Art School Graduate Podcast

In this episode of The Art School Graduate Podcast, Justin Robinson sits down with designer, educator, and founder Maurice Woods for a powerful conversation about creativity, identity, representation, and building purpose through design.
Maurice Woods is a Principal Designer at Microsoft, a former professional basketball player, and the founder of Inneract Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating access and opportunities for underrepresented youth in design and tech.
From growing up in Richmond, California, to playing professional basketball overseas, to becoming a leader in the design industry, Maurice shares the real story behind his journey and the lessons he’s learned navigating sports, creativity, entrepreneurship, mentorship, and representation in corporate America.
This conversation dives deep into:
The transition from basketball to graphic design
What it means to be a Black designer in tech
Building Inneract Project from the ground up
Why representation in design matters
The importance of mentorship and community
Creativity, purpose, and identity
How design shapes culture and society
AI, the future of design, and staying relevant
Entrepreneurship and creating opportunities for others
If you’re a creative, designer, student, educator, entrepreneur, or someone trying to find purpose in your work, this episode is filled with wisdom, honesty, and inspiration.
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🔗 Learn more about Inneract Project:
https://www.inneractproject.org
🎙️ Subscribe to The Art School Graduate Podcast for more conversations with artists, designers, educators, and creative leaders shaping culture and the future of creativity.

#MauriceWoods #GraphicDesign #DesignPodcast #BlackDesigners #MicrosoftDesign #UXDesign #CreativeCareers #InneractProject #DesignEducation #ArtSchoolGraduate #ProductDesign #CreativeJourney #DesignLeadership #RepresentationMatters #PodcastInterview

How do you go from making things in PowerPoint as a teenager… to building creative worlds for brands like Netflix, ESPN, and MasterClass?
In this episode of The Art School Graduate Podcast, Justin sits down with creative director and director Jaye Thompson to discuss his journey through design, advertising, storytelling, and creative identity.
From growing up outside Philadelphia to navigating the competitive world of visual communication, Jaye shares how curiosity, experimentation, and relentless creative growth shaped his path into the industry. This conversation explores the realities of agency life, the pressure to prove yourself, the transition into directing music videos, and what it truly means to create work that people feel.
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Jaye opens up about the early struggles of breaking into the industry, couch surfing while chasing opportunities in New York, learning how to balance creativity with sustainability in Los Angeles, and why collaboration is essential to building meaningful work.
The episode also dives deep into world-building, creative philosophy, cultural impact, and the future of storytelling across design, film, and music.
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In This Episode:
Discovering graphic design through PowerPoint and visual experimentation
Transitioning from athletics into a creative career
The realities of agency life and creative burnout
Building campaigns rooted in emotion and cultural insight
Why storytelling matters more than aesthetics
Creative direction, music videos, and world-building
The importance of collaboration in modern creativity
Developing confidence and finding your creative voice
How design can move beyond advertising into culture
What creative longevity actually requires
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About Jaye Thompson
Jaye Thompson is a Creative Director and Director whose work lives at the intersection of design, film, and culture. His projects span advertising, motion design, music videos, photography, and visual storytelling, with work connected to brands including Netflix, ESPN, MasterClass, The North Face, and more. Through his creative collective Wish You Well, Jaye is focused on experimentation, collaboration, and building emotionally driven creative experiences.
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Subscribe for More
The Art School Graduate Podcast features conversations with artists, designers, filmmakers, and creative leaders sharing real stories about building careers in art, design, culture, and creative industries.
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Follow Jaye Thompson
Website:  Jaye Thompson Official Website
Instagram: @jayethompson

What does it really take to walk away from a “safe” career and build a creative life?

In this episode of The Art School Graduate Podcast, Justin sits down with artist, designer, and hand lettering specialist Dan Lee, also known as DanDrawnWords. From earning both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in chemical engineering to leaving it all behind, Dan shares the honest story of choosing creativity over stability.

They talk about the tension between security and passion, the mindset required to pursue a creative career without a traditional path, and how Dan built his voice through lettering, storytelling, and community.

This conversation also dives into the deeper side of creativity—why human-made work still matters in the age of AI, how craft connects us to meaning, and why the most impactful work is often slow, intentional, and imperfect.
If you’ve ever questioned your path or felt pulled toward something more creative, this episode is for you.

💡 In This Episode:🎙️ About The Podcast
• Transitioning from engineering to a creative career
• Choosing creativity over stability
• Building a design career without art school
• The power of hand lettering and storytelling
• Creativity vs algorithms and AI
• Finding meaning through craft and community

🎙️ About The Podcast
The Art School Graduate Podcast explores the real journeys of creatives—sharing the wins, struggles, and breakthroughs behind building a life in art and design.

In this episode of The Art School Graduate Podcast, I sit down with Kaleena Sales, designer, educator, and author of Centered: People and Ideas Diversifying Design, to talk about how culture, identity, and lived experience shape the way we design.

Kaleena is the chair of the Department of Art and Design at Tennessee State University, where she teaches the next generation of designers at an HBCU. In this conversation, we explore how traditional design education has centered Eurocentric standards, and what it means to expand the canon to include Black culture, urban aesthetics, and underrepresented voices.

We also dive into:
* How the environment shapes visual taste and design choices
* The “mere exposure effect” and why we like what we see
* Teaching design at an HBCU vs traditional institutions
* The gap between design school and the real world
* Why “good design” is often based on biased standards
* Helping students embrace their identity in their work

If you are a designer, student, or creative trying to find your voice, this conversation will challenge how you think about design and push you to see your perspective as an advantage, not a limitation.

⸻🔑 Key Takeaway
Design is not neutral. Your culture, your environment, and your lived experience all shape the work you create, and that voice belongs in the conversation.
⸻📌 About the Podcast
The Art School Graduate Podcast explores the real journeys of creatives, from students to industry professionals, uncovering the truth behind building a creative career.

In this episode of Art School Graduate, we explore portrait photography, fashion photography, and the creative process behind making images that feel both timeless and contemporary. If you are a self-taught photographer, an emerging creative, or anyone trying to find your visual voice in a gate-kept industry, this conversation is full of real, actionable advice on how to build a creative career on your own terms.
Justin opens up about studying economics, working for seven years as a corporate data analyst, and only picking up a camera because he was editing at a fashion magazine and could not afford to hire the photographers he needed. From shooting friends in his Bronx apartment with natural light, his work has traveled to Red Hook Labs, Saatchi Gallery, Fotografiska, and Rencontres d'Arles, with covers including Keke Palmer for The Cut, A$AP Rocky, and Venus Williams for Cultured.
We go deep on how to find your photography style, how to direct A-list subjects past their public persona, why trust matters more than the perfect frame, and how to develop a portrait photography voice that lasts. Justin shares his honest take on how to shoot celebrities, how to build a portfolio without art school, and the responsibility self-taught photographers carry when their work reflects Black and LGBTQ+ communities.
This is a real conversation about how to become a photographer, how to find your creative voice, and how to navigate the photography industry as a self-taught artist who came in through the back door.

💡 Question for you: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received as a self-taught creative?

Drop it in the comments — I read every single one.

🎯 This episode is for you if:
You are a self-taught photographer trying to break into the industry
You want to learn how to become a photographer without an art school
You are looking for portrait photography tips and creative direction
You want to know how to develop your photography style and voice
You are trying to figure out how to shoot celebrities and high-profile subjects
You want honest advice on building a creative career as an emerging photographer
You are interested in Black photographers and underrepresented voices in fashion photography
You are navigating the line between commercial photography and fine art

🕐 Timestamps:00:00 Cold open00:36 Welcome and intro01:18 How to become a photographer without art school03:50 How an analyst background shapes his image-making06:30 When photography clicked as a real career08:30 Why portrait photography over street photography10:45 DIY photography setup and learning natural light13:45 Being a self-taught photographer in a gatekept industry22:00 How travel and culture shape your creative voice25:30 From Red Hook Labs to Saatchi Gallery and Fotografiska28:30 Reflecting on Antwaun Sargent and The New Black Vanguard30:45 How to develop your photography style and voice33:30 How to use historical references in modern photography38:50 How to make timeless images that still feel contemporary43:00 How to build trust with your subjects on set44:30 Photographing Black and LGBTQ+ communities with care46:40 What dignity in portrait photography really means49:00 How to direct celebrities like Keke Palmer and A$AP Rocky52:00 Subject, setting, or concept — what comes first54:00 What he has stopped trying to prove as a photographer55:30 How to maintain your voice in commercial photography57:00 Emotional security advice for emerging photographers1:02:00 Rapid fire round1:04:00 Photography as a labor and a craft1:06:00 Creating images that live beyond you1:07:00 Advice for self-taught photographers starting out1:09:30 The legacy he hopes his photography leaves1:10:30 What he would tell his younger self
🌐 Connect with Justin French:
Website: www.justin-french.com
Represented by: We Folk
Instagram: @justinfrench
🎨 Follow the Podcast:Instagram: @artschoolgraduate_podcast
Host: Justin Robinson