We want to give diverse creative professionals in higher and more visible positions a platform to share their experiences – in hopes of motivating and inspiring other BIPOC creatives in our community.
Each speaker will present their personal experience navigating their career path as a Creative in Color. They will share any adversity they may have faced and how they overcame it. We want the audience to be inspired but also informed. This series is where creativity will meet inclusivity and invoke change for the better.
------
This event is sponsored by Indy Pride and is part of their FROST: A Queer Winter Event Series. We are excited to collaborate with them and feature our DEI Director, Justin Muse as the speaker.
Justin is a designer with many diverse experiences under his belt. He has worked as an in-house designer in tech, weathered the agency grind, all the while freelancing on the side. He has gained a wealth of knowledge from crafting a brand identity to documenting the intricacies of user interaction design.
Justin is focused on putting passion behind every pixel he pushes across his computer screen. His curiosity drives his creative spirit and motivates him to create one-of-a-kind design solutions for his clients. His design mantra is believing good design can uplift individuals and communities.
He has served as the president for Out in Tech Indianapolis chapter, and currently works as the DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) Director for AIGA (American Institute of GraphicArts), while also being a Creative Services Designer at Eli Lilly. In 2016 he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Informatics with a concentration of graphic design from Indiana University. Justin is an Indiana native who is passionate about advancing the design community and inspiring other BIPOC creatives.
Event Timeline:
6:30pm - 6:50pm - Network
6:50pm - 7:00pm - Introduction
7:00pm - 7:45pm - Speaker Talk
7:45pm - 8:00pm - Q&A
Why Creatives in Color?
From our perspective, the Indy creative community lacks BIPOC representation. However, we know diverse creatives are out there, and we want to provide a safe space for all creatives to gather and share their experiences (similar or different). By curating a space where people can come together and spark healthy dialogue, we hope to make the Indy community more diverse and inclusive.
We hope that having underrepresented creatives speak about their career experiences will allow other BIPOC creatives to feel supported and more connected with our community. We worry that people of color might think they don’t have the opportunity to succeed in our creative industry. By spotlighting designers of color who are successful and pushing norms in our community, we hope young BIPOC designers will feel they have a place in our community and a support system here.
