Finding your confidence as a creative with 2024 Adobe MAX speaker Kristy Campbell

Meet Kristy Campbell—designer, company founder, CEO, Creative Director, pink lover, and all-around creative powerhouse.

Since we last spoke to Kristy in 2022, she’s doubled her online following, spoken at Adobe MAX—twice!—and has grown and expanded her business, Pink Pony Creative, into an unstoppable creative force. But how does she do it?

We caught up with Kristy to hear all about her inspiring creative journey and her top tips for finding your confidence as a creative. 

Meet Kristy Campbell: From Agency Intern to Adobe MAX Speaker

As a fresh-faced design student straight out of uni, Kristy threw herself into the hustle and bustle of fast-paced agency life. But even as an intern, she had her eyes on the prize. 

“After graduating in 2013, I struggled to find a job,” says Kristy. “I would say I was mediocre at design: I didn’t graduate at the top of my class, nor the bottom, but I was determined to get a job doing what I loved.

“Despite applying for countless positions, I remained jobless for six months. Everyone would say the same thing: ‘You’re a good designer, but you don’t have the right experience’—it was heartbreaking! Eventually I got an internship, and after working my little butt off for three months (for free, might I add) and they ended up offering me a full-time job.”

After years of grinding in corporate design, she soon started making her mark. But Kristy wasn’t content with just fitting in—she wanted to stand out. Fueled by her passion for creavity, she took a chance and launched her own design agency, Pink Pony Creative—a manifestation of her fun, vibrant, and unapologetically bold personality.

“By 2019, I had worked as an in-house designer for three corporate businesses,” Kristy explains. “While my career was thriving, I would go to work and think, ‘Surely there is more to life than this.’ I wasn’t passionate about the businesses I worked for; I felt unfulfilled and creatively bored.

I started applying for senior design positions, but they turned me down because I was “too advanced.” Frustrated, I decided to do the #100daydesignchallenge on Instagram, naming my page Pink Pony Creative.”

With its playful yet sophisticated style, Pink Pony has since evolved into a thriving business, producing countless stunning designs and brand identities for clients worldwide. Kristy’s talent and hard work also caught the eyes of many in the design world, leading her to become a regular speaker at Adobe MAX—one of the industry’s most prestigious events.

Kristy’s career journey is a testament to what creatives can achieve with passion, perseverence, and a dash of pink. Let’s get to know Kristy, and learn her expert advice for succeeding as a creative professional, pushing design boundaries, and finding your creative spark.

How to Start a Creative Business From Scratch

What inspired you to start Pink Pony Creative?

Once I’d gained about 1,000 followers on Instagram, I received an inquiry for a logo design. This was the start of my freelance journey: the turning point when I realized I could make money doing what I loved. I always thought my career would peak working for someone else.

Once I moved into freelancing full-time, I started working on fun, less-corporate projects that I hadn’t yet explored in my career—from playful gym brands to plant nurseries—and the creative freedom was hugely inspiring and motivating. I also started gaining more traction on social media and building a community that supported me. People liked what I created, which motivated me to share more.

I was also building something that was entirely and utterly ME. I finally had control over everything – what my brand looked like, how I spoke to clients, how I structured my days. I was building something I loved rather than fulfilling someone else’s dream.

Fast-forward to today, and I’ve achieved beyond what I thought possible. And if I can do it, so can you!

How did you get your business off the ground?

When I decided to register the business as a limited company, I started to make a plan. I worked through this with my greatest mentor—my dad. He has had a lot of experience running businesses, so his support and knowledge were invaluable. First, we wrote out a list. It was only about a page long, but it solidified my direction and what I needed to do next:

• Register the company
• Open a bank account
• Register for GST (Tax)

Truthfully, I had no idea how to run a business. I had never launched a brand. I didn’t know how to manage projects. I had only ever worked on a handful of logos over my career, so when a client approached me to create their visual identity, I jumped at the opportunity—secretly, never having made one from scratch before. But I just learned as I went and developed a system that worked for me.

What’s your advice for starting a new business?

Start small. Take it step by step, and don’t look too far ahead. If you have a goal, break it down into achievable steps, and it won’t feel as intimidating.

When it comes to business, one of the necessities is processes. What does it look like when someone enquires? What’s your workflow from the start to the finish of a project? What are the steps of your customer journey? If you can nail your processes—and improve and iterate them as you go—you’ll nail your projects time and time again.

Develop presentation templates, email templates, checklists, and packages—content you can replicate to ensure continued success, speed up your workflow, and increase your professionalism.

Another piece of advice is to invest in your business. While a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud or even Xero can feel daunting and like a massive monthly cost, it’s actually an investment that will allow your business to run more efficiently. You must be okay with those upfront costs to make your business more organized and professional.

Lastly, there are so many free online resources for business and branding, so if you have a question, Google it, YouTube it, or Chat GPT it! Better yet, ask people more successful than you for their advice.

What’s the hardest part of running a creative business?

Let me be clear: it is NOT easy owning a business. At the start, you have to wear all the hats—even now that I have a talented team, everything comes back to me at the end of the day. Here are some of the biggest challenges I’ve had to overcome since starting Pink Pony Creative:

• The first time a client didn’t like what I created. Sometimes, people aren’t going to like your work. They don’t like the design, don’t understand your vision, or can’t see a way forward. You must tackle that head-on and understand it’s not a personal attack—they just don’t like the design. Every single business goes through this, even the big agencies that win awards. It’s how you deal with the situation that matters.
  
• Not understanding accounting. I’m not a maths girl at the best of times, so quoting, tax, and book keeping went over my head. I don’t understand it, and I don’t enjoy it, but it’s a necessary aspect of owning a business. Tackle tasks one at a time and ask for help—you’ll be surprised at how much you learn quickly. 
  
• Getting clients. Finding clients is the main pain point for freelancers, and the solution is not linear. However, by staying consistent on social media, I’ve reached clients from all over the world. Don’t make excuses like you don’t have time or don’t understand it: make the time and learn it. In the early days, I leaned on my network: this is key to getting your first clients. Tell people you’re freelancing and available for hire—people won’t know if you don’t tell them! 

• Keeping a positive mindset. For so long, I didn’t believe I had something special. I also felt like I had to be the best to be successful, but the truth is, you don’t! There is an audience for everyone—you just have to find it. To be in business, you have to be a bunch of things rather than just a designer—you need to be a good communicator, time manager, and project manager. Don’t get hung up on being the best. 

How has your business evolved as your career has flourished?

As time has passed, I’ve increased my prices to reflect my skill level and experience. Pricing is hard; honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable with it. Also, as my team has grown, my role has changed into more marketing, sales, project management, and leadership—I don’t design nearly as much as I used to.

Now that I have a talented team around me, the main characteristics I look for in employees are drive, determination, and work ethic. You can teach someone a skill, but it’s very hard to teach drive and motivation. They have to want to be there! While talent is important, some qualities are invaluable—honesty, transparency, determination, and hard work.

Advice For Building a Thriving Creative Career

Your Instagram following has almost doubled since we last spoke! What’s been the key to your growth?

• Consistency. Yes, I said it: the keyword no one likes to hear. But consistency + hard work + dedication = success.
• Injecting my personality into my brand. People connect with people, so putting myself out there has been key. I’m not afraid to be silly and playful, but also show how passionate and professional I am when it comes to my business.
• Keeping up with the times. You’ve got to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of social media, whether that’s jumping on Reels, TikTok, or whatever’s next. 

You’re now a regular speaker at Adobe MAX! How did that opportunity come about? 

Honestly, it’s a dream come true! I’d worked on a few social collaborations with Adobe in the past, and when the email landed in my inbox, it was so casual and out of the blue that I thought it was spam. But when the reality sank in, I cried all day. I never thought an opportunity like this would come my way.

When I attended Adobe MAX 2022, I poured my heart and soul into my presentations. I worked so hard and injected myself into everything I did, which resulted in them inviting me to speak again in 2023. This year is a little different, though—I’ve been asked to be a luminary speaker, meaning I am headlining Adobe MAX 2024, Miami! 

My favorite part about MAX is connecting with other like-minded creatives who are as passionate as you. It feels like one big family or group of friends to chat with about design and business!

Never did I think I would ever speak at Adobe MAX once, let alone come back for the third time as a headliner. It shows what the power of hard work, consistency, and being yourself can do for your career. 

Many creatives are nervous about AI’s impact on their careers. What’s your advice for integrating AI tools into your creative process?

When Adobe Photoshop launched in 1987, people were outraged, afraid it would kill the work of photographers and artists. In reality, it’s only enhanced what they do, and I truly think AI will do the same. You still have to have a creative mind—AI is just a tool to speed up processes, which leads to more output. Work with it, learn it, and lean into it! 

We have integrated AI into our daily workflow in multiple ways. We use Adobe Firefly and Photoshop’s generative fill for our brand proposals—especially when we are working with startups—to generate on-brand imagery that brings the brand to life.

We rely on AI for designing mock-ups; it helps visualize your client’s ideas and bring their vision to life. However, I advise avoiding AI logo generators as they lack strategic thinking, which is where designers come in. 

There are so many struggles behind the scenes of a “success story.” What were the biggest challenges, and what made it all worth it? 

First of all, it’s worth it. One of the hardest parts of owning a design agency is that design is so subjective. While we can create something we believe will work for the brand, if the client doesn’t like it, you have to learn how to mediate those sticky situations. 

Sometimes, I also find it incredibly hard to manage everything—I’m only one person, and something needs to give! Trying to manage sales, marketing, project management, design, team management, operations, and more is tough! But if you don’t do it, no one else will. 

I think the biggest challenge I’ve overcome is understanding that a 100% success rate is impossible. Although we always try our best, some projects don’t go as well as we’d hope. While I used to think this was just a “me problem,” the truth is that everyone goes through it! 

Business is a game of trial and error. Try something—if it doesn’t work, try something else.

What are your words of wisdom for creatives at the start of their career journey? 

You don’t need to be perfect to succeed. While we all want to be the best—it’s not the be-all and end-all. You can do incredibly well if you are a good designer, marketer, salesperson, or communicator. Learn and develop more than one skill, but also understand you’ll learn as you go—you don’t need to know everything before you start.

I look back at when I started by business: I was charging $300 for a brand identity and had no idea what I was doing, but I learnt along the way, backed myself and just kept going. It’s also important to remember that running a business is hard. It’s okay to have hard days, but it’s all about getting back on the horse (or, should I say, pony)—be resilient and keep going.

For more inspiring interviews, check out our chats with Rainn Wilson, Jessica Walsh, and Beci Orpin!