How to Trust Your Creativity and Turn It Into Influence?
What happens when you stop asking whether your creativity is “good enough” and start trusting what makes your creative voice uniquely yours?
In this episode of Alien Eyez Photos Industry Talk, host Steve Jackson sits down with Shakara Ben, aka the Creative Leo, for a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, entrepreneurship, graphic design, commercial printing, creative consulting, set design, networking, artificial intelligence, personal growth and legacy.
Shakara describes herself as a creative who refuses to limit creativity to one discipline. Her work includes graphic design, commercial printing and creative consultancy, while her creative interests also extend into event planning, decor and set design. Her central belief is simple: creativity is in everyone's DNA, and creativity deserves to be seen and heard.
But the conversation goes deeper than simply talking about being creative.
Shakara discusses how she grew up being told she was artistic and creative, yet it took years before she truly believed in her own creativity. That transition—from hearing other people recognize your creativity to actually trusting it yourself—is one of the most important themes of the episode.
The conversation also explores how creativity can become a business.
Shakara shares the story of a professor asking her what her legacy would be as a designer. That question ultimately became a catalyst: she started her business about a month later. Her first client came through that same educational relationship, and she eventually began taking graphic design more seriously and building her brand.
Steve and Shakara also discuss networking and the importance of being visible in creative industries. Shakara shares her desire to work on major movie sets and explains how joining the Greater Cleveland Film Commission helped her move toward that goal. Steve shares his own experience working as a production assistant on Superman and emphasizes the role relationships and networking can play in getting opportunities.
Another major discussion centers around artificial intelligence and technology. Rather than treating technological evolution as something separate from creativity, Shakara argues that creativity itself drives technological advancement. The conversation examines how convenience changes society while asking an important question for creatives: how do we use new tools without abandoning our own creative thinking?
Then comes one of the most memorable portions of the episode: Shakara describes her creative process as a weather forecast.
There are sunny skies, quiet storms, heavy rain and cloudy periods. Sometimes ideas pour in. Sometimes she hits a creative block and needs to step away, listen to music, breathe, pause and return with a clearer perspective. She explains that hearing her clients describe their vision helps activate her own creative process because she considers herself an audiovisual learner.
The conversation ultimately expands from creativity into creative influence and legacy.
Shakara encourages creatives to recognize that their work may influence people even when they cannot immediately see the impact. She believes creatives should use their influence to create positive change and asks listeners to consider what their creativity will leave behind.
Her final message is direct:
Your creativity deserves to be seen and heard. Use your creativity to influence. Ask yourself what your creative legacy will be.
If you're a graphic designer, photographer, entrepreneur, artist, filmmaker, event professional, writer, musician, consultant or simply someone trying to reconnect with your creative identity, this conversation offers plenty to think about.
Listen, take notes and ask yourself:
What are you going to do with the creativity you were given?
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