The Secrets to Success: Career insights from some of the world's leading creatives

Learning from experienced artists, designers and photographers to understand how they achieve their goals should be part of every creative's journey. We have to seek inspiration and ideas from those we admire if we're ever going to get ahead.

Written By: Katy Cowan

9 May 2018

These are the people who have already enjoyed lots of success and continue to be creative today – some who started their first business at aged eight years old while others are well past the typical retirement age. I guess when you choose creativity as a life-long passion, you never really stop working. Why would you, if you're doing something you love?

So how have these established creatives managed to "make it"? What have been the secrets to their success? And what can we learn from them? We've rounded up some of the most inspiring and motivational talks and interviews to share incredible insights from some of the industry's best.

1. Success, failure and the drive to keep creating – Elizabeth Gilbert

Author Elizabeth Gilbert was once an "unpublished diner waitress", devastated by rejection letters. And yet, in the wake of the success of her best-selling book Eat, Pray, Love, she found herself identifying strongly with her former self. With fascinating insight, Gilbert reflects on why success can be as disorienting as failure and offers a simple, though hard, way to carry on, regardless of outcomes.

Watch the talk over on Ted.com

2. How to build your creative confidence – David Kelley

Creativity is not a domain of only a chosen few, according to David Kelley – founder of IDEO. And it shouldn't be something that's divided between "creatives" versus "practical" people. Telling stories from his legendary design career and his own life, he offers ways to build confidence to create.

Watch the talk on Ted.com

3. Stop searching for your passion – Terri Trespicio

Branding strategist Terri Trespicio says there's a lot of weight behind the age-old question, what are you passionate about? We're told these five words hold the key to a successful career and life purpose. Terri ponders, what if it's the wrong question altogether? This inspiring talk turns the ubiquitous "find your passion" message on its ear.

Find out more about Terri Trespicio at Territrespicio.com

4. Discoveries in Colour: The art of Carlos Cruz-Diez

Carlos Cruz-Diez is a world-renowned artist and one of the greatest living figures in kinetic and op art. He creates interactive, immersive works that invite viewers to reconsider how they perceive the world. And at 94 years old, he continues to evolve as an artist, employing the newest digital technology in his Paris atelier, where he works with his children, his grandchildren, and a team of craftspeople who help bring his ideas to life. Watch the film below to understand how he has become one of the most influential modern thinkers in the realm of colour.

See more videos in Adobe Create’s Creative Voices series.

5. Maya Penn: Meet a young entrepreneur, cartoonist and activist

Maya Penn started her first company when she was just eight years old, and thinks deeply about how to be responsible both to her customers and to the planet. She shares her story, and some animations, and some designs, and some infectious energy, in this charming talk. Hopefully, it will inspire you to launch your own business, find a different career path or start a fun side project.

Watch the talk on Ted.com

6. A journey through the mind of an artist – Dustin Yellin

Dustin Yellin makes mesmerising artwork that tells complex, myth-inspired stories. How did he develop his style? In this disarming talk, he shares the journey of an artist, starting from age eight, and his idiosyncratic way of thinking and seeing. Follow the path that leads him up to his latest major work, and be inspired by his journey so far.

Watch the talk on Ted.com

7. The day I stood up alone – Boniface Mwangi

Photographer Boniface Mwangi wanted to protest against corruption in his home country of Kenya. So he made a plan: he and some friends would stand up and heckle during a public mass meeting. But when the moment came – he stood alone. What happened next, he says, showed him who he indeed was. As he says, "There are two most powerful days in your life. The day you are born, and the day you discover why." Be warned; there are graphic images in the following talk.

Watch the talk over on Ted.com

8. The art of creativity – Taika Waititi

Taika Waititi is a visual artist, actor, writer and film director hailing from New Zealand. His short film Two Cars, One Night was nominated for an Academy Award in 2005. Taika's second feature, Boy, appeared at the Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals in 2010 and, more recently, his Hunt for the Wilderpeople enjoyed huge global success. In this classic TED Talk, he discusses how creativity has helped him to express his ideas and led him to where he is today.