It’s not where you are or who you’re with, but what you create. If you’ve ever felt like success as a creator is limited to the humdrum town you’re in, miles from a traditionally “creative” city, meet Fashion Designer Whitney Manney.

Kansas City, Missouri may not be the fashion capital of the world, but it’s a place where Whitney has taken root. And if you ask Whitney, the humble surroundings of her hometown have led to more opportunities than obstacles.

She’s built a community in Kansas City, has grown her business alongside lifelong peers, and affords a space that’s unattainable in cities like New York or Los Angeles. Finding creative communities may be harder, but it’s far from impossible. And the pressures of surviving in a cut-throat creative hub disappear.

However, while creating without pressure is helpful for some, for others, distance from a dream takes a toll.

In this episode, Charli, Miguel, and Whitney discuss how to thrive creatively regardless of where you create, how Whitney learned to embrace her hometown, how she lands incredible design gigs despite the distance, and how Whitney stays true to a style much different than the aesthetic around her.

Key Takeaways

[01:14] - Have you heard?
- [01:22] - Due to a recent court ruling in the U.K, Meta’s acquisition of Giphy is now in limbo.
- [03:59] - Japan expects PewDiePie’s move to increase tourism.
[06:25] - Today’s main topic: Succeeding as a creator when you don’t live in a main creative hub.
- [06:44] - Before the internet, living in a place like Missouri was significantly harder and Whitney’s instinct was to get out, especially with fashion aspirations. Now, that desire to leave has decreased dramatically.
- [08:28] - Whitney has embraced creativity in Kansas City rather than tolerated it. Because she’s always lived there, she has a built-in community and has grown professionally alongside peers.
- [11:54] - Whitney was able to develop and sustain her own unique style without feeling limited by her city’s aesthetic.
- [14:55] - Part of embracing where you live is embracing what makes you different from that place.
- [17:27] - The beauty of staying in one place is the ability to build your business from the ground up and watch it flourish locally.
- [18:05] - Especially in your early career, there are advantages to being uniquely creative in a small city. You can experiment with your work and content without the daily stress of survival.
- [19:54] - Living outside of a “creative” city also takes the pressure off having to constantly create and keep up with those around you. You have the freedom to move at a pace that’s sustainable for you.
- [21:01] - Whitney landed a major fashion gig despite living outside of a typical fashion city.
- [27:24] - When you have the opportunity to, it’s important to pull in other creators from the “non-creative” city you’re from.
- [29:21] - You can find a creative community anywhere, it just takes a little extra digging in some places. Don’t discount local creatives near you.
[32:48] - Today’s listener shoutout: Whitney herself recently started a partnership with Velcro brand, has hired staff, and relaunched her website.
[35:07] - A sneak peek at next week’s episode.

Quotes

[08:02] - “I really feel like I’m supposed to be here. And what I’m doing here is important and hopefully, the people after me that decide to be creatives here, hopefully I have helped make it a little easier.” ~ @whitneymanney

[17:26] - “The thing that I love about being based in KC is that I have genuinely built this thing from the ground up. I can have complete ownership of what this business, what my studio practice, has looked like.” ~ @whitneymanney

[19:14] - “If I move to LA or New York, I’m going to be so worried about just surviving, that I feel like I wouldn’t be able to dedicate the time and brain power that I need to be a creative.” ~ @whitneymanney

[32:16] - “You really do have to think about, what opportunities exist in my community that I can take advantage of, but [also] what is that one opportunity that I can create for myself this year? And I can do it so well that people are like, ‘ok, we’re paying attention to this person.’” ~ @whitneymanney

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