Alisha Jones Q&A | GENERATE. CREATE. CELEBRATE.

Tell me a little bit about you and what you do for work?

I’m the founder and creative director of LISH creative - a content agency for vibrant lifestyle and hospitality brands. We produce photos, videos and stop-motions for clients to utilize across digital media and beyond. I am also a speaker and educator and recently launched a corporate training program. 

Where did you go to school and what was you major? Did this set you up for success in your current career?

I studied marketing at Virginia Tech. It taught me how to sell myself more than anything, but it certainly didn’t have any kind of creative focus. I learned a lot during my first few jobs out of college and through trial and error shooting content for my personal instagram (which I was pursuing as a creative outlet at the time). 

What are three things that currently inspire your work?

1. Color 2. California 3. Architecture

What is the biggest challenge as a creative female and business owner that you face?

I have struggled a lot with work/life balance. For a while I was logging 100+ hours a week and I am not proud of that. I was unhappy and definitely burnt out. Being a newlywed, new homeowner and mom to a 5-month old puppy, has honestly forced me to slow down. Hiring new team members has also helped immensely. 

What is your power color and why?

PINK!!! It’s ultra-feminine but can also be sophisticated. Above everything though, it simply just brings me so much joy.

How has your creative aesthetic evolved over time? 

Definitely more refined - cleaner, more minimalistic, but still using a lot of color.

How do you overcome creative fatigue or creative anxieties?

My fatigue and anxieties usually stem from the administrative/project management side of my biz and less about the creative side.I have also invested in people to help me! I have an art director, and a content manager on my team and I bring in a project manager when things get crazy. It’s much easier to be creative when I’m not solely carrying all of the stress. 

What are your favorite resources for creative inspiration?

I find the most inspiration in the brands that I’m working for. I look at their packaging, design, brand guidelines and really try to dive into who they’re looking to target, how those people interact with the product, and how the brand is trying to portray themselves. It is also super easy when the brand features flavors or scents because we can draw a lot of inspiration from ingredients. 

If you could tell your creative self one thing 10 years ago, what would it be? 

Don’t worry about being practical. If you’re drawn towards something, go out and do it, even if it’s on a small scale. 

What do you hope to accomplish 5 years from now?

I hope to continue to build out our corporate training program so that every brand feels like they can successfully create content in house. It may seem counterintuitive to teach brands how to do what I do for them, but I see it as an important next step in adapting to meet the needs of our clients.