Diving into creative chaos to find magic in uncertainty - PJ Richardson (Laundry)
Mon, 19 May 2025
PJ Richardson, co-founder of motion design studio Laundry, shares his journey from graffiti artist in San Francisco to running a successful creative company. This episode explores how personal struggles and anxiety have shaped his creative approach and business philosophy. Richardson discusses his experience growing up in Chinatown with a single mother, finding creative escape through graffiti, and eventually transforming that hustler mindset into entrepreneurship. He reveals the insecurities that still plague him despite his success and how he's learned to harness chaos as a creative fo
PJ Richardson, co-founder of motion design studio Laundry, shares his journey from graffiti artist in San Francisco to running a successful creative company. This episode explores how personal struggles and anxiety have shaped his creative approach and business philosophy.
Richardson discusses his experience growing up in Chinatown with a single mother, finding creative escape through graffiti, and eventually transforming that hustler mindset into entrepreneurship. He reveals the insecurities that still plague him despite his success and how he's learned to harness chaos as a creative force rather than fighting against it.
This episode was produced in association with Paradiso
Key Takeaways:
- Creative anxiety and perfectionism are common even among highly successful professionals
- Embracing chaos rather than trying to control it can lead to unexpected creative breakthroughs
- Personal experiences and trauma often fuel creative drive but require addressing for long-term wellbeing
- The parallels between graffiti art and marketing reveal how creative hustle translates to business success
- Creative leadership requires learning to delegate and set boundaries rather than doing everything yourself
- Making personal experimental work can lead to unexpected commercial opportunities
- The importance of not waiting for permission to create and try new approaches
- Creating "sandboxes" for discovery rather than rigid plans can yield the most innovative results
- Industry change is constant - studios must continuously evolve or risk becoming obsolete
- Working with people you enjoy collaborating with should be a priority metric for taking on projects
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