Every spring, the creative community comes alive at Creative South, a design conference packed with inspiration, connection, and a little bit of Southern magic. This year’s theme – Breaking Bread and Hugging Necks – captured the spirit perfectly, with a welcoming Waffle House-inspired vibe that made every designer feel at home.
Here’s a quick look at the top takeaways from my experience at Creative South 2025 — and a few ideas I’m excited to bring back to our work at Flourish.
Finding Inspiration Everywhere
The weekend kicked off with Jesse Taylor’s talk on the “Curse of Creativity” — that restless drive that keeps creatives constantly thinking and making. Taylor challenged us to reframe it as The Blessing of Creativity — a reminder that we don’t have to create; we get to create. Taking on any project, whether passion or paid, adds to our experience — and experience is everything.
This theme of pursuing your passion projects echoed throughout the conference. Daniel Lee, a chemical engineer turned illustrator, compared creative challenges to surviving wars, storms, and mountains. His advice is to keep showing up and doing the work. Build your skills, strengthen your mindset, and create disciplined habits. Opportunities multiply when we consistently take action.
Perfecting the Presentation
One major lesson that hit home came from James Barnard’s workshop on mockups. He emphasized how high-quality, realistic mockups can turn a good design into a sold design. Adding a personal touch — like the client’s name and title — into the mockup helps them see themselves in the branding. That little spark of familiarity can be the final nudge toward approval.
Barnard’s techniques for integrating designs seamlessly into real-world spaces showed how presentation impacts perception — something we at Flourish prioritize in our creative process and will continue refining.
Similarly, the team from Smith & Diction reminded us to trust the process. From deeply understanding the client’s needs to experimenting early with fonts and colors, the foundation for great branding work is laid before the first design is ever shown.
Creating with Purpose
Meeting design legend Allan Peters in person was a full-circle moment. After reading his book Logos That Last and writing about how I was incorporating his methods into my own design process (read that blog here), it was surreal to attend his workshop and hear directly from him.
He walked us through his full branding process — from brainstorming brand nouns to refining 100+ pencil sketches. No gatekeeping, no fluff — just pure insight into what makes iconic branding stick. His emphasis on creating meaningful marks, not just trendy ones, reaffirmed what I’ve been building toward: thoughtful design that lasts.
His keynote took things even deeper. After surviving a traumatic, near-death injury, Allan shared how he stopped designing for others’ expectations and started creating work that truly mattered to him. His message was clear:
- Use your gifts to help others
- Make every project your best project
- Chase dreams, not dollars
Other powerful speakers echoed the theme of pursuing your passions:
- Weekend Creative emphasized passion projects to stay energized outside of client work.
- Rae Torres spoke about maintaining your physical and mental health to fuel creative longevity, recommending practices like her Mindful Hustle framework.
- Good Type challenged the culture of busyness, reminding us that “busy” isn’t a badge of honor — and that celebrating small wins is just as important as chasing big goals.
For a glimpse at the growing conversations around creativity and wellness, check out resources like The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer.
Final Thoughts: Hug Some Necks
Creative South 2025 reminded me that success isn’t just about grinding harder — it’s about creating with intention, connecting with your community, and taking pride in the work at every stage.
Whether it’s perfecting a presentation, showing up even when it’s hard, or simply enjoying the messy beauty of the creative process, the lessons from Creative South are ones we’re excited to live out here at Flourish.