Summary
Overview
This episode features poet and illustrator Lauren Brandts discussing her creative process, career journey from Sesame Street to BuzzFeed to independent work, and the creation of her bestselling book 'Poems of Parenting.' She shares insights about balancing creativity with parenthood, managing social media presence, and creating content that resonates with both parents and children.
Lauren's Current Tools and Daily Routine
Lauren discusses her favorite apps and daily creative practices, including her morning routine that centers around meditation and a unique journaling method. She reveals how she uses Gabby Bernstein's meditation app for sleep and has developed an unconventional scribble-journaling technique to process thoughts without worrying about anyone reading them. Her routine includes setting daily intentions and creating space for ideas to emerge naturally.
- Uses Gabby Bernstein's meditation app every night, has become a Pavlovian sleep trigger
- Journals in illegible scribbles so no one can read her thoughts, calls it 'pretend cursive'
- Starts each day with a sticky note asking 'Who are you today and what are you serving the world'
- Gets best ideas while walking without listening to anything, practicing unlabeled observation
" I journal in a really funny way. I want to get my words to my hands but I don't want anyone to ever know what I'm actually thinking, so it's all in scribble. I have mountains of journals filled with just scribbly writing that I can't even read afterwards. "
" I'm not writing it down to remember it later. I'm writing it down to remember it now. "
From Sesame Street to BuzzFeed: Career Evolution
Lauren traces her unconventional career path from studying traditional animation to working on puppets and props at the Jim Henson Company for Sesame Street, despite having no formal training. She describes this as a 'fake it till you make it' situation that opened her eyes to using creativity for positive impact. After five years there, she moved to BuzzFeed where she would spend a decade creating content, including the viral character Cuppy the Good Advice Cupcake.
- Worked at Jim Henson Company on Sesame Street puppets and props for five years with no formal training
- Had to use power tools she'd never used before, accidentally bled on puppets
- Studied traditional animation, which she calls 'a very unnecessary degree'
- At BuzzFeed for 10 years as an illustrator and creator
" I was in the back with power tools I had never used, just being like, I'm going to make this work. I'm going to do this. It was so dangerous. "
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