Meet Chris Lussow

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Lussow and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I spent over twenty years in the corporate agency world, with many of those years in leadership roles. When the time came for a change, I realized that I wanted to return to my craft and take control of my destiny. Getting hands-on and working directly with other business owners sounded like exactly what I needed. I had a couple of talented co-workers who felt the same way, and I knew we could make a difference for small business owners by offering agency-level creative services at a cost that small businesses could afford. Working directly with the decision maker to design and develop creative branding was cathartic for us.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
If there is one thing I can point to as my greatest creative strength, it would be my vision. Some artists can create amazing drawings or paintings. I’ve never been exceptionally talented in that way, but I can see the creative idea in my mind, and then it’s just a matter of working to coax it to life in words and images. Throughout my career, I’ve been able to do so to great effect, but it wasn’t always easy. Coming out of school without excellent hand skills made it difficult to build a solid portfolio. The computer was fairly new technology, and a lot of the design process was still cut and paste. But the idea is always key, and with years of grinding, I was able to develop my own way of expressing it successfully. One of my favorite aspects of my career has been mentoring younger creatives and witnessing their own ‘aha!’ moments. The moment when everything clicks, and they “get it.” That holds true today because we get to see the ‘aha!’ in our clients’ eyes when we work with them to build and define their brand. When they see their brand come to life, the transition from skeptic to believer can happen pretty fast!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ve always been more country than city, so when a friend comes to town, we head to the mountains. My family has an off-the-grid geodesic dome at the edge of the Pike National Forest. There is nothing better than hanging out around the campfire and staring up at the stars when you are in the middle of nowhere. When the Milky Way is in full view, it is stunning, and you could stare at the night sky for hours. Hiking, fishing and riding ATVs is a perfect day. Drinks and laughter around the fire is our favorite way to end the day

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My most significant creative influence has always been my mother. As a kid, she would sit and sketch nature scenes with me, always encouraging my imagination. My father passed along his work ethic because if it wasn’t right, we did it over until it was. As a kid, you learn pretty quickly to get it right the first time! In my corporate life, I was fortunate enough to have several members of senior leadership at The Integer Group believe in me enough to lead some pretty high-profile creative assignments early in my career. I have to give a lot of credit to an Account Service VP named Scott Richards. He always trusted my vision and let me run with it. That trust breeds an inner confidence that never goes away. We did great work and had a lot of fun doing it!

Website: https://themoc.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lussow-8991313/

Image Credits
kate kintzel photography
Ghostcat Photography