CREATIVE STRENGTHS

When people ask about growing their creative business, the questions typically centre around online marketing: Which platform, how often to post, what's working right now... But what if the answer isn't about marketing at all? This week, while refining modules for the upcoming six-month programme, I've been thinking about what genuinely accelerates business growth for creative entrepreneurs. It's not complicated, but it is something we often avoid, even though we're naturally brilliant at it.
 
Key Moments:
[05:15] Real life right now: what i've been thinking about
[07:57] Why we focus on online marketing when strategic outreach grows businesses faster
[09:54] How every major client, from Vogue to Dior to Kensington Palace started with an email I sent from my kitchen table
[16:21] Why a talk to 12 people created more opportunities than a newsletter sent to 20,000
[18:31] The skills you already use in your creative work that translate directly to strategic business outreach
[20:22] What the difference looks like: posting and hoping versus strategic, direct connection
[23:04] The shift from reactive to proactive that changes everything
 
Notable Quotes:
"Direct connection accelerates everything. We get so lost in online marketing that it's easy to forget to simply contact people."
"Every major client and project I became known for started from my kitchen table. With me sending an email."
 
Resources Mentioned:
Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
Free Guide: Becoming Thoughtfully and Confidently Persistent
Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
Website: www.philippacraddock.com
Email: [email protected] 
 
Share Your Insights:
What strategic conversation could you start this week? Whether it's a potential client, a brand collaboration, a publication to approach, or a podcast to be interviewed on, Who could you contact where there's genuine alignment? I'd love to hear what professional relationship you're considering building. Send me a DM on Instagram.  I read and respond to every message.
 
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And don't forget to subscribe to The Creative Strengths Podcast on your favourite podcast platform!

There's something so much more important than frameworks, strategies and tactics. You can read every business book, take every business course, study every successful business, but if you don't understand what makes you unique, have clear positioning, and the confidence to keep moving forward when things get tricky... none of that other stuff matters.
This week, I'm sharing what happened with my Pinterest experiment in December, why losing four months of momentum became one of my most valuable lessons, and the three things that are helping me turn setbacks into breakthroughs. If you're facing a moment where things haven't gone to plan, this one's for you.
 
Key Moments:
[01:27] Why understanding what makes you unique matters more than any framework or tactic
[02:27] Real life: What happened in December
[07:34] The moment of choice and what i learned
[11:25] The solution: Getting strategic
[16:51] Making it fun again
[23:09] Why this matters more than tactics
[25:03] Being realistic about priorities
[34:24] Three thing to go when things get tricky
[42:33] Real life right now: Moving forward
 
Notable Quotes:
"Successful people don't avoid setbacks. They know how to turn those setbacks into something positive. That's a skill you can develop. it's about deeply understanding yourself, making decisions from that clarity, and surrounding yourself with people who get it."
 
Resources Mentioned:
Read: This Week's Full Journal Post
Join the Pinterest Experiment Follow Along with My Pinterest Experiment 
Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
Website: www.philippacraddock.com
Email: [email protected] 
 
Share Your Insights:
Have you experienced a moment where something didn't go to plan in your business? I'd genuinely love to hear how you handled it, or if you're in that moment right now, maybe i can help. Send me a DM on Instagram. I read every message, and your experience might well help someone else who's going through something similar.
 
Never Miss an Episode
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive updates on the Pinterest experiment, and first access to new programme details. Every week, I share practical guidance that helps you build a business around what you naturally do best.

Instagram's head just said something that changes everything for creative businesses: the bar has shifted from "can you create?" to "can you make something that only you could create?"
With AI-generated content flooding platforms, authenticity isn't just good marketing anymore, it's your competitive advantage.
In this explores we explore why being completely yourself might be the most strategic move for creative entrepreneurs right now, plus the four storytelling questions that clarify your entire brand.
Your real strengths and authentic approach are what will cut through the noise and help you build something genuinely exceptional.
 
Key Moments:
[01:49] Why authenticity matters more than ever right now
[04:23] What Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram had to say 
[06:31] What being yourself in your brand actually means
[09:40] Four storytelling questions that bring instant brand clarity
[18:18] Your next step: How to make people feel part of something bigger
 
Notable Quotes:
"The bar is shifting from 'can you create?' to 'can you make something that only you could create?'"  Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram
 
Resources Mentioned:
Read: This Week's  Full Journal Post
Link: Podcast Episode 116 Why I Do What I Do
Link Podcast Episode 123, A Differnt Kind Of Year
Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
Website: www.philippacraddock.com
Send an Email: [email protected]
 
Share Your Insights:
What parts of your real self could you bring more fully into your business? I'd love to hear how you're thinking about authenticity in your brand. I would love you to DM me on Instagram so many of our wonderful conversations provide content for future episodes.
 
Never Miss an Episode:
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive resources, and first access to new offerings. You'll get practical support for building your creative business in ways that feel genuinely yours.

Inspired by a Financial Times article on how creativity thrives with constraints, this episode articulates something I've been thinking about for years, that limiting yourself is actually the very best way to seriously flourish.
Discover why doing fewer things better might be the most important focus for your creative business this year.
Learn three practical principles for constraint-led business, plus how focusing on just one offer last year transformed my entire approach and how the same discipline could revolutionise your business too.
 
Key Moments:
[01:27] Why creativity thrives with constraints: introducing the Financial Times article that sparked this entire conversation
[02:44] The Muppet Christmas Carol story: when the director's artistic vision met commercial reality
[04:38] How creative business owners complicate things when given too much freedom 
[07:51] Why even brilliant creators need 'editors'
[10:36] Three principles for constraint-led business
[15:52] My own experience focusing on just one offer last year
[19:11] Reflection and questions you can ask yourself this week
 
Notable Quote:
"Constraints aren't limiting your potential. They're focusing your brilliance. When you try to do everything, you dilute what makes you exceptional. When you focus, you amplify it."
 
Resources Mentioned:
Read: This Week's  Full Journal Post
Financial Times article: "Creativity thrives with constraints" by Stephen Bush
The Muppet Christmas Carol (film example discussed)
Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
Website: www.philippacraddock.com
Send an Email: [email protected]
 
Share Your Insights:
Where could you perhaps remove something from your business to actually strengthen what remains? Share your thoughts with me over on Instagram I read every message and love hearing your thoughts.
 
Never Miss an Episode:
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive resources, and first access to new offerings. You'll receive thoughtful reflections on building a creative business that feels genuinely yours, along with practical guidance you can implement straight away.

What if this isn't the year you reinvent yourself? What if this is the year you return to yourself, to your own personal strengths, your genuine values, your natural way of working?
This first episode of 2025 challenges the pressure to set aggressive goals and push harder. Through examples of creators who grew significantly in 2025 using completely opposite approaches, we explore why there's no single formula for success, only your formula. I introduce three principles for building a lighter, steadier business: making it truer rather than louder, choosing depth over momentum, and embracing small aligned shifts. If you're tired of forcing yourself into someone else's model, this episode offers a refreshing path forward.
 
Key Moments:
[00:00] The pressure of new year expectations: A gentler alternative approach
[01:19] Why traditional business advice doesn't work for creative minds
[04:52] Doing things your way: Example - Creators with completely different approaches, both successful
[08:52] 3 Principles to anchor you in 2026 
[15:15] Personal story: how removing rather than adding transformed my floral business
[17:05] Three grounding questions for the year ahead
 
Notable Quotes:
"Your business doesn't need to be louder than everyone else's. It needs to be more authentically yours."
"Big transformations almost always come from gentle, repeated adjustments. Small shifts, made consistently, in a direction that aligns with your strengths."
 
Resources Mentioned:
Read: This Week's  Full Journal Post
Link: The Base Notes Waitlist
Subscribe to our Weekly newsletter
Website: www.philippacraddock.com
Send an Email: [email protected]
 
Share Your Insights:
I'd love to hear what you're focusing on this year. What's the one thing that really matters to you?  I'd love to hear your thoughts on Instagram, Many of our wonderful conversations prompt future episodes.
 
Never Miss an Episode:
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for behind-the-scenes insights, exclusive resources, and first access to new offerings. You'll receive thoughtful reflections on building a creative business that feels genuinely yours, along with practical guidance you can implement straight away.