Lasso Studio Interview
In this conversation, Mack Garrison interviews Lindsay and Alan Lasseter, co-founders of Lasso Studio, about their journey in motion design and branding. They discuss their early experiences in the field, the challenges and joys of running a creative studio as a married couple, and the importance of authenticity in client relationships. The Lasseters share insights on their unique creative process, memorable projects, and the significance of trust and community in their work. They also reflect on their experiences with major clients like Apple and the lessons learned along the way, emphasizing the value of connection and collaboration in the creative industry.
Takeaways
Lasso Studios was founded in 2020 by Lindsay and Alan Lasseter.
Their early experiences in motion design shaped their creative journey.
Balancing work and family life is a priority for the Lasseters.
Authenticity is key in building client relationships.
Trust between clients and studios enhances project outcomes.
Memorable projects often stem from strong client connections.
The creative process is unique to each project and client.
Community and connection are vital in the creative industry.
Lessons from working with major clients can reshape studio practices.
Events like Dash Bash foster learning and collaboration among creatives.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Lasso Studios
02:02 Early Experiences in Motion Design
05:02 The Birth of Lasso Studios
07:07 Navigating Work-Life Balance as Partners
09:07 The Unique Style and Process of Lasso Studios
11:59 Authenticity in Client Relationships
15:09 Memorable Projects and Client Connections
19:47 The Importance of Trust in Client Partnerships
24:00 Lessons from Working with Major Clients
29:01 The Value of Community and Connection at Events
Transcript:
Mack Garrison (00:00)
Hey, what's up everyone? This is Mack Garrison, co-founder, director of content over at Dash, and we've got another speaker series interview with the talented studio, Lasso Studios, a husband and wife partners, Lindsey and Allen Laseter. They are co-founders and co-creative directors of Lasso Studio. I'm sure that doesn't get complicated. Co-creative directors, no butting heads there. Out of Nashville, Tennessee, since 2020, they've worked together to merge their passions and branding, design, and animation.
serving clients ranging from local clients and nonprofits they believe in to powerhouse brands, including Apple and more. As partners in both business and life, they are building their studio intentionally to balance raising a family, building the life they desire and creating a foundation that can hold steady when life shifts in major and unexpected ways. Ooh, I'm excited. Allen, Lindsey, so good to see you all. I know you both. Thank you so much for hanging out with us today and introducing yourself to the dash bash.
Audience.
Lasso (00:58)
Absolutely. Thanks for having us, Mack, and inviting us to the Dash Bash. This will be our first time. Yeah.
Mack Garrison (01:02)
Is this really your first time? my gosh. One,
disappointed you haven't been before. But two, incredibly excited that y'all are gonna be joining us this year. I think folks are really in for a treat. I've known you both now for a long time. Lindsey, you and I are in the producers channel. We talk regularly. And Allen, I swear Allen, I tried to hire you for like years. You're the most booked up freelance contractor I've ever met in my life. I think literally for five years Dash tried to hire you and we were never able to do it because you're always booked up.
Lasso (01:31)
Yeah.
Mack Garrison (01:32)
Well, let's hop into it. I'd be curious from y'all's perspective. It's always interesting to me in motion design because it's such an eclectic mix of people from different backgrounds who kind of find their way into this space. I'd be curious from y'all's perspective, what are some of those earliest moments of motion design? When did you kind of realize, this is a cool field to be in? And I could toss that. We'll start off with you, Allen, and then we can go over to you, Lindsey.
Lasso (01:58)
Yeah, think my first, my truly first experience with motion was actually, I was just kind of thinking about this earlier, was working with a company I used to work for full time. That's right. Red Pepper, here in Nashville, and I didn't really know what I was doing, but I had a friend who knew After Effects and he had shown me a little bit of stuff and Red Pepper needed someone to just like make some little graphics move for like a...
Mack Garrison (02:13)
nice.
Lasso (02:28)
type video for some company and so I like jumped into like some really kind of simple what is it kinetic type kind of stuff so that was kind of like yes totally yeah and so I kind of that was like kind of my first kind of dipping my toe into the waters kind of memory and then my
Mack Garrison (02:38)
yeah, classic, classic. It's the gateway animation to animation is kinetic type.
Lasso (02:55)
My first full-on motion experience was doing some intro titles for a Google conference in Nashville in, what was that, 2013 or something like that, That was another thing where I had just a little bit of experience. The project fell into my lap and I was just thrown to the deep end. That was like it.
Mack Garrison (03:05)
wow.
Was your background always
design, Allen? Did it start kind of with design and creative and then there was this kind of like moment or two that you got into the motion side of it?
Lasso (03:26)
I was more like specifically like live-action like I really wanted to like be a director like for like live-action like film that kind of thing and I just kind of yeah stumbled into motion through that.
Mack Garrison (03:28)
Mmm, okay.
super cool. And I feel like I feel like everyone's got that friend. It's like, hey, look at this cool thing I made. You want to do something similar? You're like, yeah, that sounds kind of fun. How about how about you, Lindsey? What was kind of your early experience with the animation space?
Lasso (03:43)
Total it. Yeah.
Yeah, I mean, honestly, it came through Allen. We met at art school and we literally lived across the hall from each other. And that's how we got introduced. And Allen was studying film and I was studying graphic design. We both had transferred into college. This was kind of like our second go around, right? Of like the first thing we were both studying. Allen originally studied graphic design, though, too. So I think it's interesting all the overlapping. And so, yeah, really for motion.
Mack Garrison (03:54)
nice.
Okay
Lasso (04:17)
And I think what I remember most was like recognizing how much power that could have. Like he mentioned the agency job that I had more in the advertising realm. But what was really cool for me in experiencing it was seeing Allen's shift and discovering it was something that he really loved and recognizing like it was a direction that he could take because.
Mack Garrison (04:34)
Mm.
Lasso (04:39)
Just being able to watch him develop his skills for it was really my real introduction. And yeah, like to your point of like someone sharing what's inspiring them, I feel like that was a really special way to be introduced to it and to get really inspired by a world that was definitely not my own.
Mack Garrison (04:53)
I love that.
What was the college that y'all met at?
Lasso (04:57)
It's called Watkins College of Art and Design and Film. Yeah, yeah.
Mack Garrison (04:59)
How cool. Nice. Do they still
have the art design program and all that stuff still run strong? Cool.
Lasso (05:05)
They do. I'm actually teaching
my first class there. They're part of Belmont University now and so yeah it feels fun to be kind of back into yeah college world.
Mack Garrison (05:14)
That's super fun. That's great. You go find a major that you love and you find a life partner. I feel like that's a, that's a huge win from going to school. So that's great. So y'all are, y'all are dating, you're creative, you're doing all this stuff. When was kind of this moment that was like, maybe, maybe we should start a studio. Maybe we make this more. Cause if I'm not mistaken, you were both kind of independent contractors for a bit, or maybe Lindsey, you were in house for full time. Like when was it this idea of like, let's, let's pull together a studio.
Lasso (05:22)
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean it was 2020 and I think for most people that was when like life, like oh life could be different kind of revelations came up and so for us I think a big reason was we had had our daughter at that point and I did have like worked in agency, boutique studio, in-house as a creative director and
was working freelance for probably about six months before that. And it was like proof to us of like, we can work in the same space, like, and know that we could still have a good relationship. And so really an opportunity came to us very beginning of 2020 for rebranding Nashville Design Week. And yeah, it was really a casual, I was telling Allen about it and it was like, wow, it would be really fun to take like what we just genuinely love.
Mack Garrison (06:25)
Fun.
Lasso (06:34)
being like branding and identity systems and motion and illustration. And there was so much freedom with that project. It really was a dream in that way of like a lot of trust. We are getting to create something that is for the creative community itself. And so there was so much freedom. And I think that was honestly the best way that it could have started out for us.
Mack Garrison (06:52)
Nice. It's
always good when it starts on like a project that you really love, right? And when it goes smoothly, you're really proud of it. You're like, dang, could I just do this more? Like, how do I do this more? You know, I find it so interesting, just being partners and working together. You know, how do y'all navigate that work life balance? Is it one of those things where like you kind of leave work at work and when you're off, it's like, look, we can't talk about the same work because we always talk about work. Or is it just part of life that that is just always around and y'all kind of just lean into that?
Lasso (07:01)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, we kind of, think it's just kind of a juggle and we go in, you know, ups and downs of like being really good at the, you know, leaving work at work thing. And then we get into times where it becomes all consuming, you know, just kind of depending on how busy things are and what any given project requires. But the ideal is, we keep our work to pretty specific work hours. And, you know, we try to like be pretty intentional about hanging out as a family.
as much time as we possibly can and in those times work just doesn't come up naturally and then by the time we put our kids to bed we're like we can't we don't have any bandwidth to talk about work. it kind of lends itself to having a natural separation there.
Mack Garrison (07:51)
Sure
That's good. I'm glad
y'all aren't like that super, super couple that's just like on point all the time. Cause like I get home and I have to disconnect. just talk all day, do stuff all day. I'll just like, you know, veg out on the couch with my phone. So glad to know that y'all are human as well and doing that too.
Lasso (08:15)
Yeah, it's been interesting just like over the years learning how to communicate with each other in that way and like even helping each other of like remembering like hey this is not the time for this like we can move this to tomorrow and and supporting each other too of like we really did start the studio so that we could have like this balance that wasn't existing previously and so it's nice to be able to support each other in that.
Mack Garrison (08:24)
Yeah.
I love that. Well, I got y'all's website pulled up and I'm try to do my best to describe what I'm looking at on y'all's work to audiences listening to this. But you you have such like a funky style and I don't know how to describe this other than it one is incredibly unique. It feels old but modern, right? You're tapping into this kind of retro feel but it also feels really progressive and forward focus. It's such a good unique mixture of like compositions but there's such a sense of brand.
and branding that comes into it, of course, as being a brand studio and emotion studio. You know, how do you all I'm so curious about y'all's process, you know, because I think there's a lot of typical motion studios out there that might feel a little bit similar on their process. But for a group that has such keen insight on branding, maybe you could walk me through just like what does it look like on a project when you get something and it may be a high level.
Lasso (09:34)
I mean, it really depends on the client and on the end result. And that puts us into like, okay, who's owning since we're both creative directors and deciding like how that should go about. really, I think.
There is so much behind the scenes of like the years that both of us have been like honing in and especially for Allen as like the illustration that he brings and just his unique approach to motion. It feels like there's a lot of beauty of the work that's been building to that so that it can come more naturally in our process now. And we definitely like whether it's like a brand forward or a motion forward project, like we're like, okay, this is essentially the steps that we're gonna start moving in towards. But really, I think one of the big
things is connecting to the intent of the project, connecting deeply to the clients and creating a good flow with them. then, I mean really for the creative, I think one of the most important things is trying to get into the mindset and the flow where we can actually trust our own instincts.
Mack Garrison (10:30)
Mm-mm.
I love that. Anything you wanna add to that, Allen?
Lasso (10:34)
Yeah, I feel like one of the other things that kind of makes our process unique is that like, think, and this is something we're still kind of trying to figure out is...
Because when we first started, really saw ourselves, what was exciting to us was being able to not be a studio that does motion and also branding, but have those things integrated from the very beginning. And we've had a few projects like that, but obviously it's a little bit more of a niche kind of, you know.
market I guess for that. So that kind of makes things interesting. like when we don't have a project like that, like how do we keep like, how do we keep it like collaborative and working together as opposed to like, well you go do this, I'll go do this kind of thing. So that is something that we're kind of constantly having to think about a lot. Sure.
Mack Garrison (11:02)
Yeah.
Mmm.
Honestly, I think everyone is to a certain degree on like systems and process
type stuff. It's one of those things like you're like, you find something, it works super well, you keep doing it then you're kind of at this new place where you're doing new work and you're like, man, maybe we need to tweak this a little bit, right? I think something that I get from both of y'all just immediately is just so much authenticity, just even in our conversation today, I've met both of you in person, you are who you say you are, I can just get the vibe of how it's like working with you.
You know, how much do you feel like that aspect of it plays in, you know, to the work you do? Like if someone's out there thinking about starting their own studio, like, do you feel like it's pretty important to kind of understand just like your vibe and how you work and kind of your personality equally as as important as the work that you do?
Lasso (12:07)
Absolutely. I think that is one of the key components of like when people are hiring you like they're not just hiring your studio they're hiring like the essence of what you're bringing and what the relationship while you're working together can be like so I think that is such a key component.
And yeah, I remember like early days of my career and you know, places that I dreamed of working and eventually did get to work where they were just like, really, I want, you know, ideally we're not working together late at night on a project. Those times come sometimes and I want to work with someone that I'm going to have like just really good feelings about. Like we get to make that choice. So yeah, absolutely.
Mack Garrison (12:38)
Right.
I love that. go ahead, Allen.
Lasso (12:51)
Well, no, no, yeah, I don't have much to add other than for me it just kind of comes down to I think I think of it, try to keep it simple and just try to be honest in every part of life. And this mode where you start feeling like you have to perform or project a certain image, it just puts so much pressure on you. And so for me, it's like, yeah, just...
It's like hard sometimes because even when you're trying to like there's like a trap you can fall into where it's like well I want to be seen as authentic and so then you're like Doing a little dance to like make people think wow. I'm so honest I just try to like and I think we've kind of built this into our city like just try to be honest like in everything whether we're talking to a client whether we're talking to other
studio owners or whatever. A lot of the stuff kind of falls into its place itself if you just kind of approach it.
Mack Garrison (13:44)
falls into his place
or falls flat. feel like I've made some jokes on some like corporate client calls and they're nothing there. I'm like, okay. It's a test.
Lasso (13:49)
Yeah, there you go. There is always that. But even that, I
mean, I would rather that than like have to, again, like uphold this like kind of image, kind of project. Yeah.
Mack Garrison (13:57)
Right, man, that's so accurate, that's so honest and
so much truth to that. here's a good question for y'all. You we talked about the Nashville Design Week and just how that felt like such a good project and a perfect fit for y'all and really was a jumping point into becoming Lasso. I'm curious, looking back at your career thus far, if there's any other projects you're really proud of, either from a creative standpoint or just that.
client relationship we're talking about where the work looked good. Maybe it wasn't the best out there, but there was such a good relationship that was really enjoyable. Anything else stick out to you all besides the Nashville Design Week project.
Lasso (14:30)
Yeah, I've got my answer. I'm curious what yours would be. The thing that's come into mind is it's funny because it's one of the projects that we had a little bit lighter kind of involvement in.
at least in proportion to all the work that was done with it because it was kind of a collaboration of different creative studios in Nashville but really cool little wine bar restaurant in Nashville called Bad Idea. got to collaborate with some super amazing creative people here in town and like a lot of our work and before we started our studio like the...
huge majority of my work as a freelancer was with people outside of Nashville, which is awesome. And I still am so thankful for the ability to be able to work with people all over the world. But there's something really cool about doing some work for a place in town that's trying to do something cool in and of itself and like seeing the work come to life, like in brick and mortar and seeing people that you live close to like interact with in that kind of way. So that's been, that's been a really cool one for me. Yeah.
Mack Garrison (15:23)
I love that.
Lasso (15:24)
Yeah, honestly, like the first time that we went and like actually had a date and ate there. Because from the first time we had the conversation with the owner, Alex, he actually reached out to us because of Nashville Design Week. That's how he found out about us.
Mack Garrison (15:36)
cool, nice.
Lasso (15:37)
It was just a perfect example of someone who is like, we want what you do. I want what you do and I'm just going to trust you to do it. And it was really encouraging too, just to witness him as a client doing that with so many other people that are a big part of the Nashville creative community and people that we consider good friends. So yeah, I would definitely agree with that one.
Mack Garrison (15:57)
I feel like it's one of those things and I'm sure you all have been asked this question as well. I think every creative kind of gets asked it at certain point. What is, who's your dream client? Who is the ideal client you want to work with? And my answer, and it sounds like I would echo the same sentiment is always like, it's less about like the industry or the client. It's like, is there trust?
Do we have a good working relationship? Because you can make anything exciting and fun if there's that partnership of like, let's get into it. I love your style. This is what I know about it. This is what I our customers want. And you have that back and forth. That trust is so key.
Lasso (16:29)
Yeah.
100%. And I think it's been fascinating, like all the different types of clients that we've been fortunate to work with and being able to channel in to that element. And I think that you can, as we've been doing this over the years, it's like we can like tell, you know, even from like very first conversation of, you know, is that there, knowing what questions to ask, and then if it's not a good fit, like sending them to someone who we think it would be like really great for what they need. And so yeah, it's.
that's so important and it's such a gift when you have it.
Mack Garrison (17:02)
There's such a vibe on that initial conversation and I love that. I wanna pull that thread a little bit. What are some of the questions that you ask right up front that you feel like kind of sets the tone on like whether this could be a good relationship or not? Is there any that come to mind? It's like a go-to question y'all ask over and over.
Lasso (17:18)
Yeah, I think it really is more like getting a personal connection to them of, know, we've tested and I handle like new business development and connecting to our clients and potential clients. So letting it be like less formal, honestly, is where I feel like it helps a lot. And just really just asking questions and letting them speak and not controlling the conversation so much and, you know, letting it...
letting them dive into like, why do you want to do this? Why does it matter? Like being able to connect to them personally as a human, I think is really important of again, kind of that vibe check of like, hey, if we're going to be working together for like months on end, like what's it going to be like for us to talk each day? And oftentimes you really can get a sense of that right away. And even just knowing like confidence level and clarity for them. And is it a space where like we can support them and just really getting that like energy along?
which I think really helps because yeah, we would we've definitely had projects where we've started to move forward in the conversations of working together and that there's essentially just a series of flags of like hey I don't know that that we are really the best partner for this and even just protecting our our time and energy more to know like sometimes even the largest budgets are not worth it if it's gonna spend our lives and our days into chaos
Mack Garrison (18:35)
Yes.
It's also, think
this like scarcity mindset that unfortunately exists for a lot of us or people who are just starting their own studio or freelance career that are listening to this. It's like, is that next one there? If I say no to this one, is that okay? And I think all three of us would agree that you have to recognize those flags and act on it. And our regrets that we have from our careers, I would surmise come from the one we didn't react to those red flags that we saw.
Lasso (19:04)
Yes,
absolutely. Yeah, and like you said something a minute ago about thinking, because I think it's so easy to when there's like a prospective project coming in, you think about the point of signing the contract and locking in the project and you never think about like, yeah, day after day for a long time working on it. Like it took me forever to actually start remembering that that's most of what we're doing is like working with other people. It's not about just winning the project.
Mack Garrison (19:31)
Yes.
Lasso (19:32)
So yeah, that's definitely cool.
Mack Garrison (19:32)
Makes you a little bit more, critical is not the word, but just focused on the right partnerships. Because again, like you said, Allen, like you're gonna be working with them for a couple of months at a time, potentially. It's like you wanna make sure you enjoy that relationship. You know, one thing I didn't ask y'all earlier, I meant to ask about LASA, where does the name come from? I'm so curious. And you got to put y'all on the spot here, because I know some names sometimes just sound fun, and that's totally reasonable.
Lasso (19:38)
own.
Yeah.
Mack Garrison (19:56)
but I'm really curious if there is any, y'all are a brand studio. I feel like it last though has to come from someone.
Lasso (20:01)
Yeah, it definitely does. Yeah, it sounds so silly. Yeah, my friends kind of used to jokingly call me Lasso because my last name was Laseter in high school.
Mack Garrison (20:12)
sick. I was hoping like, I was like, I used to be a cowboy and totally was just gonna
live out less be a cowboy.
Lasso (20:19)
Yeah, that would be cooler. yeah, I think, yeah, I don't remember. I think I maybe started...
I don't know, it was always kind like in the back of my mind. I don't actually remember when we said we should use that as our studio name. Well, it's funny because yeah, like as a branding studio, it's like we even support brands who are considering like, what should we name our company or our product or things like that? And so I think there was kind of a beauty to the fact that like we didn't, we didn't overthink it to that nth degree. Like it felt fun where we did worry or overthink it was like there was another Lasso Studio
in a country that I can't pronounce, but it looked like they had not been operating for a really long time. So for a period, we even just considered, we were like, all right, we're husband and wife, what if we were just the Lasseters? Which I'm so glad that we didn't move forward with that. And honestly, we give credit to one of our friends because they just started calling us Lasso as a duo. Yeah, because Lasso was always there, but it's like, we actually did, so we spent a lot of time like...
Mack Garrison (21:08)
haha
fine.
Lasso (21:21)
trying to go through like a real naming process. There's something about coming up with a new name. It just feels like too, it feels like overthought and like too random. then you're like, just not that Lasso is like inherently any better than any of the other names we came up with, but just the fact that it's kind of has a history. It's like, it just feels more natural. And yeah, like our friends saying, just go with Lasso. It's like hearing it from the outside. Yeah.
Mack Garrison (21:23)
Mmm.
Mm-hmm.
Honestly, I feel like it's kind of that push you need to
have a friend to like take you out of your bubble and be like, look, it's a great name. Just roll with it. Even for us, we had a late great friend, Andrew, who was like, we told him we were flirting with these different names. We were like, all right, we're thinking about Dash. And he's like, oh, there's the day you're born, the day you die. Dash is what happens in between. I'm like, yeah, well, that. But the reality was my business partner Cory and I, couldn't agree on a damn name.
Lasso (21:53)
Yeah.
Love that.
Mack Garrison (22:15)
we kicked around like 300 and we got to that point, we're like sick, know, dash works. So sometimes you need that, that friend to give you that little sidekick of like, you're in the right place.
Lasso (22:18)
Yeah. Yes.
Yeah, it's like the same as like when you're trying to name your kid. And so I'm glad that ultimately it was like, it just feels good. And yeah, I think that that could even just connect back to like how we want like our work to feel and how we want our clients to feel even like, yes, that feels right. It feels good.
Mack Garrison (22:28)
Mmm.
Yeah.
Well, I love that you're like tying it
together, right? We're bringing everyone around on this project. Last one it up. I love it. I love it. Although I would have loved it more if you, one of you was a cowboy. I will say that going back to it, but yeah, that's true.
Lasso (22:51)
We at least live in Nashville, so it's like the automatic connection that
most people outside of the city have, so we've got that in a way.
Mack Garrison (22:59)
So I'm, to change the subject a little bit, I'm really curious. One question I've been asking on these interviews is just about some stories in our industry. Both of you all have been working in this space for a long time. And one of my favorite things about attending conferences like the bash and others is just connecting with other creatives, finding out some stories that they have, like you'll never believe this client one time or we worked on this crazy thing.
Good, bad, or anything in between, I'm curious if you have a story you could share about a project that was either like crazy hard to get done or something just unheard of that you're working on. Any stories kind of bubble up to the top that maybe you could share on here, even if you disguise some names.
Lasso (23:39)
Yeah, mean, absolutely. I think one that comes to mind is the first time we ever worked with Apple. And it was, you know, one interesting thing in starting the studio and that I think that we continue to work through is even just our own mindset of like, we are a studio and we're capable of like doing all that we dream of doing. And even just...
you know, hoping that we could have opportunities with clients at like a larger scale who really value creativity, especially in the way that they do. Like those are ideal clients for us. And so it was interesting timing because I was pregnant with our second child and that that year, you know, we really, it was the first time that we were going to like create our own maternity leave as a company and knowing like, okay, this is, this is a big thing. This is something that we really want.
And so something that was really beautiful about that timing was, you we had created the plan and the vision for what we wanted that to look like. And we needed like a solid project to land within a certain time period and experiencing the fear of like, what is going to land? When is it going to come? And then the beauty of like it, the way that the email and the inquiry came in and the relationship, and then even the beauty of how that team worked with us, because the truth was I was
pregnant and our son was going to come, clearly in pregnancy, it's very hard to say it's going to happen on this date. So from the producer side being like, we just need to be like super clear with you of like, we're planning to shut the studio down for two weeks whenever the baby does come, but we can't tell you, you know, when that is going to happen. And so just like laying that all out at the beginning and experiencing that fear for ourselves, right? Of like, what if us kind of taking away what a studio would typically offer?
Mack Garrison (25:20)
Hmm.
Lasso (25:24)
which is like we're gonna get this project done by X-State.
Mack Garrison (25:24)
Mm-hmm.
Lasso (25:27)
And the beauty of that project was how just human and joyful they all were for us. Like they were thrilled for us. And that was just one beautiful example of how those partnerships can really support like the life that we actually wanted and allowing that project to flow. And it's one that like we're super proud of, but that, you know, just based on the nature of the project and white labels and all those, like it's not one that we've gotten to share before. But that was like a really, I think a much
Mack Garrison (25:51)
Hmm.
Lasso (25:54)
more personal but like really special project that we've experienced.
Mack Garrison (25:58)
I love that so much. I feel like there's always a fear. I think we all navigate this as creatives, because whether it's you have a boss in your in-house, you're a freelancer working for a client, you're running a studio, dealing with clients, there's always this fear as if we don't do something that we might not get the opportunity to do it again, or it has to be handled a certain way.
You know, it's such a refreshing conversation to hear that story and that Apple treated you all that way. I'm sure that it probably shifted your perspective on what is a purple. Like have you guys gone from that conversation? Has it shifted your mentality even on other projects? It's like, wow, if Apple is doing XYZ, we should have the standard with everyone. If that standard was different before. Have you felt a change since that project on how you treat other projects and handle other clients?
Lasso (26:48)
I I think even we were trying to do that beforehand, but I think there was something unique about how big that project and even just like the opportunity with a more well-known client name was, but that that really was getting to practice, like being honest about who we are. Like we are a husband and wife team and we scale up based on the scale of the project that we have.
And so I think just knowing, like we can be honest about who we are. We can set really clear boundaries too of like this is what we're doing or this is what needs to happen. And so continuing to like build that confidence and to know that we can do it for other clients too.
Mack Garrison (27:25)
I love that, love that so much. If anyone's listening to this podcast, which we hope people are, I don't even know, is this a podcast? Is it a vidcast? It's all of the above, check D, right? I'd love to get y'all's pitch on someone who's maybe on the fence of buying a bash ticket, thinking about coming to see y'all. Why should someone come see Lasso? Why should they come hang with Allen and Lindsey? What are you guys gonna talk about at the event, you think?
Lasso (27:33)
It's all these things.
I think it kind of did again kind of go back to what we talking about earlier. I mean the goal is just to be as honest as possible and to try because you know this is really fun. think this is what's so interesting about this event is that we're kind of trying to focus on and my understanding is that in general like we're kind of trying to focus more on you know the true like authentic part of you know what doing this work is like.
And you know, as a studio, like, you know, it's like we have kind of a mixed, it's okay if we're get this honest here, but there's kind of a mixed like motivation where it's like we want to come and be totally honest. But also, yeah, it's like we want just in general, not just at this event, but more people to know our name.
to get more work and form more relationships and stuff. So it's like going to be a really interesting balance, I think, of like being totally honest, but also like, I don't know, like how honest do you want to be and not like scare people off, you know, because we're messy. It's messy humans.
Mack Garrison (28:48)
We want the field
to continue. People need to continue to start studios and stuff. We don't want to be, you know, tell them how hard it is sometimes.
Lasso (28:53)
Yeah. But it's
like to me, I don't know, to me that's the most interesting thing. Like meeting anyone, hearing anyone talk is just like hearing the truest thing they can say about themselves. So I don't know. To me, I think that's the reason of self to come and hear not only us, but hopefully a bunch of other people talk about the real, the real part of all this stuff. Yeah.
Mack Garrison (29:13)
And it is the real
part about all this. Go ahead, Lindsey.
Lasso (29:15)
Yeah, I just going to add, I think the beauty of these types of events is, you know, clearly you're drawn to it for a certain reason and the people who are speaking are essentially like an expander for things that are possible. you know, our goal, like Allen said, is like, it is messy. It is messy to do the work. It's messy to be a parent. It's messy to work with other human beings in your own studio and other like just clients. And so I think like we were honored to be asked and I think that it felt
It felt like a level up moment of like, like we have been working really hard and getting the chance to like share the real behind the scenes, I think is a real gift. And just allowing people to see here's how they handled it. Here is what I'm drawn to. Here's what I know I want to do in my life right now. Like I've been thinking about that so much lately, especially teaching like these students that are about to graduate and like go out into the world and just being able to really zero in on what matters to you and connecting to people who are.
gonna like you know kind of help you step into that next version even when it feels scary and so I hope in a small way like we can do that just by sharing what what's happened for us so far.
Mack Garrison (30:22)
I love it so much. Community, connection, reconnecting, learning from one another. It's what's so important and what keeps our relationships with other peers so strong in this industry. Thanks everyone for tuning in today. Been chatting with Lindsey and Allen Laseter who are the co-founders and Creative Directors at Lasso Studio, an amazing brand and animation shop based out of Nashville. We cannot wait to have you at the Dash Bash. If you have not got your ticket yet, it's June 11th through 13th, 2025.
We're having an optional third day of workshops this year, two full day of speakers and hangouts. There'll be parties, there'll be plenty of time to network and really just learn a thing or two from one another, which is what it's all about. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today, y'all. Great chatting and can't wait to see you all this summer.
Lasso (31:05)
See you soon!
Mack Garrison (31:07)
See
ya.
Lo Harris Interview
In this engaging conversation, Lo Harris, a multidisciplinary artist, shares her unconventional journey into the creative world, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, joy, and the power of imperfection. She discusses her experiences in motion design, illustration, and the significance of world-building in her work. Lo encourages aspiring creatives to embrace their unique paths, follow their muses, and navigate the ever-changing landscape of creativity with confidence and openness.
Takeaways
Creativity has no conventional start; every journey is unique.
Limitations can enhance creativity and innovation.
It's essential to use the resources you have at hand.
You don't need permission to pursue your creative passions.
Authenticity and joy should be at the core of your work.
Embrace a multidisciplinary approach to creativity.
Follow your muse and act on your creative impulses.
Don't be afraid to change and evolve as an artist.
The digital landscape offers various ways to express creativity.
Collaboration and community are vital for growth in the creative field.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Lo Harris and Her Artistry
02:57 The Unconventional Journey of a Creative
06:03 Finding Your Creative Voice
09:08 The Power of Imperfection in Creativity
11:54 Embracing Multidisciplinarity
14:53 The Importance of Authenticity and Joy
17:53 World Building and Representation in Art
20:59 Navigating Change in the Creative Landscape
23:51 Advice for Aspiring Creatives
26:55 Inspiration from Iconic Creatives
29:59 Teasing Future Projects and Engagements
Transcript:
Mack Garrison (00:00)
Hey, what's up y'all? Mack Garrison here with Dash Studio and we've got another Dash Bash video interview series and I'm sitting here with the talented Lo Harris who is a multi-disciplinary artist known for her bold, colorful and empowering artwork that celebrates confidence, authenticity and the power within each of us.
Her vibrant characters and affirming messages radiate positivity, inspiring everyone to embrace themselves and uplift their communities. And I feel uplifted just in our pre-conversation, Lo, welcome to the podcast, the video cast, whatever we're calling this interview series. Of course, now I know we tried to get you at the second dash bash, but I think we ran into a little bit of an illness. So we are all thrilled to have you back this summer, healthy.
Lo Harris (00:32)
Thank you for having me, Mack.
Mack Garrison (00:44)
wealthy with wisdom and everything that comes along with that.
Lo Harris (00:48)
Last year my
tummy was turning. I woke up, I was looking at my suitcase and it was looking at me back and I said, I should not be on another plane.
Mack Garrison (00:55)
It was like, absolutely not. You're not
on this plane today. I totally get that. I totally get that. You know, I was looking around, gearing up for this interview and I did a little sleuthing. I had to look you up a little bit, find some other interviews. And one that I found that really stuck out to me was this piece through Adobe. It was, do you do, Harris? You know, and it was this piece where I think they were interviewing a little bit. And one thing you mentioned in there was this idea of being kind of, and having an unconventional start. Maybe you could have,
start there and explain to me a little bit of this unconventional start into this creative world that you are in.
Lo Harris (01:31)
appreciate that. So it's so funny because my attitudes towards how my career started have actually changed since that interview where I used to feel like what I was doing was unconventional. And then I was just like, who's start is conventional? Like there's no such thing as a conventional start when it comes to creativity. Like you just get in and you do what you do. And like that creative energy is something that...
There are many ways to manifest it. For some people, manifesting it comes through going to a portfolio school, you know, doing the whole thing. For some people, it comes from just jumping into the deep end and making things because you want to. And both...
avenues are valid because everything about creativity, they're all just tools. Like motion design is just a tool, right? And there's no gatekeeping tools. How you use your tool is different. There are about 80 million ways to do something in After Effects, like whether it's through plugin or through just various, you know, different things. Sometimes there are things that I need to do in Photoshop that I do in After Effects instead, because I'm like more comfortable editing a photo in After Effects.
Mack Garrison (02:24)
Yes.
You know, I
have been there as well too embarrassingly I've brought stuff into After Effects that forgotten how to do it in Photoshop So I'm right there with you Lo
Lo Harris (02:41)
Yes, yes,
really like my Photoshop card has been declined. So I need to get back into that. But in terms of my start, so I started out, I'm going really, really far back. So yes, so I grew up in Bessemer, Alabama.
Mack Garrison (02:57)
Let's take it back all the way to the beginning. love it.
Lo Harris (03:03)
I was born in Chicago. I moved to Bessemer, Alabama when I was in kindergarten. When I went to Alabama, you know, I had always been a little bit into creativity, but it wasn't until my mom...
heard about or she didn't just hear about it. She actually knew about it already. This school called the Alabama School of Fine Arts. It's a public school. Anyone can and you have to apply. Anyone can apply. They have room and board for students who live farther away. It's a really cool experience in the Southeast. And while I attended that school from the seventh grade to the 12th grade, I had the opportunity to study creative writing in the creative writing department. And the curriculum was modeled
very similarly to the Iowa Writers Workshop. So we would really be reading, critiquing, reading contemporary poets, not just like the English literature classics and analyzing each other's prose. And so the foundation of my storytelling and learning how to tell critique, learning how to take critique really came from my experience there. And they had a visual arts department, but I was not a visual arts student. So I always put this boundary around myself
Mack Garrison (03:49)
Hmm.
Lo Harris (04:15)
where I would, you know, I'd be in the back of class and I'll be like huddling over my desk and I'll be drawing like this, cause I don't want anybody to see what I'm doing, cause I'm not one of the real visual artists. And it wasn't until later that I learned, like that's kind of like, you know, not accurate, like you can do whatever you want, but.
Mack Garrison (04:25)
Sure, right.
100
% these preconceived notions of what art is and what an artist looks like basically,
Lo Harris (04:38)
Exactly. I started with creative writing, then I ended up going to Northwestern to study journalism.
I realized that journalistic writing is just not my ministry. It's just not for me. It's dry. And I understand why it has to be dry because you got to get the facts right. But I was like, that is not my ministry. But what I fell in love with was video storytelling. And I was convinced that I was going to be a shooter, editor, video producer and go down that route. But then I ended up falling into this cool sub genre of video journalism, which was motion design. At the time when I was in
Mack Garrison (04:50)
Mmm.
Sure.
Mm.
Lo Harris (05:16)
college, Vox videos were super popular and I was incredibly inspired by the ways that they were able to take complex stories and distill them into these really informative animations and really kind of take what people in traditional production environments might consider like a flaw in production and really use animation to make it fit. Like, you know, maybe we're doing a zoom interview and it's put into a beautiful frame and people can forgive the audio because it's like they feel like they're a part of the UI in some way. It makes it
that
makes sense. And I really enjoyed how motion design could elevate storytelling. And my school did not have any sort of curriculum around motion design in place already. So everything I learned, I learned through internships and through YouTube University.
Mack Garrison (05:55)
Mmm.
wow. There we go. We've all been
a part of that one for sure.
Lo Harris (06:06)
Yes,
we love a YouTube university. Got my little play button, graduation cap and sash. But I ended up landing an internship at the New York Times. And that was kind of one of the first times that I got to do motion design. I actually applied for a role as like a video editing intern. And I put in one motion design, real thing. And they said, we don't want you for that other thing, but you got more of that motion design stuff. And I said, and I didn't, but I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I do.
Mack Garrison (06:25)
Cool.
Lo Harris (06:36)
and then I like raced home and I was like, I need to figure out like how to make something. Like, let me just pull some stats from this website and try to animate the stats and show them that. And so I hustled and told you all.
Mack Garrison (06:45)
Wait a minute, wait
a minute. So you went home and you were like, crap, they need more of a reel from this. And you basically pseudo made a reel of something that didn't exist and just cobbled together little elemental pieces to get that job. Yes, I love it.
Lo Harris (06:56)
I was like, I
don't got that dog in me no more. I'm I'm in my 30s now, in my 20s. I was like, okay.
Mack Garrison (07:02)
Well, I'm so glad
you said that because like, and not to pause you, and this is such a good story, but I feel like there's this perception that things have to be perfect to land that next gig or next opportunity. You just had to be pulling together what looks like positions you in the right place, right? You don't have that perfect reel. That's okay. You don't have a million pieces to show. That's okay. Let's pull together what I need for this moment right now. Might not be perfect, but who knows what's gonna happen.
Lo Harris (07:29)
It's about timing. It's about saying, listen, and exactly, it's never gonna be perfect. If you're waiting for perfection, you're never gonna pull the trigger because perfection doesn't exist.
Mack Garrison (07:40)
Right. Well said.
Lo Harris (07:41)
You have to
use what you got in the kitchen. Like you're not gonna not eat. okay, if you're living through a famine and you have like X amount of food in your kitchen, you're not gonna like not find something to make because, well, it's not the perfect lasagna. No, you're gonna make water lasagna. You're gonna pull together things out of that kitchen. You're gonna make the beans. You're gonna make it the best pot of beans you ever had because that's the option that you have.
Mack Garrison (08:00)
Yeah, that's right. You don't like beans. That's all right. You're going to eat some beans and toast. You know, it's just as what it is.
That's right.
Lo Harris (08:11)
I think creativity is no different where creativity actually thrives through those limitations. And so, you know, the limitation of me being like, I'm a student, I only have so much. It's like, hey, I'm just going to go and I'm going to shoot my shot. And I ended up getting my first internship at the New York Times in Motion Design. And from there, I ended up going to a couple of other places. I joined the NBC page program because I wasn't sure if motion design was for me, because I, again, I didn't go to a portfolio school, so I didn't know if I was competitive or not.
and it was like a specter that haunted me throughout the program because now I was like, that's the page that knows how to do after effects. Put her on this assignment, put her on that assignment. So after NBC page program, I joined NBC news as an associate animator. And it was in my first year, a little bit after my first year anniversary at that organization that I ended up going viral on Instagram for illustration.
Mack Garrison (09:08)
nice.
Lo Harris (09:10)
So my illustration portfolio, or I guess my Instagram, I actually started an illustration Instagram because I used to love to draw back in high school, like I told you, but I would always be hiding my drawing and I didn't feel connected to it. So I decided, hey, how about you go, you reconnect with your inner child and you start to draw again. You stopped in college, just start to draw again, do something fun. One of my coworkers gave me this book by Lisa Congdon called,
Mack Garrison (09:21)
Sure.
Lo Harris (09:39)
find your artistic voice, something to that effect. I think it's in my inspiration library here on my desk. But I was reading that book and I said, well, I can find my artistic voice too. And I started drawing and I actually named my account Lo Harris because I didn't want my friends who knew me as Lauren to see me just trying to draw.
Mack Garrison (10:01)
really, it was like too much to put yourself out there like that? That's so funny.
Lo Harris (10:04)
Yeah, had,
Lo Harris was like my Superman Clark Kent kind of identity thing. And then it backfired. And then I got like a bunch of followers overnight in 2020. And that started what has been a very cool and weird and energizing illustration career and multidisciplinary career where I've gotten to really kind of live.
Mack Garrison (10:09)
Yeah, I love it. I love the dichotomy there. That's great.
Lo Harris (10:33)
like I'm like a Swiss army knife with a bunch of different extensions that I can activate at any time.
Mack Garrison (10:35)
Yeah, well, it's so accurate. mean,
I think back to like that creative writing that you were doing in the early days and even not defining yourself as an artist because that's not me. And then you've gone down all these different pathways. I'm curious now, I mean, do you even define what you're doing as an artist? Like, how do you think back on that version of you that was like, that's not art to all this stuff you've done, would you define yourself as an artist to this day?
Lo Harris (11:01)
absolutely would categorically define myself as an artist, but I would say on the day to day, I'm just a creative person who does what she wants. Like, and I kind of love that. Like I'm just myself at this point.
Mack Garrison (11:14)
Hmm.
Lo Harris (11:15)
It's so funny the power that a title can hold over your head when you're a creative. There are some people I know who aspire to be art directors or aspire to be creative directors and the only way to have that aspiration satisfied is for an organization to bestow you that role. Right, right. And that's not.
Mack Garrison (11:21)
Yeah.
to validate you with this position basically. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Lo Harris (11:40)
the case, I kind of forged myself into a creative director, into an illustrator, into all of these different things through unconventional avenues that go outside of kind of the typical corporate structure. You know, you don't need permission to do anything.
Mack Garrison (11:54)
yeah, you can do whatever.
What's so interesting to me, and I'm so curious about this, like, you know, there used to be, and maybe there still is, this philosophy as a creative to like niche down, be good at like one thing. And if you're so good at one thing, people can't ignore you, they gotta hire it. But for a lot of us, know, our studio included, that feels a little boring. You want that variety, you wanna do a lot of different things. How has that shaped how you've pitched yourself for work?
or has it shifted it or in a way has it just been more about versus more opportunities coming to you because you're kind of open to it and as a result things stick out more than they maybe would have otherwise if you had been a bit more pointed.
Lo Harris (12:35)
Ooh, okay, let me break this down with a little dichotomy here. The worst piece of advice I've ever gotten in my professional career, and I forgive my boss at the time for giving me this advice, because I'm sure he knows better now. He said, you have to niche down if you want to do anything in this industry. Like get good at one thing. And so I was like, dang, that's depressing. That's right. I tried to live in that matrix, honey. It just didn't work for me.
Mack Garrison (12:40)
I'm ready for it.
Yeah, right.
Lo, I hope you said it exactly
like that. Like when you said that, you were over like, damn, that's depressing.
Lo Harris (13:07)
I wasn't grown enough. I
wasn't grown enough. If I saw him today, I'd be like, come here, I gotta tell you something. that was the worst piece of advice. The best piece of advice I've ever gotten from another mentor was be a pleasure to work with, which has served me.
Mack Garrison (13:12)
Yeah, that's so funny.
Lo Harris (13:21)
a lot in my multidisciplinary career. for me, know, obviously, you know, people are going to the things that you put on your portfolio, people are going to largely associate you with that. And so for me, as a multidisciplinary artist, one thing I've had to struggle with is a lot of brand confusion, because there are some people who know me as Lo the animator. There are some people who know me as Lo the illustrator. There are some people who know me as Lo from the Cannes Can Diversity Collection.
an
organization, I'm a volunteer senior leadership member for about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the advertising and media industries. There some people who know me for a variety of different things, right?
Mack Garrison (13:59)
Nice.
Lo Harris (14:05)
I kind of, and the thing that bonds them all together is that generally the people who are tapping into me for these various parts of my Swiss Army Knife collection is that they and I work well together and we find each other a pleasure to work with. And I think that.
kind of when you put limits on yourself, when you say I'm only doing freelance things as this particular title because that is what I'm trained to do, that's all well and good if that's actually like you just don't, you're not interested in doing all the other stuff, right? But it is, it's a ceiling. It's a ceiling that you're placing on yourself. There's no reason for an animator to not pursue illustration as well if they want to. And I think that as long as
Mack Garrison (14:50)
Right
Lo Harris (14:53)
you kind of, develop your style, you do your thing, like your craft is one thing, like obviously develop your craft, but I think the relationships and the people skills of kind of saying like, hey, like.
I just started illustration two years ago, but I'm really working on my practice and I'm working well with you, you're working well with me. People, as long as the end result gets met, like people really value, like I really liked working with so-and-so and I want to think of them for this thing in the future. I hope that answered the question.
Mack Garrison (15:25)
No, it
did. I love the altruistic attitude. How do I lift people up? How can I help the folks around me? How can I go above and beyond for whatever the ask is to make sure it's met and just to help this individual? I think it stems from just the variety of different backgrounds you've experienced in feeling more comfortable trying new things and therefore feeling a little bit easier to say, sure, I could do that. I know another piece that I noticed about you Lo is, you while you have these different skill sets, they're almost unified.
under this umbrella of champion joy, promoting authenticity and celebrating that shared humanity. So it's interesting to see like while it's all these varied subjects, there's a core to it all of who you are, that personality. What motivates you to bring such uplifting energy into your projects and what impact do you hope to leave on your audience?
Lo Harris (16:16)
Ooh, okay, I'm gonna break down the Lo-Harris universe for you. Okay, so first of all, anything creative I do is a part of the Lo-Harris universe. I don't care if it's drawing, I don't care if it's speaking, I don't care if it's whatever, it's a part of my universe of creativity and it exists there, right? And there are a few rules that I follow in the Lo-Harris universe, which is being inclusive, connecting with other human beings, finding common ground.
and self-love and advocacy, you know, and there are certain messages, like, for example, there's a phrase that I use in my artwork, but also I talk about it on my YouTube channel and also I manifested in all of these different ways, you know, the phrase is you are worthy, right? So you are worthy is like a greater thematic concept for me as an artist that I'm able to employ into multiple
Mack Garrison (16:50)
of that.
Lo Harris (17:15)
multiple disciplines and multiple mediums. So one categorical bucket of my creative work is just my straight up illustration work, just generically Lo Harris, lots of like illustrated text, lots of fabulous ladies, bright colors, whatever that is categorically Lo Harris illustrator. I'm working on a side project right now where I want to create a separate, I have created a separate account of illustrations called Planet Prismara, which is very cute.
Mack Garrison (17:30)
Yeah.
Lo Harris (17:45)
and kind of like it's adult slash kid friendly is kind of one of those things where like anyone of any age can kind of find something about it. And there's little characters I created called the Munchkies. And they're just these little like multicultural little characters and they all wear little onesies like yellow in primary colors, yellow, red, da da da. And each of them represent.
Mack Garrison (17:53)
I love that.
When does the
toy line of the munchkies come out? That's what I feel like saying.
Lo Harris (18:09)
when somebody brings
me some funding, But...
Mack Garrison (18:12)
There we go, there we go.
Lo Harris (18:14)
The Munchkins, right? It's almost like, can I take the same messages for Lo Harris, which is typically resonating with women in their 20s to 30s, and kind of bring it over to a younger audience and just a more playful, weird audience, and also have some fun, silly, world-building aspects in there where I'm writing the captions as if it's kind of like an ongoing story. So I'll post the next picture and try to find a way to narratively tie.
the last picture I posted with the one that I'm posting to kind of build up the character lore. And it's just like a fun outlet for me, but it's also like a great outlet for again, children's books, right? Children's media. And then of course we have the YouTube where maybe I'm a little bit more mature and a little bit more, whoa, you know, where I'm kind of talking through similar themes again, but in like a, different, it's still one voice. It's still one message, but because
of my multidisciplinary interests, it's like basically kind of activating those messages, making them optimize, responsive design, you know what I mean? I guess for my, you know, ideas. And I think that anyone can do this.
Mack Garrison (19:25)
Yeah, of course.
Well, one of the things that I really like about that methodology is I think it's very apropos for the type of space that we're in right now. You know, I was talking to someone the other day and I couldn't really think of a word to describe it. So I use this word like a digital shelf. You you have people accessing content in all sorts of different ways, know, older generations doing stuff, maybe on like blog posts, you have, you know, Gen X and millennials maybe still doing Reddit or looking at YouTube videos.
and Gen Z doing a lot of in-app searches. And so that's just a lot of different ways that our first touch point to the LoHarris universe could be all these different ways. And so I love that you've kind of curated this digital shelf of all these different access points for people to kind of touch onto. You know, one question I have, and I think it ties onto this a little bit, is we are in this new era of marketing yourself. And what used to be just the website was fine, it's now you have to do all these different things.
And so people are looking at your YouTube page. It's so successful. You've done such a good job of just kind of presenting that universe, presenting that authentic champion of joy and promoting that. What advice would you give to someone who's like maybe never done that, but they're trying to because they recognize like, gosh, you know, I've got to put myself out there a little bit more. Where's a good place to start for someone who's trying to get a little bit more of that public facing influencer for lack of a better word to kind of show off the work and who they are.
Lo Harris (20:59)
You know, I would, the first thing that I would say is follow your muse. So I have this funny ritual with ideas where I used to think, my God, I have a great idea. Let me go write it down so I can remember it later. I never go back to that. In fact, it's like, it's basically just me saying, I got a good idea. Let me go kill it. So I never pursue it again. Now that I've talked about it and I've gotten the adrenaline out around it.
For me, it helps to follow my muse. So following my muse might look like, let's say I don't have YouTube, and this is actually kind of how I started my YouTube actually. I've been wanting to get into YouTube for a little bit, and I had tried here and there, but I just felt like it just wasn't sustainable for me the way I was doing it. And I still hadn't really worked out my identity on that particular platform and how I wanted to produce things where it really fit into my lifestyle. Because here's the thing,
One
thing about me at this point, I'm not about to let being on social media corrode my personal life, my free time. It needs to be easy for me. So that's the first thing. It needs to be easy for you. Customize it for you. Just because Suzy Q over there is doing like 80 posts a day and has like the design thumbnail, all that, like whatever, like keep on moving. What works for you? If she wants to spend six hours of her day doing that, how do you want to spend six hours of her
Mack Garrison (22:17)
Yeah.
Right, and you can do
20 minutes on your phone that that's okay. It's just basically it's like starting, finding what works for you and starting.
Lo Harris (22:30)
Right, and it's about consistency as well, which I'll get into in a bit. But going back to this muse idea, you know, if I feel the urge in me, which I did one day, said, I feel the urge, I just need to like do this YouTube thing. Because I realized if I keep waiting for the right time or for when like I have more time, like less of a demanding work life or whatever, I'm just never going to do it. So how can I follow this muse and act on this muse and just make the channel and make a video? And then if I get into
the groove I'm like I want to do that again next week I want to do that again the following week and then there may be times where it's like hey like I'm busy right now but I still want to engage let me do these shorter videos and I think that when you just follow your muse like don't be so completionist about it just start it and you can put it to the side and it'll still be waiting for you later this is not a race against time like this is your art career and your art practice and it has to develop naturally
Mack Garrison (23:28)
Did you ever feel like, not
to interject, but I'm just so curious, because like creatives, I just feel like we hold stuff in such high regard. Like this is you, this is your personality you're putting out there that I feel like we overthink it sometimes. I mean, heck, I do sometimes. I'm like, I don't know if this is ready to go to the public. How did you kind of overcome that and just be like, forget it. I just got to do it. I got to start. Like, was there anything that just kind of got you over that hurdle?
Lo Harris (23:30)
Yeah, yeah.
I think that...
I've had that natural proclitivity to just start things, but I think that I kind of lost that actually kind of at what some people might look at as like the height of my career where it's like I'm posting on Instagram all the time and everything's like, like I used to do this really specifically branded approach where everything was pink, yellow, blue, green, pink, yellow, blue, green. I had jumpsuits that were blue, Now mind you, it did not look good on my complexion. So that's like a whole other
Mack Garrison (24:16)
right
Lo Harris (24:21)
but I was trying so hard to build the brand that I was taking chunks out of myself. I was losing pieces of myself trying to curate or not even curate, just trying to maintain an online identity that maybe in a fleeting moment made sense for me at a specific time, but I was growing up. I was growing up and I wasn't allowed myself.
Mack Garrison (24:30)
Mm.
Yeah, you were you were almost like tailoring
it to like this idea of what you think you should be versus really like tapping into like like who is low who is me, you
Lo Harris (24:53)
Yes, exactly. And also it's a dynamic thing. Like you are literally a living, breathing organism. Like the you that I was talking to at the start of this call is exponentially different than the you that I'm talking to in this very moment. And you're allowed to change your mind. And I think creatives forget that because people get so caught up in their digital footprint and they're like, well.
Mack Garrison (25:11)
Yeah.
yeah, you're being a hypocrite. It's like,
gotta change.
Lo Harris (25:18)
In my feed,
I posted this thing and like, I'm supposed to be always like this and like, this is what they're expecting. I'ma be real. Don't nobody care enough about me to be paying too much attention to how I post one moment to the next moment. All they see is that thing right there right now. And if I'm being negative, they'll be like, that's sad. You know what I mean? If I'm being positive, they'll be like, that's dope. But nobody's tracking you like that.
Mack Garrison (25:38)
Sure.
Lo Harris (25:43)
And I think kind of accepting that we're all kind of no one and everyone, it's like freeing like that sense of anonymity and that sense of like, I'm just like a, I'm a human, like I'm like a human person and I'm gonna be this way right now. But if I decide that I wanna go through an era where I wear like a top hat and a monocle all day, that's my business. You can unfollow.
Mack Garrison (25:51)
yeah.
I love it. Do you feel like
it's so interesting to me because like, hearing you have these like in my mind, I've got these two visual parallel paths that you're on. There's one that's like the creative Lo Harris and it's your journey from the writing to where you are today. And then there's the personality of Lo Harris that is evolving and changing and adjusting that's kind of moving and sometimes it intersects the creative and where it is today. What I feel like is so strong about you and
and what has been really successful is that you've been able to tap into that. You understand that, and you're flexible and open to the change that is coming. And I think some folks still struggle with how to find that openness. Do you think a lot of that came from trying so many different things? is that maybe what you might encourage audiences to say, like, look, you've just got to dabble and try, and that's the best way to kind of figure out who you are?
Lo Harris (26:55)
I mean, you really gotta go to bat for yourself. Nobody's gonna go to bat for you. You've gotta go to bat for yourself. Otherwise, like what you're just gonna spectate, that's boring. Like, don't you wanna have fun? Don't you wanna like hit the ball, like run around the base, like get tagged? Like, know, like, yes, I think just trying.
Mack Garrison (27:05)
Yeah, yeah, right. No, 100%. Take control.
Lo Harris (27:19)
The hardest part is just trying, you know? The hardest part is trying because I think people get caught into a loop where they are ruminating and they're planning it and they build so many expectations and invest so many anxieties into this perspective of themselves and, know, all the brands, like, you I'm not gonna be like this because what if brands, like, just try, just try.
Mack Garrison (27:45)
Yeah, I love that. Sure.
Lo Harris (27:46)
Of course, respect yourself and of course,
be mindful of your online safety. know, I know with like my YouTube stuff, I'm very, very careful about like identifying information, things like that. But I just, I think that there is, I don't think that social media has to be as big of a boogeyman for artists as they, as the platforms have honestly conditioned us to make it feel like it is, you know. We have gone from a creative economy where it's like you're really kind of measuring
Mack Garrison (28:08)
share.
Lo Harris (28:16)
your creative impact on like actual like interaction and impact on your community. You do a mural and you get to see kids playing in front of the mural, whatever. And like they have taken something that's very human, very organic, very like qualitative and turned it into a quantitative metric that not only is being measured against us by, you know, brands, but by each other, by ourselves. People are actively withholding themselves
Mack Garrison (28:35)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Lo Harris (28:45)
from
creative collaboration because they see someone's following is X and they're at Y. How detrimental to your creativity, how detrimental to your growth as an artist for you to decline?
Mack Garrison (28:50)
Right.
Be
focused on the likes, be focused on the following count, things like that. When at its core, mean, honestly, Lo, I think we discovered you. I found you just through social media, right? I think I found it on LinkedIn or not LinkedIn, Instagram, I think. And so there is a good part of it, right? There's finding great artists, finding that inspiration, the stuff you're into. I know so many folks who are coming to our event are so inspired by what you've accomplished and the work that you're doing. Who are you inspired by?
Lo Harris (29:02)
Great.
Mack Garrison (29:26)
Who were some of the creatives out there that really light up Lo Harris?
Lo Harris (29:29)
So I've been getting really into world building recently. And so I've started collecting, compiling interviews with artists, video. I always recommend, if there's someone you admire, go look for interviews. It is illuminating. So artists I admire. And the ones that I'm really looking at right now, I told you a little bit about my munchies and planet Prisvara. I'm really looking at Sesame Street. I'm looking at Jim Henson and the Muppets.
Mack Garrison (29:32)
Mmm.
Yeah, yeah.
nice.
Lo Harris (29:59)
I'm really looking at people who have built universes and building a universe doesn't have to be this big thing. It's almost like I think the cool thing about the universe of like the Muppets, for example, or Sesame Street is that there is, and this goes back to inclusion, there is an opportunity for any kind of person to kind of see a bit of themselves in at least one of the characters. And it's not like a moralizing thing either.
Mack Garrison (30:20)
Yeah.
Hmm.
Lo Harris (30:29)
it's not like they're the villain or it's not like no one is a villain. Everyone just gets to be their weird selves and they can identify and project onto a different character and they're all still a part of the same community. So I've been very, very interested in.
Mack Garrison (30:38)
I love that.
Lo Harris (30:44)
people who build worlds that way and build characters that people can really attach to, you know, and there are more contemporary examples, right? Like Adventure Time or like Steven Universe, you know, but I just, I just feel like there's a lot to learn as, as a creative from people who work in cartoons and people who work in, you know, children's television, because that's kind of the fundamentals of like getting people involved. There's so much you can learn from
Mack Garrison (30:53)
Sure. yeah.
Lo Harris (31:14)
of the golden age of children's television. Like you think about Hey Arnold, that was iconic. That was an iconic show. It's like so accurate to like New York. Like, you know what I mean? Growing up in New York from what my friends have said.
Mack Garrison (31:19)
yeah.
my gosh, amazing.
yeah, I still remember random episodes like
Stoop Kids afraid to leave the stoop, know, knocking off, you know, these weird episodes that just stick in my brain still years later.
Lo Harris (31:35)
Yes, and like you can kind of see like even just like, you know, I talked a bit about like my involvement with this organization called the Canne Can Diversity Collective, even being able to see different people of different cultures just kind of represented, not in a weird tokenizing way, but just like let people be and appreciate the differences. Just let people be. I think that that's really powerful.
Mack Garrison (31:50)
Sure.
I love the world building concept too and it just feels like a natural evolution for kind of the low Harris world. Just again, going back to like that digital shelf idea, got all these different pieces out there. It feels like a good expanse. Now, not to put you on the spot here because I know we still have what four months or so till the dash bash. So you don't have to have a topic solidified yet. But as far as a little teaser, is there anything that folks who maybe are considering coming to the dash bash or considering to come see you.
you know, that you could tease out on like, this is what I'm going to talk about. This is why you should come hear my speech.
Lo Harris (32:33)
So I actually am gonna turn it back on either you or the Dash audience because I had a realization for myself recently that when I enter spaces and I come to speak, it is very important that I'm serving the space and the actual needs and concerns and.
Mack Garrison (32:38)
Alright.
Lo Harris (32:50)
curiosities of the people that I'm coming to speak to. And I don't want it to be a thing where it's like, I'm gonna come and talk about myself because you can go read it. You could go read all that on the internet. So I would actually, I'm still pondering it because I am trying to kind of do some like social research among some of my peers to really understand, look, I got a lot that I could sit up there and talk about on stage for 45 minutes, but what's gonna be helpful for you? What do you think? You know what I mean? People really need to hear from me.
Mack Garrison (33:07)
Yeah.
No, it's a good question. We might
have to, we'll have to open up the comments on this video to see what people want to suggest. I know selfishly something that I've just feel incredibly impressed by with your growth over the years, Lo, is just your ability to navigate change while staying authentic to yourself, but also be open to the next medium or the next technological challenges around the corner. Cause I think something that is pervasive in our space.
is change. You know, we're just navigating a lot of it right now. Even our industry compared to 10 years ago feels different. And so I think as someone who has navigated change successfully and has kind of gone with the flow for both your personality and what you're interested in, but also what the industry demands, I think there's a lot of conversation that could be happening there, but that's just, again, that's just my take. So there's plenty of others and I can't wait to hear what everyone else has to say. So everyone listening, this is your cue. You have not gotten dash match tickets yet.
Lo Harris (34:05)
Yeah.
Mack Garrison (34:13)
make sure you join us this summer, June 11th through 13th, 2025. The Dash Bash is a great place to connect with other like-minded individuals, share ideas, and really find an inclusive space for the motion design community to have deep, honest, and helpful conversations. We've been speaking today with Lo Harris, who is a multidisciplinary artist known for her bold, colorful, and empowering artwork, and we cannot wait to have you this summer at the Bash Lo. Thanks so much for the teaser today and for joining us on this interview.
Lo Harris (34:39)
Thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited to see y'all and I hope it's warm.
Mack Garrison (34:44)
It's going to be warm because we are in the South and in North Carolina. Hopefully it's not too warm. Thanks, Lo Thanks, everyone.
Lo Harris (34:48)
You