The Conscious Creative is an actionable guide to mindfulness and practical ethics for any creative professional who wants to make a living without selling their soul.
About the book
It can be difficult to live according to your values in a complicated world. The Conscious Creative isn’t about smashing the state or quitting your job and moving to an ashram. Instead, it is about committing to the life you are already living. As designer Kelly Small had to do in their life and career as an advertising creative director, readers can admit their complicity in problematic systems and take on the responsibility of letting their own conscience guide their decisions. Even the most sullied creative souls can redeem themselves with one or many of the 100+ action steps that comprise this book.
With a humorous and irreverent tone, The Conscious Creative is the first book of its kind to attract a creative-sector audience to the currently trending topics of practical ethics and mindful living. Kelly Small engages already-primed readers in a cultural climate of wholesomeness, conscious practice, and responsible consumption and shows them how they can make a living without selling their souls.
Check out the reviews on Goodreads or get the book at your local indie book store, Indigo, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Amazon, and Audible.
It can be difficult to live according to your values in a complicated world. The Conscious Creative isn’t about smashing the state or quitting your job and moving to an ashram. Instead, it is about committing to the life you are already living. As designer Kelly Small had to do in their life and career as an advertising creative director, readers can admit their complicity in problematic systems and take on the responsibility of letting their own conscience guide their decisions. Even the most sullied creative souls can redeem themselves with one or many of the 100+ action steps that comprise this book.
With a humorous and irreverent tone, The Conscious Creative is the first book of its kind to attract a creative-sector audience to the currently trending topics of practical ethics and mindful living. Kelly Small engages already-primed readers in a cultural climate of wholesomeness, conscious practice, and responsible consumption and shows them how they can make a living without selling their souls.
Check out the reviews on Goodreads or get the book at your local indie book store, Indigo, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Amazon, and Audible.
See who loves it
“What Kelly Small brings to the table is a healthy dose of both inspiration and practicality . . . Kelly Small’s personal story is an inspiration in itself, shared throughout the book with candour and courage. If you’re a creative searching for cleaner, healthier, and socially just ways to practice, you’ll not find a better place to start looking. And the timing couldn’t be better.”
— APPLIED ARTS
“What Kelly Small brings to the table is a healthy dose of both inspiration and practicality . . . Kelly Small’s personal story is an inspiration in itself, shared throughout the book with candour and courage. If you’re a creative searching for cleaner, healthier, and socially just ways to practice, you’ll not find a better place to start looking. And the timing couldn’t be better.”
— APPLIED ARTS
“A playbook for creative thinkers who want to act professionally and ethically, because it shouldn’t be an either-or choice.” — FARIS YAKOB, founder of Genius Steals and author of Paid Attention
“Working in the diversity space for ten years, I am thrilled to see a true playbook for belonging be available to all. Practical, ethical, and actionable steps are exactly what is needed for this moment in history.”
— KATHERINE M. GORDON, founder of the 3% Movement, Advertising Age’s Visionary of the Year, and author of The Future Belongs to Belonging: How Inclusive Cultures Unlock World-Changing Creativity
— KATHERINE M. GORDON, founder of the 3% Movement, Advertising Age’s Visionary of the Year, and author of The Future Belongs to Belonging: How Inclusive Cultures Unlock World-Changing Creativity
“Kelly Small offers hope to creatives who want to craft a sustainable, inclusive, and just practice within the capitalist framework of commercial design. If you are searching for a moral compass, this little book of big actions may be just the tool you are looking for.” — ELLEN LUPTON, designer, curator, and author of Design Is Storytelling
“Thoughtful, practical, and irreverent, Kelly Small provides a blueprint for creatives to approach their work ethically and an irrefutable case for fusing one’s personal values and professional endeavours. A must-have for emerging and student designers, artists, and makers.” — DR. GILLIAN SIDDALL, president and vice-chancellor, Emily Carr University of Art + Design
“The Conscious Creative should be required reading for anyone working today. This is the content and world I’m here for.” — DAVE BROWN, Design Director, Square
“The Conscious Creative should be required reading for anyone working today. This is the content and world I’m here for.” — DAVE BROWN, Design Director, Square
“This vital book makes a clear and compelling argument about why creatives need to make a non-negotiable commitment to ethics, and it’s filled with numerous accessible strategies for how to put those ethics into action.” — KAT VELLOS, designer, facilitator, and author of We Should Get Together: The Secret to Cultivating Better Friendships
“A must-read for all creatives or anyone interested in the #marketingwithpurpose movement.” — GEOFFREY COLON, Head of Brand Studio, Microsoft Advertising
“A vast toolbox of fantastic ideas that I will use in my work and share with others. I know that The Conscious Creative will change how I create.” — BIF NAKED, recording artist, activist, and author of I, Bificus
“A must-read for all creatives or anyone interested in the #marketingwithpurpose movement.” — GEOFFREY COLON, Head of Brand Studio, Microsoft Advertising
“A vast toolbox of fantastic ideas that I will use in my work and share with others. I know that The Conscious Creative will change how I create.” — BIF NAKED, recording artist, activist, and author of I, Bificus
“Funny, engaging, and smart, this book is such an important read, certainly for creatives but also those who are curious about how to be more mindful in their personal and social impacts.” — LAUREN ASH, comedian, advocate, and actress
"If you want to have good intentions not just in theory but in practice, this book is the clear-eyed guide you need. Here's how to do work that's ethical and purposeful, no matter what capitalism throws at you." — MICHAEL BUNGAY STANIER, author of The Coaching Habit
“I was blown away by Kelly Small’s take on how we all can create more purposeful marketing work by being aware of ourselves and our work.” — MICHAEL ABATA, Cultural & Consumer Senior Futurist, Target
“I was blown away by Kelly Small’s take on how we all can create more purposeful marketing work by being aware of ourselves and our work.” — MICHAEL ABATA, Cultural & Consumer Senior Futurist, Target
“As a filmmaker, I set an intention in every story. But working creatively with integrity and morality can sometimes feel impossible within a capitalistic, deadline-driven industry. This guide from ethical unicorn Kelly Small reminds me that principled conception leads to more meaningful creation.”
— LUCIUS DECHAUSAY, filmmaker and producer
“Reading The Conscious Creative is like waking up to one of those alarms that starts off with a gentle nudge but gets louder and louder until it can no longer be ignored. It is the well-researched, persuasively written call-to-action we needed, appearing at the exact time we needed it.”
— LISA BASKETT, Experience Design Strategy Director and creator of Far from the Valley, a podcast about equity, ethics, and inclusion in tech
“A boost of radical optimism for anyone who looked at the world and thought, ‘We can do better, and I think I know how!’” — MORTEN RAND-HENDRIKSEN, Senior Staff Instructor, LinkedIn Learning
“With this refreshingly approachable book that leans into turning intent into action, Kelly Small is breaking new ground that helps us all choose to lead. You won’t be able to not put this book down, because you’ll be tempted to interrupt your reading to take action.”
— DAVID BERMAN, rgd, fgdc, cpwa, author of Do Good Design: How Design Can Change Our World
“The Conscious Creative has reinvigorated my commitment to being an ethical and equitable professional” — LAWRENCE LY, MDes, Designer for Health
“Small’s thorough breakdown of ethical concerns in the workplace can benefit anyone wanting to grow as an ally in a nation rife with issues of disparity.” — Cascade “In The Conscious Creative, Kelly Small will get you on the right path.” — ERIC ALPER, Canadian music correspondent, blogger and publicist, SiriusXM host, and author of Conversational Capital
“Kelly Small approaches practical ethics from personal, economic, social, and environmental perspectives, which is how creatives can begin to align their work with their purpose. The Conscious Creative provides actionable steps for those of who work to better humanity and the world.”
— REGINÉ GILBERT, author of Inclusive Design for a Digital World: Designing with Accessibility in Mind
“In this time of massive social, economic, political, and environmental change, no designer — or anyone for that matter — should be without this essential volume on their bookshelf.”
— NIAMH REDMOND, research and design leader
— LUCIUS DECHAUSAY, filmmaker and producer
“Reading The Conscious Creative is like waking up to one of those alarms that starts off with a gentle nudge but gets louder and louder until it can no longer be ignored. It is the well-researched, persuasively written call-to-action we needed, appearing at the exact time we needed it.”
— LISA BASKETT, Experience Design Strategy Director and creator of Far from the Valley, a podcast about equity, ethics, and inclusion in tech
“A boost of radical optimism for anyone who looked at the world and thought, ‘We can do better, and I think I know how!’” — MORTEN RAND-HENDRIKSEN, Senior Staff Instructor, LinkedIn Learning
“With this refreshingly approachable book that leans into turning intent into action, Kelly Small is breaking new ground that helps us all choose to lead. You won’t be able to not put this book down, because you’ll be tempted to interrupt your reading to take action.”
— DAVID BERMAN, rgd, fgdc, cpwa, author of Do Good Design: How Design Can Change Our World
“The Conscious Creative has reinvigorated my commitment to being an ethical and equitable professional” — LAWRENCE LY, MDes, Designer for Health
“Small’s thorough breakdown of ethical concerns in the workplace can benefit anyone wanting to grow as an ally in a nation rife with issues of disparity.” — Cascade “In The Conscious Creative, Kelly Small will get you on the right path.” — ERIC ALPER, Canadian music correspondent, blogger and publicist, SiriusXM host, and author of Conversational Capital
“Kelly Small approaches practical ethics from personal, economic, social, and environmental perspectives, which is how creatives can begin to align their work with their purpose. The Conscious Creative provides actionable steps for those of who work to better humanity and the world.”
— REGINÉ GILBERT, author of Inclusive Design for a Digital World: Designing with Accessibility in Mind
“In this time of massive social, economic, political, and environmental change, no designer — or anyone for that matter — should be without this essential volume on their bookshelf.”
— NIAMH REDMOND, research and design leader
