About Justin
(A formal bio written in the third person)
Justin Shiels has always been compelled by the power of words and pictures. He received his BFA in Graphic Design from Loyola University New Orleans and his Masters in Arts Administration from the University of New Orleans. He has over 13 years of experience in communications, marketing, and art direction.
He gained professional experience from EC Advertising as an Interactive Designer, Peter A. Mayer Advertising as a Graphic Designer, the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts as a Communications Specialist, and Faculty at Loyola University in the Communications Department.
As the Creative Director at FSC Interactive, he was passionate about creating compelling consumer facing strategies, social, and online advertising.
After relocating from New Orleans (his second home) to Austin, Justin is currently an Associate Creative Director at Springbox. He’s a creative leader that shapes the copy and visual direction for B2B companies like: Planful, Amazon Business, and NEC Displays.
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9 Things
You Should Know About Justin Shiels
01
I’m obsessed with making ideas happen and love the opportunity to flex multiple skills on a project. I am working to build a community that empowers people to use both the left and right sides of their brain.
02
As Creative Director at FSC Interactive, I have stepped into a new role as leader. This opportunity has shown me that I genuinely enjoy investing time and energy into the growth of my team. I enjoy going to work every day because it gives me the opportunity to challenge my employees to make the best possible work they can. I’m also genuinely excited about solving big complicated problems, and more recently very interested in developing sustainable systems. You can read about my journey from fulltime freelancer to Creative Director here.
03
I am working to become a minimalist in the hopes of building a meaningful life that is not exclusively about the possessions I own. This journey included moving into a small studio apartment, giving away the majority of my possessions and totally starting from scratch. Over the past year I have slowly rebuilt my collection of things, but am very mindful that less things equal more joy.
04
I love self-initiated projects. A few things that I worked in the past 10 years:
I founded INVADE, a now defunct lifestyle magazine about the city of New Orleans. It ran for 6 years and at its height reached 100,000 users a month through an online site and 10,000 subscribers via email.
I co-founded VenturePOP, the conference for Creative Entrepreneurs. This intimate experience invites 300 people to learn how to build better businesses. I stepped down from my leadership position in 2016.
I currently send out Curious Tribe, a weekly email designed to spread a little joy and encourage creative people like you to be a little more curious.
05
I’m a voracious reader…of young adult fiction and hope to one day write the coming of age story of a black gay teen with some sort of magical powers. (Think Harry Potter meets Lionel from Dear White People) I’ve collected a list of my favorite fiction books for you to peruse.
06
I taught at my alma mater, Loyola University, for a full academic year in the Communications Department. It was an incredible feeling to have the experience of learning and teaching in the same classroom. My classes were “Branding” and “Intro to Advertising.”
07
One of my biggest passions is public speaking. Over the past 10 years, I have spoken at a variety of events to both small and pretty large audiences. My presentations have focused on Creative Entrepreneurship, The Pursuit of Happiness, Small Business Branding, and a variety of practical design topics.
Even though I love being on stage and genuinely love meeting new people, I need a lot of time to recharge after most social interactions. This usually includes long, unexpected naps, and laying in bed playing games on my cell phone.
08
Illustration has been a hobby my entire life and recently I have worked to develop my visual style. This started in 2017 with a 30 day Illustration Challenge after buying an iPad Pro. Its continued with regular practice that I post on Instagram. My favorite pieces make it to my Etsy shop.
09
I believe in fighting for work-life balance. For me this means working smarter, not harder. It starts with a good morning routine that sets me up for success. I like to fully immerse myself in tasks in blocks of 1-2 hours to accomplish specific goals. This also means that I give myself space to totally disconnect from work.