Today I’m chatting with Tokyo based creative, Lindsay Arakawa. Lindsay possesses that magical combination of creativity and strategic thinking. She’s part freelance social media strategist and part creator of dreamy images that combine hand drawn messages and illustrations over her film photographs.

We discuss the serendipitous way she came to find her creative style, how she uses social media to experiment and help push her work forward, how she recently took the leap to move from New York City where she oversaw Instagram strategy and creative at Refinery29, to Tokyo where she’s embarked on a freelance career. Lindsay also generously shares how she finds clients, how she built confidence in herself and her work, and the challenges that have come along with moving to Japan.

Lindsay has a really wonderful energy about her and I left this conversation feeling revitalized. I was inspired by the playful lens she views her creativity through. She doesn’t overthink things, and she creates work that’s a kind of snapshot of who she is in that moment. Coming from a chronic overthinker, it was refreshing to hear her process! I’m excited to share this one with you and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.