This is How We Create

• 190. From Solo Hustle to Successful Delegation: The Art of Onboarding - Martine Severin

  You've made the hire and the contract is signed. Yay. Now we can begin the real work. In this final installment of our mini-series on hiring your first assistant, I'm pulling back the curtain on the first crucial 90 days and the art of proper onboarding. I'll be sharing the systems and intentional frameworks, honed from years of building teams in my photography business and overseeing a 120-person team in a co-owned company, that help a new hire fully absorb your vision, not just your tasks. I'll walk you through the 30-60-90 framework for ensuring your new team member is set up for success. Learn why the first 30 days are purely for learning, when to flip the script on task ownership, and what to watch for by day 60 to prevent costly misalignments. This episode will provide you with the blueprint for creating an operating document, using tools for clear process transfer, and course-correcting early to ensure your future self (and your entire creative business) is amplified, not diluted. Chapters 00:00 - Introduction and Series Recap 02:23 - The Crucial 90 Days: Onboarding vs. Orientation 04:44 - Breaking Down the 30-60-90 Framework 07:04 - Why You Must Encourage "Dumb" Questions 09:16 - Honesty Check: Are You Micromanaging? 11:37 - A Concrete Example: Onboarding for Client Communication 14:02 - Creating Your Operating Document and Role-Playing Scenarios 16:21 - The Week Eight Check-in and the Importance of Documentation 18:48 - Setting People Up for Success: Coaching Versus Cutting Loose   Support the Show Website: https://www.martineseverin.com/ Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martine.severin/ | https://www.instagram.com/thisishowwecreate_ Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.martineseverin.substack.com/ This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.  

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• 189. The Creative's Guide to Screening Your First Hire - Martine Severin

  Hiring your first helper is exciting, but it can also be terrifying. After keeping the wrong person on my team for far too long, I realized I had been focusing on all the wrong things. Skills on a resume are table stakes, but you cannot teach someone to care about the details the way you do. In this episode (Part 2 of our hiring series), I am pulling back the curtain on the screening process that saved me from making that mistake again. I share the specific, behavioral questions I now ask to uncover a candidate's true values, the red flags that signal a poor fit, and the single most important step I take before making any commitment: the paid trial project. This is the guide I wish I had when I started building my team.   Chapters 00:00 Welcome Back & The Hiring Journey 00:45 The Mistake I Made With My First Hire 02:05 Looking Beyond the Resume: Skills vs. Values 03:00 Why "Culture Fit" Is Everything for a Small Creative Business 04:00 The Pre-Screening Trick for Attention to Detail 05:50 How to Ask About Past Work (The "Prioritization" Question) 07:45 Asking About Mistakes and Listening for Ownership 09:30 How Do They Handle Critical Feedback? 10:30 The Importance of a (Paid) Trial Project 11:50 The Truth Revealed in the Trial 12:20 Red Flags: Badmouthing and Vague Answers 13:00 Why the Questions They Ask Matter 13:30 The One Question I Wish I Had Asked 14:00 Final Thoughts: Aligned, Not Perfect   Support the Show Website: https://www.martineseverin.com/ Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martine.severin/ | https://www.instagram.com/thisishowwecreate_ Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.martineseverin.substack.com/ This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.  

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• 188. Think you need to hire someone? Your exhaustion might be lying to you - Martine Severin

  Some creatives hire when they're overwhelmed, not when they're ready to lead. Before you bring on that intern or assistant, you need clarity on what you're handing off, bandwidth to train them, and rock-solid values they can execute on. I'm pleased to share the hiring frameworks that rocked my world when it came to bringing on new team members.   Chapters 00:00 Introduction: The Four-Part Series on Hiring 01:06 The Mistake: Hiring When You Are Not Ready to Lead 02:08 Question 1: What Specific Work Are You Handing Off? 02:49 Question 2: Can You Afford to Train Someone (With Time)? 03:31 Question 3: Do You Know Your Non-Negotiables? 04:30 The EOS Framework and The People Analyzer 05:07 The Three Parts of the People Analyzer: Get It, Want It, Capacity 08:08 Journaling Prompts: Defining Your Core Values 10:30 The Key Advice: Hire for One Job, Not to Replace Yourself 13:10 Coming Up: The Interview Process   Support the Show Website: https://www.martineseverin.com/ Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martine.severin/ | https://www.instagram.com/thisishowwecreate_ Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.martineseverin.substack.com/ This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.  

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• 187. What an Afro Comb Can Teach You about Design - Jomo Tariku

  What does it take to change an entire industry? Thirty years ago, Jomo Tariku, then an industrial design student, noticed something profound missing in his university library: contemporary African furniture designers. This observation sparked a decades-long journey of persistence and vision. I sit down with Jomo to discuss his path from sketching designs in his garage while working other jobs to having his celebrated work featured in The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He shares how his father's incredible story as a refugee gave him the hubris to persist through a 27-year wait for recognition. Tune in to learn how he translates his heritage (from the horns of the Nyala antelope to the powerful symbolism of the Afro-comb) into functional, modern art. Tune in to this story about patience, process, and the fight to redefine the creative canon. Chapters 02:22 The Collector's Home: Early Influences from a Father's Travels 05:13 Breadcrumbs: From Drawing Objects to Industrial Design 09:34 The Missing Narrative: A Thesis on African Furniture 14:14 The "Hubris" of an Orphan: A Father's Legacy of Courage 18:59 The Story of the Mito Chair: Connecting Continents with an Afro-Pick 24:37 A Commission for Seneca Village: The Met Afrofutures Room 26:08 The Designer's Process: Collaboration and Master Craftsmanship 31:40 The Balance of Beauty and Function 33:41 How 3D Printing Changed the Game 39:36 The Cost of a Prototype 42:18 The Nyala Chair: "The One That Put Me on the Map" 42:48 The 27-Year Wait and the Rise of BADG 45:10 Advocating for a More Inclusive Canon 47:33 Redefining Success: Joy, Research, and Community   Connect with Jomo: Follow Jomo on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jomotariku Jomo's Website: https://jomotariku.com/   Support the Show Website: http://www.martineseverin.comFollow on Instagram: @martine.severin | @thisishowwecreate_ Subscribe to the Newsletter: http://www.martineseverin.substack.com This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.   Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Leave a review Follow us on social media Share with fellow creatives  

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• 186. The Quiet Persistence of Creativity - Martine Severin

  I have been thinking a lot lately about the difference between the loud hustle culture of constant visibility and the profound power of simply refusing to give up, even when it feels like nothing is happening. Join me in this episode as I share unexpected lessons in persistence, inspired by Death Valley.  Chapters 00:00 - The Unlikely Pairing: Death Valley and Dehydrated Shrimp 01:50 - The Persistence of Fairy Shrimp and Resurrection Moss 02:30 - Redefining Persistence: Why Dormancy is Not Failure 03:40 - When Your Rain Comes: Being Ready to Rise 04:30 - Nature's Pep Talk: The Audacity of a 50-Year Wait 05:30 - A Call to Action for Your Quiet Creative Work   Support the Show Website: https://www.martineseverin.com/ Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martine.severin/ | https://www.instagram.com/thisishowwecreate_ Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://www.martineseverin.substack.com/   This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.  

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