Gina Grittner

I would attribute my success to my grandma. I was very, very close to my grandma, and I grew up in her basement where she was always doing all kinds of different crafts. She would sew, knit, crochet, she would paint ceramics, and even had a kiln in her basement. We would paint ceramics in her basement together and watch Golden Girls or chat and listen to oldies music, which was just the best time. I learned a lot about creativity, and it was a really fun way to let loose and express myself. I learned how to channel anything I was feeling through art, which I still do today. She taught me creativity comes in many forms and that joy comes from freedom of expression. That there is beauty in everything and everyone if you're open to trying new things and meeting new people. She always kept my artwork - I would make her cards on Microsoft Paint, and I found them in a photo album that she kept, which was so sweet. It was just a simple jack-o'-lantern made from a circle, but she held onto it for years. That belief in myself that she gave me, and that creative spark, for sure, I would attribute it to her.

The best advice I ever got was to think from different perspectives and always put yourself in another person's shoes. I think that really applies in any work environment. You should lead empathetically, you should communicate empathetically, work empathetically with somebody, and understand where they're coming from to be a good team mate. But from packaging and design lens, empathy and perspective is just as important because you ultimately need to think from the consumer's point of view. That's also thinking empathetically by anticipating their needs, as well as the client's needs at the same time. At the end of the day it's not about me or you. In our field, it's easy to get sensitive about the work we are creating. Because we're putting a lot of love and a lot of care into what we're doing, and it's easy - we have critiques daily - it's easy to get personal about a critique, but at the end of the day, anything that you do isn't about you, it's for somebody else. It's for the consumer, and it's for the client. It's for the brand. So, as much as you can think outside of yourself and try to tap into different people's emotions and their needs and their wants and their desires, the better off you'll be in all positions of your career. That's been the biggest piece of advice that I still use today, and I try to use especially in more of a management and leadership position to lead empathetically. In order to create, inspire, to motivate, to connect, to praise or critique, it should always be done through a filter of awareness.

I would say, number one, if I could go back and give myself some advice, it would be just don't be afraid to be yourself. I would say be authentically yourself. Perhaps not genuinely yourself, but authentically yourself. Because it is that balance of leading with empathy while also having authority in what you do. So I would say being yourself, and not being afraid of that, and not being afraid of voicing your opinion. When I was starting out, that was something I was afraid to do. I was afraid my voice was too small to matter. No matter what, everybody has a valid opinion, and everybody has a point of view, and they all make a difference. It doesn't matter who that comes from, it doesn't matter what position you're in, what department your'e in, you can add value by being you.

I would say the number one challenge, which I think is really relevant for this platform, is being put in the box of being too nice. I think as women in general, it's really hard to lead and not get that label. You're trying to lead empathetically, and that's a hard thing to do without being labeled as soft or lacking strength. That's something I've had to work around, finding what that right balance is for me of soft and strong, authority, and empathy. But I think I've started to find that, and a lot of it just revolves around confidence, just being confident in your intuition and your gut, especially in a creative field—you have to trust what you think is right, and believe in yourself, and then it all stems from there. That's a big one in our field, making sure that as a woman you come across as still having authority, without being too harsh at the same time, to not shut creativity and collaboration down while guiding the work where it needs to go. Finding that balance is key and takes time.

As for opportunities, my favorite opportunities are the ones that others don't gravitate towards as much. Maybe it's a strange product, or a strange brand, or a small brand. It's not the biggest brand on the roster. Might not be the first one that everybody wants, but to me, those are the golden opportunities, because there's a little less risk, but there's more room for growth, and there's more flexibility. Those oddballs are big opportunities to me, even when they seem like they aren't. But also, being able to craft narratives and stories is an opportunity in itself—now that I'm in a director role, being able to decide how we're going to present an idea to the client, how we're going to get them excited about it, is also a big challenge that I look forward to. I really love that part, because it's storytelling, which always connects people. In our field we have the opportunity to be a bright spot in someone's day and I look forward to crafting those moments in ways that are engaging and memorable like any good story.

I would say, number one, empathy. Leading with empathy and being a kind and caring person. Knowing and noticing that everyone has their own battles and we’re all going through hard times together. Everyone has a story to tell and I value storytelling of all forms. I find inspiration from all walks of creativity, I love to sing, I’m always listening to music, mainly 60’s and 70’s, I’m a huge art history fan, an avid reader, and recently started playing piano as a way to ground myself while challenging myself in a new creative way.

I also value taking care of animals, the environment, and equality, being connected to others, the planet, and nature. I'm a plant and dog mom, I love to garden with my husband, I love to read while listening to the birds in our backyard, and walk through the forest with our dog Otis. I would say a lot of my values revolve around noticing the connections between us all and to everything around us, I try to take those connections into my work everyday to build lasting and memorable brands.