What if the creative block you’ve been blaming on a lack of ideas is actually fear? Or the wrong environment? Or simply not giving yourself permission to try?
In this episode of Creative women, leading change, hosts Mirjana Arlaud and Shea Karssing sit down with Verònica Fuerte, founder and creative director of Hey, the independent design studio she has built in Barcelona since 2007.
Verònica shares the story of turning an instinct she had as a shy, creative child into a global creative business. At 27, she left the security of a job to start her own studio, learning business and leadership largely through experience, mistakes and eventually asking for help.
The conversation explores what happens when creativity becomes both your livelihood and your identity, along with how to protect the space you need to keep experimenting.
From building creative side projects into Hey’s business strategy to navigating motherhood, leadership and the rise of AI, Verònica offers an honest look at what it takes to keep creating, reinventing and moving forward.
And for anyone sitting on an idea they haven’t acted on yet, she has a simple piece of advice: ask for help, find people who can support you, and start building.
Episode highlights
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How Verònica’s childhood creativity became the foundation for her career
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Why she left a secure job at 27 to build Hey Studio
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Learning leadership after studying graphic design
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Why leading people became a bigger challenge than being creative
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The importance of having a “creative playground” where you can experiment without a client
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Navigating creativity, motherhood and the expectations placed on working mothers
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Why investing in yourself matters, even before you think you have a problem
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How AI is changing the creative industry
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What to do when you have an idea but don't know how to begin
Quotes by Verònica
“I knew I had a style inside me.”
“It is very necessary to develop creativity and go further and experiment and try new things.”
“I think it's very important to invest in yourself.”
“Asking for help is very important because maybe you have the idea but you don't know how to start.”
“Everything is possible if you go with the right people around you.”
“Invest this energy that you have when you are building something from scratch and invest it 100% and more.”
Resources and actions from this episode
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Listen to Design Matters with Debbie Millman.
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Explore Hey Studio.
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Create your own creative playground. Verònica talks about the importance of having space to experiment without a client brief.
