Summary of "Dare to Find Magic in Straight Lines"

Podcast: Daring Creativity. Daring Forever.
Host: Radim Malinic
Guest: Lauren Hartstone (Executive Creative Director & Partner, Sibling Rivalry)
Date: December 15, 2025

Main Theme

This episode explores the intersection between systematic brand thinking and deeply human storytelling through the career and personal journey of Lauren Hartstone. Lauren shares how her path from MTV and Imaginary Forces, through brand-focused work at Gretel, and ultimately to Sibling Rivalry has shaped her as a creator, leader, and parent. The discussion offers candid insights into creative fearlessness, imposter syndrome, parenting, and the pivotal value of staying curious—highlighting how a seemingly "straight line" career path can still lead to magic and reinvention.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Life & Foundations in Art and Storytelling

• Creative Upbringing ([03:27])

  • Lauren’s family was immersed in art, music, and analysis: her mother painted, her brother is a musician, and both brother and father studied sociology, leading to long conversations about human behavior.
  • Quote: “I thought I was going into something different... and then I figured out I was actually the next step after what they were doing.” — Lauren ([05:26])

• Education: Combining Art with Academics ([06:05])

  • Parents insisted Lauren attend a university rather than only art school, pushing her to major in both visual communications and English literature at Washington University in St. Louis.
  • “I think that the more you work in this career, the more important it is to be able to be articulate... to have studied a lot of different things was really helpful.” — Lauren ([07:36])

2. Breaking into Motion Design & Early Career (MTV, Imaginary Forces)

• Pathway to Motion ([10:07])

  • Early internship at VH1 fueled Lauren's love for motion design, leading to a formative stint at MTV and a self-driven effort to learn animation tools like After Effects and Flash (in their infancy).
  • “I was obsessed with title sequences and I was like, one day I'm going to work at Imaginary Forces.” — Lauren ([10:41])

• The Influence of 'Seven' and a 'Straight Line' Career ([15:05])

  • The title sequence for 'Seven' deeply impacted Lauren, inspiring her to pursue motion and title design.
  • “[My career’s] not been...weavy lines...I've been on this very kind of straight path of, like, this is what I want to do, and then I keep going.” — Lauren ([15:34])

• Learning Culture at Imaginary Forces ([19:06])

  • Mentorships (PJ Richardson, Michelle Dougherty, Steve Fuller, Karen Fong) were pivotal. The environment was collaborative, challenging, competitive—but deeply supportive and joyful.
  • “All I wanted to do was get my boards picked... that's what they wanted of me too. But I learned so much.” — Lauren ([21:12])

3. Creative Environment: Then vs. Now

• Innocence & Creative Competition ([21:08], [23:33])
  • Past work culture less strategic, more about personal drive and discovery (“just make things and get excited and be in it”).
  • Now, branding and campaigns are more risk-averse and shareholder-driven, often lacking boldness.
  • “I wish we could still just be that way. Just make things and get excited and be in it. Just break out of all the noise of everything else.” — Lauren ([21:47])
  • “If we could just be a little more fearless, it could go a long way... I wish that brands could feel a little bit more willing to go there because they can change over time.” — Lauren ([25:23])

4. Transition to Branding at Gretel: Embracing the Unknown

• Brand Systems & Being a Beginner Again ([27:21])

  • Going from storytelling-focused work to systems-driven branding at Gretel, Lauren was out of her comfort zone and had to “listen and learn.”
  • “I went from being so confident before...I got to Gretel and I was like, oh my God, I don't know anything...I had to learn the systems behind branding.” — Lauren ([29:58])

• The Importance of Interdisciplinary Knowledge ([28:17])

  • Integration of branding and storytelling is essential for modern creative work; storytelling needs systems, and branding needs emotion.

5. Motherhood & Personal Growth

• Impact of Becoming a Parent ([32:41], [33:57])

  • Lauren’s two daughters transformed her perspective, work habits, and leadership style.
  • “It's changed everything about how I work... I really believe that I've learned to work so much smarter and faster and I have way more confidence than I had then. And I think that my kids have weirdly given me that.” — Lauren ([33:57 – 35:18])

• Finding Balance: Merging Creative & Family Life ([38:33])

  • Rejects a strict work/life separation; instead, keeps them “completely merged” for flexibility and well-being for herself and family.
  • “What I have found better for me... is to keep them completely merged. Then it doesn't stress me out.” — Lauren ([38:33])

6. The Magic at Sibling Rivalry

• Brand + Storytelling as ‘Home’ ([32:41])

  • Sibling Rivalry offers the perfect arena for Lauren to fuse systematic branding with human stories.
  • “I had these kids and then I went over to Sibling... I was trying to find this balance between storytelling and branding. For me, Sibling was really that perfect place to do it.” — Lauren ([32:41])

• Leadership, Team-Building, and the Power of Support ([53:01])

  • Credits long-term colleagues Joe and Mekan with supporting her growth and trusting her creative rigor.
  • “It's really important to find a place where you feel your best self... Find a place where you can be you and do the work you wanna be doing and you gotta have a great team.” — Lauren ([53:34])

7. Case Study: B&H Project

• Celebrating Authentic People ([41:13])

  • Lauren describes her favorite project: YouTube videos for B&H, focusing on honest, quirky staff rather than products.
  • “All I wanted to do was celebrate them...sometimes, you know, brand story is just right there. Sometimes you don't have to invent anything.” — Lauren ([41:38], [45:19])

• Data Affirming Creativity ([46:10])

  • Measurement showed audiences preferred people to products, validating Lauren’s creative instincts.
  • “People were more interested in the people. So actually the data worked. It was...on the behalf of the creative.” — Lauren ([46:10])

8. Creative Fearlessness, Impostor Syndrome, and Freshness

• Admitting ‘I Don’t Know’ as a Creative Asset ([47:02])

  • When asked to lead a sports branding project, Lauren’s lack of subject knowledge became a unique advantage, bringing fresh perspective.
  • “You gotta do what you do for this sport... it doesn't matter if you know the sector or not. We offer a fresh perspective.” — Lauren ([47:10])

• Excitement at the Edge of Possibility ([49:11])

  • Lauren finds the start of projects thrilling for their potential.
  • “For me, the very beginning of a job is always the most exciting. Right. Because you're like, there's so much potential and so much excitement and you don't know where it's going to go.” — Lauren ([49:20])

• Continuous Possibility, Even on a ‘Straight Line’ ([52:10])

  • Despite a seemingly linear career, Lauren remains engaged, driven by the sense that “there's so many places this could go.”
  • “It might have been a straight line, but I am happy I'm here.” — Lauren ([53:01])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• About Family Influence:
  “Creative comes from insight, right? So it all came full circle.” — Lauren ([04:55])

• On the Role of Listening:
  “You have to listen and learn...those are two crucial things that any creative can do every day.” — Radim ([29:06])

• On Parenting Transforming Leadership:
  “Your value isn't measured in the hours that you're worked and the volume of your work, but it's in your vision and your clarity and your impact.” — Lauren ([33:57])

• On Data and Human Stories:
  “People were more interested in the people. So actually the data worked. It was...on the behalf of the creative.” — Lauren ([46:10])

• About Staying Excited:
  “There's so many places this could go. And I still feel that way.” — Lauren ([49:49])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Family Background and Early Art Influences – [03:27]
• University Choices & Dual Majoring – [06:05]
• Internship at VH1/MTV and Discovery of Motion – [10:07]
• Influence of ‘Seven’ Title Sequence – [15:05]
• Imaginary Forces Culture & Mentorship – [19:06]
• Comparing the Past and Present Creative Industry – [23:33], [25:07]
• Transition to Branding at Gretel & ‘Listening & Learning’ – [27:21], [29:58]
• Motherhood & Shifting Creative Identity – [32:41], [33:57]
• Fusing Creative and Personal Life – [38:33]
• Sibling Rivalry: Harmony of Brand and Storytelling – [32:41], [53:01]
• B&H Project: People vs. Products – [41:13]
• Fresh Perspective in Sports Branding – [47:02]
• Possibility, Excitement, and Linear Paths – [49:11], [52:10]

Tone, Takeaways, and Final Thoughts

Lauren’s story, told with honesty and warmth, is a rare look at how directness, curiosity, and a willingness to grow—both by admitting what you don’t know and by honoring what you do—can forge a fearless, fulfilling creative journey. Whether discussing the messy beauty of parenthood or the technical rigor of branding, she reinforces that creativity thrives not from perfection, but from presence, passion, and the genuine desire to make things that mean something for people.

“Find a place where you can be you and do the work you wanna be doing—and you gotta have a great team.” — Lauren ([53:34])

The episode is a deeply relatable encouragement to merge life’s lines, embrace possibility, and keep daring to create—even, and especially, when the path seems linear.