torching the rulebook, and mapping your own path with a glitter pen and a confetti cannon.

I also write a weekly Substack newsletter called sToRyDrOpS. It’s for lonely creatives, and it’s about art, tarot, creativity, and living your biggest, sparkliest, choke-on-my-stardust kind of life.

Being an artist is HARD, and I want to be a lighthouse for anyone who feels lost, lonely, or uninspired.

The project I’m most proud of right now is I’m creating a tarot deck called, The Tarot of Forgotten Stories. I’ve finished 44 cards so far, and the full deck will be ready early next year. It’s a bucket-list project, and it’s stretched me in ways I never could have predicted.

What sets me apart is that I live what I teach. I’m a multi-passionate creative who’s been told to “niche down,” to “pick a lane,” and to be myself—but “less.”

But I don’t shrink. I don’t hide. And I’m proud to be a shooting-star-stalking, comet-chasing, moon-ranting, glitter-sprinkling, purple-obsessing supernova of a woman.

I trust my story, and I’m here to help others trust theirs.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

One thing non‑creatives often overlook is that a creative career isn’t a straight, pre‑planned road. There’s no universal blueprint. It’s not like becoming a lawyer or a dentist. The path is a constantly shifting landscape of projects, experiments, and reinventions.

My creative journey isn’t about deciding who I want to be when I “grow up.” Instead, I ask myself, “Who do I want to be next?”

Right now I’m designing a tarot deck. I’m exploring new terrain and climbing a fresh summit. And when that project reaches its peak, I’ll pivot again, returning to the drawing board for the next adventure. It could be an interior‑design commission, a series of ceramic pieces, or writing a book…who knows?

Creatives wear many hats over a lifetime, moving fluidly from one passion to the next. A creator’s “career” is essentially a series of intentional, self‑directed experiments, each one shaping the next iteration of who we are as artists and makers.

The struggle isn’t a lack of direction; it’s the freedom to keep redefining yourself, project by project.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Whenever I’m struggling and need a boost, I reach for Do the F*cking Work: Lowbrow Advice for High-Level Creativity* by Jason Bacher, Brian Buirge, and Jason Richburg. It’s blunt, hilarious, and brutally honest. Reading this book feels like getting punched in the gut and hugged at the same time.

Magnetic Mindset by Gala Darling was a game-changer for me. I discovered EFT tapping through her work, and it completely shifted how I think about resilience and problem-solving. The book is about manifestation, vibrational alignment, and building the courage to actually go after your biggest, most magical life.

Anything by Seth Godin is worth reading, but for anyone just starting out I recommend This is Strategy. Godin has a way of asking deceptively simple questions that force you to slow down and think deeply about the work you’re making, the future of that work, and the people you’re here to serve.

Women Living Deliciously by Florence Given. I just can’t with this woman. She’s basically a hot pink lava lamp in human form. The book is about rediscovering joy and defining feminism on your own terms. I recommend getting both the audiobook and the physical copy: listen while walking if you want explosive inspiration, and sit down with the book to soak in her gorgeous, kaleidoscopic illustrations.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shaunteledger.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storydrops/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunteledger/
• Other: https://rainingstorydrops.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips