The Creative Now: A Chat with Josh Golden, Senior Vice President & Sr Creative Director at Yes& Agency
As a kid, I spent many a dinner at a table surrounded by friends of my parents, an eclectic cast of characters — sculptors, writers, painters, creatives. That thread of creative community has remained in our offices, our teams, and our collaborations. But that thread feels thinner in this moment.
So I asked, with the purpose of sharing, and of supporting and caring for this creative community in its current, uncertain reality. I asked what people are doing, how they are feeling, how they are sparking creativity. It feels important to share what we do, when we can’t do all our doing.
Reaching out first to some of the talented people I’ve had the good fortune to profile though the Capitol Communicator portrait series. It’s my version of a virtual dinner table of sorts. Grab a chair and listen in to my conversation with Josh Golden, Senior Vice President & Sr Creative Director at Yes& Agency.
Josh, what, if anything, are you doing differently?
I’ve added a few more roles to my job description: school teacher, babysitter, playmate, IT specialist, psychologist. What was once a juggling act has become a three-ring circus. The trick is, I have found, to acknowledge the need and place for each thing and let them influence each other.
Are you staying creatively active?
Absolutely! In fact, I’ve had to become more creative. Our parameters are stricter right now—unprecedentedly so, so we need to open up our minds to creative solutions we haven’t come up with before—to solutions we never had to consider necessary. It’s also a particular creative challenge to devise edible meals from our sparsely and randomly stocked pantry!
How are you sparking yourself creatively?
Lacking the daily, in-person interaction with other creatives, I’ve turned to my new team of “coworkers.” And I’ve learned that the creativity that flows through and from my kids is a wellspring of inspiration. Just the creativity it takes to combat their boredom is tremendously influential to my actual work. My isolation has forced me to explore seeing things in new ways and turning to new sources.
