Produced By - The Canva Girl Formula: Creativity, Storytelling, and Personality | 157: Jasmine Gathoga

Episode Date: June 22, 2026

Jasmine Gathoga is a LinkedIn Brand Strategist, Graphic Designer, and Canva Creator best known online as ‘That Canva Girl.’ From making handmade cards as a child to becoming an official Canva Ambassador, Jasmine has built a personal brand around creativity, storytelling, and helping people stand out online with both strategy and design. Her content is known for its humour, honesty, and uplifting energy, helping creators and business owners build brands people genuinely remember. In this episode, Jasmine shares her journey from discovering Canva to turning creativity into a career through LinkedIn. We talk about finding your voice online, overcoming the fear of posting, using AI as a creative tool, and why your personality is still your biggest advantage in a world full of content. This conversation is full of practical insights, positive energy, and encouragement for anyone trying to build something meaningful online.Connect with Jasmine:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasminegathoga/https://www.designwithjazz.com/Timestamps: 00:00 - Why personality makes content stand out 01:11 - Intro 01:22 - Becoming That Canva girl 02:40 - The story behind the Canva girl title 03:52 - Getting recognised by Canva 04:49 - Becoming a Canvassador 07:15 - Discovering Canva for the first time 09:28 - Why Canva still feels like home 11:33 - Growing up creative and artistic 13:01 - Leaving accounting to pursue creativity 14:30 - Why building online changed everything 16:47 - Why LinkedIn felt intimidating at first 18:30 - Her first experience posting on LinkedIn 19:43 - Why LinkedIn communities are underrated 21:34 - Making LinkedIn feel more human 23:14 - Finding your voice online 24:27 - “That doesn’t sound like you” 25:46 - Adding personality into your content 27:46 - Don’t teach facts teach your experience 29:36 - Will AI replace designers 31:31 - Why AI should be your advantage 34:29 - The AI tools Jasmine uses daily 35:53 - What to do when you run out of ideas 36:57 - The voice note method for content ideas 39:48 - Hobbies outside of work 41:21 - Listening to podcasts while designing 42:15 - Favourite K dramas and genres 43:39 - Books podcasts and learning 45:49 - Where to find Jasmine online 46:43 - Future plans beyond LinkedIn 48:17 - Upcoming Canva event and masterclass 49:35 - Final advice for anyone feeling stuck 50:56 - Why you should build online for six months 51:42 - Your personality is your unique selling point 52:26 - Final thoughts and goodbye Connect with Tomas:X: https://x.com/TomasLoucky⁠⁠⁠Stan: https://stan.store/TommenLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomasloucky/⁠⁠Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisistommen/⁠⁠Unproduced:Newsletter: https://unproduced.substack.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@unproducednotesSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033Ddo8ibDlLYoaP7FFLIWMore:Links: https://linktr.ee/produced_by⁠⁠⁠Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://producednewsletter.substack.com/⁠The Podcast Club: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/25420030/Tools & gear that support the show:Metricool: https://f.mtr.cool/HRJBZKRiverside: https://riverside.sjv.io/vDnDodFavikon: https://www.favikon.com?fpr=tommenRa Optics: https://ra-optics.myshopify.com/discount/TOMMEN?rfsn=8803777.591d19JamX: https://jamx.ai/podcasters-offer?ref_id=e02d48af-ef66-4e76-b804-c2e8d282a8bfSome links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. If you find them useful, using these links helps keep the podcast running. Thank you!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

My biggest advice is add your thoughts, add how you say things. Like, if your friends know that you say something in a certain way, rephrase it. So, for example, I have this technique that I use. I'll put my POV in bracket. So I'll add something like, I can't believe I just thought of that. Just that internal monologue. You know how you sit and you're having these thoughts?

You're just having that internal monologue. Add it to your content. When you add that to your content, that's what differentiates it from every other. content because me and you Thomas are not having the exact same thoughts at this exact moment. You're thinking about something. I'm thinking about something else. So I always add my thoughts, like just what is a silly thought, an interesting thought, a quarky thought? I add it there. And I think we've turned that's how my voice has evolved on LinkedIn and become very distinct. People don't need to see my name to know that's my post. They can tell because my post is an

extension of who I am. I'm sure right now when we're talking, you're like, yeah, she sounds joke like she sounds in her post. That's exactly how it should be. Before we dive into today's episode, please hit that subscribe button. Your support helps us grow and inspire more people on their journeys. Thank you. Hello Jasmine, thank you for joining us today and welcome to the show. Thank you, Thomas. It's a pleasure being here.

Jasmine, for those who don't know you, can you please introduce yourself? Sure. So my name is Jasmine. Gaso, most people might not be able to pronounce my last name, but just call me Jasmine. or jazz and we're good to go. On LinkedIn, I am known mostly as that Canva girl because that's how I initially positioned myself. And I am a LinkedIn brand strategist and a graphic designer who prioritizes Canva. I'm just a fan of Canva. So I use Canva to create the visual assets that help people position their brands on LinkedIn especially. And I just love what I do. I really do.

I'm happy to hear that. And I was going to say that I like when there are people and they have like a unique title because, of course, when you're on LinkedIn, there are so many people who are Bradlin strategist, LinkedIn expert. But if there is like one line that is specific to you, as you say, Canva GERP, I think it's great because it's unique. It's unique to you and automatically gives you this association. So it sounds really good and it's a great idea. Exactly. And you know the funny thing is I've gotten so many conversations status just because of

of that. So many people would be in my DMs and like, I saw your headline and I was interested and I was curious and voila. They're in my DM. So yeah, it works. And was it actually your idea to use this title or did maybe someone give it to you? My client, one of my first clients only. Yes. Hanim, her name is blessing and she wanted me to design some stuff as I did. And then every time she would DM me on WhatsApp, she'd be like, hi, Canva Girl, could you do this for me, do this for me? And I said, where does she call me this? So at some point, after we finished and she wrote me a beautiful recommendation. And then on the recommendation she wrote, I call her the Canva Girl. That's what she wrote. So I looked at that thing and I was like, it sounds so cheesy. I was like, sounds so cheesy, so funny.

then I said, but what if I decided to actually own that name? I asked myself that, why if I decided to own that name? And that moment, I didn't overthink it. I just went and added it on my headline. And everything changed from that moment moving forward.

I think it's great because I obviously didn't know, but I thought maybe you came up with it. But if someone gave it to it makes it actually even better. Exactly. Exactly. She gave it to me. And obviously, Canva is a huge company and so many people use it. I use it as well. Love it as well. Probably not as

skilled as you are, but still, did that happen? Maybe that you get some kind of collaboration or recognition by Canva or not because I assume they are so huge and so many people take them, want to collaborate. So I'm not sure if it's possible. So did it happen or still waiting for it? Actually, last year, September, someone approached me and this person who approached me, I have admired for years on Instagram and YouTube. So he is a huge Canva designer known on those spaces. And I just need to follow his content every now and then. And then one day, get a LinkedIn DM from him saying,

Hey, Jasmine, I've been following your work. And I'd love for you to become a Canvassadol. That's a Canvassadar. Oh, my God. I love it. It's a great idea. It's a Canva ambassador. And he was like, I'd really love for you to join the African team.

And if you're interested, please let me know. I was on cloud nine. Cloud nine cannot even explain how happy I was. Because this was my dream. This was something I'd always hoped for to be part of the Canva vision, be part of the Canva dream. And so I got the Canvassadar role. And basically, our goal is to empower the world through design,

like make people enjoy design, you're three years old, whether you're 80 years old, everyone can create something meaningful. And I think we're all designed to be creators at the end of the day. It's something you can create. So Canva is just my medium and it's the medium I love sharing about. And so, yeah, that's how I joined the Canvassadr team. And now we're actually planning Kenya's past Canva event in Kenya. And it's really exciting because we have the backing of Canva itself. So it's funding the whole project and we have already gotten like 300 plus signups and it's really, really amazing to be like a physical event in Kenya.

So I'm really excited for it. That's really cool. And I'm very happy to hear that. Of course, Kanva Sadar is a super cool title and it sounds great. I was going to say that the title, that I also think that there can be so many people who can kind of use it because, as I said, many people use Kanva. So it's really good that you are the first one because now if someone takes it, it's obviously copying you. So you are the one and now we are kind of chill. I took it.

I'm the one. Exactly. Exactly. And actually, the whole Canva said of thing is like Canva verified ambassadors, people who Canva has selected from anywhere in the world who actually portray that they love Canva as a product. They love to share it with other people. So once you go through like there's a whole enrollment, there's a whole. everything is a whole process that you go through. And once you're signed up, your goal is for that one year you have a contract with them,

is to spread the Canva gospel. So we need through either content or through in-person events, like what we're about to host, or even through webinars, all of that. That's the whole entire goal. So anyone who's maybe watching this and is interested, that's something you can definitely become a part of. Yeah, it sounds really cool. And do you remember when you started with Canva? Because, for example, you know, you've got like these two fields when it's Canva versus Figma.

I've honestly always been with Canva person as well. But maybe why did you choose one over the other? And how did you start with Convo? Oh, I love talking about that story. I'm a storyteller. If you read my post, you know, I love telling stories. So back in 2021, I was, okay, let me just trace it a little bit back, just a slightly bit back. Growing up, I was the kind of kid who would make cards for my family, for birthdays, for

anniversaries. I'd take Conflict boxes and just chop them up and then glue them and then write and draw with crayons. I loved doing that. It was just something I really enjoyed doing. So fast forward to when I got my first laptop, I discovered Microsoft publisher. And I started designing with it. Like, no one taught me.

I just started experimenting, trying to understand what does this thing do? do. And I was like creating very pretty things. And then I'd go print them at a local printing shop and then give them out. Like whether it's, you're about to do an exam, I'd give you a card. It's your bastard. Give you a card. But it's something I've designed. So I never knew the word designer, graphic designer even existed. I just used to love creating it. Yeah. So fast forward now to 2021. My sister comes to me and asks, he just, could you please make me a design for, would you make me a card for my friend? So I'm like, okay, I went on Microsoft publisher,

but then I was bored. I was like, hmm, there must be something better than this. So I said, let me go search online. I searched, and it didn't take long. I landed on this thing called Canva. And I'm like, okay, this is interesting. I played around with it, and I'm like, I was blown out. I was like, you mean this thing exists?

And from there, it was just a love at first design. I really, really just enjoyed it. And then I put, I didn't go back to it for like six months. So after I quit like my job, as I was doing some sales job, after I quit it, I just went straight into Canva and started teaching myself. So that's how my whole journey of Canva began. It was something I just bounced on accidentally on the web. And why do I use it versus, let's say, Figma or Photoshop? Now, back then, I didn't even know Figma or Photoshop existed.

Like there's very, coming from a. African background, there are some opportunities that you don't learn about until later in life, like really later in life. So by the time I was starting out, Canva was what was in my face, and I just loved it. So when I figured out this Figma and Photoshop, I did test them. I have played with Figma, but at the end of the day, I still gravitated back to Canva because of how easy it makes everything feel, and I can still be creative even in that space. And then for Photoshop, of a productionist I had recently learned in Photoshop as well, just for the sake of being more diverse, like being able to use several things. But my first love will always be Canva because the community,

the sense of community, it feels like home. It feels really special. So that's why I stick to Canva at the end of the day. I'm happy to hear it. I can relate. I don't have such interesting story like you, but I can relate that for me. I feel like that's the one that I discovered. And I felt like that it's so easy to use and have so many options. And I just stuck with it since then. And also seeing the improvements they've been doing overtime. As you said, you started probably year 2021. So you can see overtime how many features they edit and everything they improved. So it's really great see how they are improving as well. For sure. How many years have you been using it? I honestly don't know. I, when I started, I've been using it like, you know, for some projects at school or at university.

So it was just to get a job done. And over time as I've been creating content because I got used to it. I've been working with it more and more. And once you start there and you've got everything developed and we are used to it, you just continue. So I think it's been like a few years as well, but definitely not on such professional level like to you. Well, I get to do. And I like that. I really like that.

And as we are speaking of this, Jasmine and design, you said that you always enjoyed creating cards and this stuff when you were younger. So actually, what is like your background? Maybe what did you study? Or are you someone who's always been interested in art? Well, I've always been interested in art. You know the way how kids always say they want to become a doctor, they want to become a pilot. These are all these fancy, fancy things. When I was growing up, the first job I wanted to be was a singer.

I thought I could sing. I thought I wanted to be a singer. I remember I heard in my school principal that I want to become a singer. The principal was like, you're okay? Obviously, I did not have the voice for a singer. And then at some point, I wanted to become an artist because I used to draw. And then after that, like every single time I wanted to do something, it was always artistic because I wanted to be a fashion designer.

I wanted to be an interior decorator, something is always leaned towards that is that artistic side. So when I discovered Canva, it felt like I had found my space to express that art, you know, to express the ideas I had in mind. And because Canva doesn't have a steep learning curve, it was really easy for me to just get started and get going. So you asked, what was my background? I have a crazy story because when I went to school, I only did one year of accounting. I was doing accounting by only stuck to it for one year. A lot of things happened and it forced me to drop out after my first year of doing accounting. I really loved accounting.

I've always loved math, but I had to stop. That was back in 2019. I had to stop. So 2020 COVID happened. and then 2021, around end of 2020, I started doing sales, like insurance, this kind of things, I started doing the jobs,

but I didn't really like it, and it wasn't working out for me. So at some point in 2021, I quit. So when I quit, I said to myself, Jasmine, go do finally what actually brings you joy. And I knew that canva I had just discovered, brought me so much joy. So I just went into it and started designing.

And before I knew it, a few family and friends kept asking me, they would see what I'm doing. They'd be like, who could you make for me an invitation for my son's, this, my this, my dad. And that's how it just started. And before long, I wanted to identify someone who designs at the end of the day. But it did take me such a long time to be able to get consistent clients. It was until I came on LinkedIn that that changed.

But for the most part of it, I would get, you know, fluctuating. But it did get me interested in design. and that's how I started. I'm happy to hear that you pursued what you enjoy and what you're passionate about because I think ultimately that's what's the most important and the fact that you study something doesn't mean that you have to continue your career in that field

because if you don't enjoy it, what's the point of doing that? And I was actually about to ask you, as you said, I'm sure that there are, of course, many people, whether it's Canva or other tools or even other creative industries. Of course, it's not easy to start and find the clients. So from your experience, what will be maybe like advice how to start your career, whether it's from your experience, what you learned, or what would you just advise people, like the first steps, how to find clients and start the journey in general? For me, Thomas, relying on referrals was how I survived

for like three years. I would wait. for someone to recommend me, someone to find me, someone to ask Jasmine, maybe could you design this for me? But it kept me so low. Like, it was such unpredictable income. I couldn't even call it income because at the end of the day, sometimes you have one client this month, next month, three clients. Referrals for me just did not work. It wasn't consistent. It was not something I could rely on. So if someone asked me, what's that one thing I would advise maybe the younger version of me, to do to get a consistent client pipeline, it would be simply build online. Building online was the biggest, best decision I made for my career.

Because end of 2024, I decided, you know what, I'm going to go all into this. I know I love design. I know I have a passion for it. I know I can express and communicate a business's idea or a person's idea through design. So I felt, let me go on LinkedIn and test the waters and see where that takes me. Today, my story is a whole lot different. See, I'm actually having this podcast with you because just building online has brought me to this position. I would say build online. It's the biggest thing you can do.

I agree. And as you say, built online, you could have gone to other platforms as well. So what was the reason behind choosing LinkedIn? Latin was always intimidating. I always used to feel very intimidated when I see LinkedIn. When you see, you know, when you open LinkedIn, the first post, I made 10,000 GUSG made doing X, Y, Z. I made this gazillion, a lot of money.

And then you're like, you're like, huh, okay, this sounds nice. But I was really intimidated, but I was doing a course with an online school called ALX. I had been taking a couple of courses with them. I don't know if you know it. I'm not sure if you've heard of it, yeah. But it's based in Africa. So when I finished the course, they really, really pushed us, like,

builds your LinkedIn presence. They brought us so many people who were already building on LinkedIn to hear their stories and to get encouraged from their stories. So I remember when they was looking at this lady who had come to speak to us, and I was like, I really wish I could be like,

I wish I could pull myself out there, have the audacity to put myself out there and see what comes of it. And one day after thinking and thinking and thinking, I decided, I'm going for it. So I wrote my fast post was around November of 2012. And I said, I just wrote that. I'm committing myself to sharing up on LinkedIn for 30 days. I just wanted to test myself. Jasmine, can you do, can you approach the platform you're most scared of?

Because I would have rather built on Instagram or TikTok. It's easier there. it's less intimidating but LinkedIn so I was like let me go to the one that scares me the most that's how I got started how was the reception then in the first three posts what was the feedback what people say surprisingly it was good I do not have those sub stories that my post had to like no my post I think the least likes I ever had was like maybe seven at the very late and I think because, as I said, my mom, I'm raised by a mom who is a big storyteller. She always told her stories growing up. So I've also become a person who tells stories a lot. So even on my first course, when I had no idea about what I was doing on LinkedIn, I told stories. I told my stories.

And it had such, like, the reception was really good in terms of being a beginner who has no clue how this platform works. People really were kind to me and they would engage with me. And also learning from others changed a lot because I was observant. When I came on LinkedIn, I had a purpose. I had a mission. So I kept my eyes open to see, they just learn what others were doing, what others were saying, so that I could implement it and then hopefully see those changes in my account as well. I like the mindset.

And I was just about to say that we are, of course, I can relate to what you said, that when I did the first three posts, I was, of course, also. scared and terrible posts, but we are often afraid of what people are going to think or say, but the reality is that people don't really notice or they don't really care. And if there is anyone who is going to criticize you, it's maybe people who don't even post who are way behind you. So really for people out there who maybe just still wait into post or take action, just not overthinking to do it, and people are usually much nicer than we are afraid.

Exactly. In fact, that point, exactly what you said. I was so surprised because I felt, you know, people have this concept about LinkedIn. Before you start on LinkedIn, people have a very strange concept. Everyone has a strange concept about LinkedIn before you get started. But when you get started, you actually start to see there are people there who will support you. Like, in my opinion, in my honest opinion, LinkedIn has the best communities. people who literally will show up for you and stand with you, no matter what, they will support you.

So if I was to tell someone like a beginner, someone who is hoping to take that next step and show up on LinkedIn, just go for it because you will be surprised at how much support you can get. Once you start thinking about the platform as a place for connection and not a place where I need to gain XYZ, just think of it like a big playground where all. kids, we've all gone to click, and we've all shown up, just to make a friend. Make your past friend on LinkedIn. And it becomes so much easier after that. And people will just show up for you with time. Show your personality. And after that, it's rewarding.

It's really rewarding. I agree. And I think also that people, or if you are honest and realistically, it's not always easy to show up. Because, of course, like it gets busy and you don't always feel like it. but I always try to remind myself or advise people that try to enjoy it, try to somehow make it fun. And as you said, for example, if you find people that you enjoy talking, you engage with, etc., it just makes it easier to show up because it doesn't feel like that you're showing up for work, but it's actually to see your friends on LinkedIn, to your network and communicate with themselves.

Community and having fun, one of the best pieces of advice I'll give to people. for sure for sure and as you're saying make it fun at the end of the day don't make it at sure because already it is work train up on LinkedIn is work yes but perception we have to train our minds and see the side of LinkedIn that your brain tries to hide you have to embrace it in this sense I'm here to see what this platform can build for me but the same time I want to be that person for someone else like if you start thinking of how can I give to someone how can make someone else's day happy? Like, can I show up for someone?

Can I just make one comment? Maybe it's someone who's gotten zero comments for the last three hours. Can I drop a nice comment to encourage them? Like, I believe we can be each other's rays of sunshine on LinkedIn. We can really be that question for someone else. And the more you keep doing that, it's just life. It will come back to you. It will come back to you in ways you never actually imagine. So, yeah.

I like positivity, enthusiasm, and I agree. And I said that before, before the recording, just mean that I like your voice, like the way that you write your content. Because it's similar, as you just said. It's funny. It's uplifted. It stands out. So I think one of the most important things is to actually find your voice on LinkedIn because there is so much content out there. People always trying to find ways how to stand out.

And especially now with AI, it's even harder to stand out with the voice. So how did you find your voice? And what would you advise to people to find their voice to stand out and write like that? Thomas is one of my favorite questions to answer. I love talking about this a bit too much. So I remember the turning point for me. The turning point for me was one day. I was writing my content.

It was late at night. and then I was writing, I had designed something. It was a wedding invitation for my friend who was getting married. I designed it. And I was like, okay, let me show some of the behind the scene, some of the work I'm doing. I let me show this design. But then I was wondering, okay, how do I position this design? How do I talk about it and all of that?

So I wrote my post. And then for the first time I asked my sister, hey, can you come read my post and tell me, do you think it's good? She read it and how statement was like, hmm, doesn't sound like you. Those are her words. It doesn't sound like you. I'm like, what do you want from me? What do you want from me?

And then I went back to the drainboard, and then I was like, okay, so what sounds like me? Then she was like, add some sarcasm or add something funny. Sound like you, like the way we know you. That's what she told me. So I went back and I started, because I wrote it with Chad GPD actually. I wouldn't even hide. I wrote it all with Chad GPD. So I took what Chad GPD gave me and I went over it again.

And I started adding my thoughts. And that's, if you ask me, how do I make content have my personality? My biggest advice is add your thoughts, add how you say things. Like, if your friends know that you say something in a certain way, rephrase it to sound battery. So, for example, if I'm adding, I have this technique that I use. I'll put my POVs in bracket. it. So I'll add something like, I can't believe I just thought of that. You know, just that

internal monologue. You know how you sit and you're having these thoughts? You're just having that internal monologue. Add it to your content. When you add that to your content, that's what differentiates it from every other content. Because me and you, Thomas, are not having the exact same thoughts at this exact moment. You're thinking about something. I'm thinking about something else. So I always add my thoughts, like just, what is a silly thought, whether it's an interesting thought, whether it's a quacky thought, I added there. And I think we've turned that's how my voice has evolved on LinkedIn and become very distinct. People don't need to see my name to know that's my post.

They can tell because my post is an extension of who I am. I always, like I'm sure right now when we're talking, you're like, yeah, she sounds just like she sounds in her post. That's exactly how it should be. You should be, your post should become that reflection of who you are, or rather that. that extension of who you are. And it's really not that difficult. Once you start noticing the patterns, it becomes easier with time to just add a little bit of yourself

because it's something you said. AI is taking over. AI content is swamming the feed. And we can't really fight it. We can't really go and correct people, but we can do something different with our content. In fact, it gives us an advantage because now it becomes easier to stand out

It becomes so much easier to stand out. And AI will give you this, but you can add your personality. AI does not have your thoughts. It does not have your experience. It does not have your personality. And that's just the difference. Add your thoughts. Add your POV.

Add your personality into it. And then it will become distinct from AI. And one more thing, add your experience. Because there's this thing I've noticed. Any posts that can be copy-pasted by, like let's say I write a post and then Thomas can easily take it and just post it on his feed. I as Jasmine should know, I have not done enough personalization on that post because my post should be about my experience. For example, if you're writing a post Thomas, you'd be like, oh, I was speaking with Jasmine and I noticed this about her.

I noticed this about her. No one, no one with a same mind will take that post and paste it on their page because you wrote your own experience. So don't teach facts. The internet is full of facts and it can do a far better job of showing us the facts compared to me or you. Instead, show your experience. The internet cannot provide that. AI cannot provide that. So give your experience.

Talk about what you went through. What was your thought while you were going through it. And then phrase it how you would speak it while having a discussion with your friends. It's that easy. It's a great point, I agree because experience is unique to you no one can take it from you and if someone copies that

at least you see that it's copied from you and it's plug your eyes I was going to say that for the people I encourage them of course to have a look at your content at your posts but don't forget don't copy Jasmine use it as inspiration to develop your own tone

because then what's the point of doing that if it's not actually yours exactly it should be Quick one, before we get back to it. If you like this kind of conversation, I've started sharing short videos on YouTube, where I break down what I've learned from more than 150 episodes. Content, podcasting, personal brand. No fluff?

Just what actually works. Just search Produced Buy on YouTube. Or don't. And keep figuring out the hard way. And I was about to ask, you probably kind of answered it, but as we were talking about AI, you know, you've got people sometimes say that, oh, AI is going to take over your work and this and that. And especially when it comes to design, what's your take on AI when it comes to design? For people who might be scared, it's going to take your work.

And then also, if you can elaborate on how we use it, how we look at it. That's a good question, Thomas. I had this discussion with someone, I think, two. three days ago and his worry was, he's getting into design and his worry was, should I even bother? AI is here. You can design faster with AI a lot faster, like in just one prompt, you have something. And as you was talking, it made me realize that there are a lot of people who are still holding back because AI is in the room. Look, I cannot talk about 10 years down the line if AI will have taken our job. But for now in this season, we're in 20206, my perspective is AI is my asset.

AI is the tool I use to differentiate me from every other designer or any other designer. Because I have my expertise. I have my eye for design. And then I have this tool that can make my life so much easier, so much faster. Now, there are certain fields and there are certain people who will know, not at all embrace AI for their design work. For example, if a company, like a big company, let's say, like with a Nike, there's no way Nike is going to hire AI to design their flyers and stuff. No, they will not go that. They will not go in that direction. At the end of the day,

yes, they may have a few things they've done with AI, but they will want a human being. They'll want a good designer and express designer to sit down and do that work. Yeah. So AI is not triply see jobs right now in terms of the design space because yes it's good but it's only good for certain rules. I have seen the designs AI mix. Yes, there are some which are exceptionally good if you use the right prompts but still you need an eye for design to be able to come up with those prompts to create those designs. You still need the human behind it. So instead of fighting AI ask yourself, how can I use this thing to my advantage? Can it make my output faster? Can it give, like nowadays, you ask me, how do I use AI? I love Claude. I subscribe to Claude. It's part of,

and parcel of my design work. So like yesterday I was giving a presentation to one of my clients, and I needed to do research for him. So I used Claude to come up, to do the research. I to perplexity, everything. But then I knew I didn't have the time to go on Canva and design from scratch. So what did I do? I went on Claude, told me, created this presentation from me, and so that I could present it to my client. And it did such an excellent job,

because I used the right prompts as a designer. I have the eye of a designer. If I gave that work to a non-designer, I am sure it would probably not look anywhere as good as mine did. So that's what I'm saying. It's really a matter of, change your perspective, ask yourself a different set of questions.

How do I use AI to simplify my work, to make my output faster, and to make myself credible. In fact, after I finished presenting my client, he was so impressed, and I was like, hmm, funny, you knew that I used AI for this thing. It was very impressed.

And I was actually, in my head, I was like, I should ask for arrays now. Because I was impressed. Yeah. At the end of the day, if you decide to embrace AI for as long as we have the opportunity to keep doing what we are doing, I think it will just put you a couple of steps ahead of everyone else. And it will give you that leverage that, yes, I know how to design old school style with Photoshop, with Canva, I can design, I can do my job. But I'm also aware that AI can speed up the process for me.

So how do I use it, either to give me inspiration, or to cut down the work, to do the heavy lifting, or some things that I'd rather not spend my whole day on, and then focus on things that actually only I can do. So that's what I would say. Embrace it. Use it to your advantage and don't be scared of it because there are people still hiring designers. Those who opt for these other designs made by AI entirely probably are not the best clients

for you because they might be low-budget clients. So you'd rather be aiming for people who are aware that human beings, is necessary in the design process. I like it, and I agree. I think you explain it really well, and it's especially great to hear from the pro when it comes to design. What's your take and how you look at it.

You just mentioned a few tools now, obviously, Canva and now, for example, Cloud. So what are other tools that you use for your content creation or your workflow? Oh, anything AI, call me. I'll do that. I love using Gemini for my graphics. Like, for example, if I want to upscale an image, like if a client gives me an image to use and it's not the best quality, I just run to Gemini.

I have a prompt that would, like, improve the quality of the image. So I can create something at the end of the day that looks good. I use Gemini. I also like ChargeyPT for image creation. It's really good in that direction as well. But when it comes to like content, when it comes to brainstorming ideas, Claude is my best friend. And then now recently I've been embracing complexity to do research and which are the tools I use. I think those are like my primary tools and then for creation, AI tools and then Canva as well.

So my world circles around all of those. Yeah. And maybe with time. Canva plus or the LLMS. Exactly, exactly. Canva Plus versus LLF. It's just the best pack. It's just the best pack.

No, I understand. And just as we've been also talking about creativity and content creation, what do you do or what helps you when you feel like that you run out of creativity? Like you are out of ideas. If that happens to you, what do you do or what helps you? I have a bunch of answers for this. So, method one is because I'm on LinkedIn, I don't grow alone. I don't, I've never been in isolation on LinkedIn.

I grow with others. So I have very close friends I've made on LinkedIn who are also fellow creators. So sometimes I have one specific friend who in the morning, if I am stumped, I have no idea what to post it was. I'll text him. Hey, I need content ideas. So we'll brainstorm and then he tells me, okay, post this, post this, post this.

You got this morning, that was the exact same thing we did. But now I was giving him ideas, like, do this, do this, do this. So that's one way. when you grow with others, you can reach out to others for help. And not just in contact creation by every other aspect of the journey. So getting ideas from other people is really useful. Second, I love engaging on LinkedIn, but not just for the sake of engaging,

for the sake of mining ideas. Because when I see a post that's... Stealing ideas. I give it a nice name. minding. When I see that Thomas has written a really exceptional post, and then, you know, sometimes you can be reading something, and then this idea just switches in your head.

So what I do, immediately I have seen your post. I copy the URL to your post. And then I go on WhatsApp, I paste the URL, and then I record a voicemont. And I tell my future self how I felt, in the moment, what idea did I spark? Did it spark when I read it? Because why I prefer voice notes?

I can convey the feeling versus just text. So I tell myself, like, feature me, hey, I really loved this post by Chomas, and this is the idea I have. And then what I'll do is write post idea as like a keyword. So that later on, I can come back and search post ideas and see all of them. And then I can go back to your post to, go through the moments again and hopefully understand what I felt in that time and then

write about that. So that's my second. We have a content bank of ideas because they save you on the days when you're running dry. And then another one is brain summon with AI, though it's not the most reliable because sometimes it gives you, I think maybe it's the prompt I use, sometimes it gives me the wackiest ideas. So that's just another method. And then the final method I'd say is look at what have I done interest that's interesting this last week what conversation have I had that was interesting what question has someone asked me that many people might have the same question and is there something going on in my life or thoughts have been ruminating on that I can expound into a post and talk about so yeah that one is more of like a

reflective method, like reflect on what's happening and pick something from there. So I think those are my four methods of getting content on dry days. I'm glad that I asked this question because I'm pretty sure that I haven't heard it and it's creative and it's very smart, whether to ask your friends or record a voice note or look back. So great ideas. And sometimes people have excuses. Maybe they don't know what to post about. So now multiple options, what to look for or what to try.

know what to post about. Exactly. Exactly. Yes. And Jasmine, just to be aware of time, I want to ask you kind of lighter questions, as we will be finishing soon. So what are some of your hobbies, or what do you like to do in your free time? Now you're scaring me. I don't know if I should say that I love watching a movie on Netflix. Well, okay, let me be... I enjoy key dramas, so I really enjoy key dramas, and of late, we've been trying to watch them with my family. something we're trying to practice like every Sunday evening we just put a K-drama and watch together so it's really fun but I also okay it's not something I've done recently but something I also used to really enjoy was playing board games with my family like we have too many

board games in the house so just put like Monopoly or Ludo or Uno and just play together So I like those activities that will bond us, yes. But in terms of things I like doing on my own is actually organizing. I do like organizing stuff. Whether it's a room, whether it's my desk, whether it's my anything. I'll just love between some order to something. I know it's work, but in my head it's very calming. It's very relaxing and all of that.

So yeah, I think those are my primary things. I'm not an outdoor person to get me also. Oh, you have to fight me to get me else. If I've been indoors, cozy, you know, listen to, oh, one way thing, I love listening to podcasts. I really, really, really do. So you'll find me whether I'm, if I'm folding clothes, I'll be listening to a podcast. If I'm working, like if I'm designing, because design kind of uses one section of my brain, and then listen to the podcast

uses the other side. So I'll listen to a podcast and just design my way and yeah, I just love that. I really do. I honestly do that too and I really like as well that I,

whether it's work or content creation or something else, I really like to listen to podcast because I feel the same as you said that I can, it's probably going to something like multitasking and people don't like it. But I just like to listen to something in the background

and work at the same time and it's kind of the best flow when you do it this. I can be right. Yes, yes, yes, yeah. It feels really good. It feels really good. Exactly.

And you mentioned Monopoly before, which gave me nostalgia of my childhood when I used to play as well. But you said the drama. So you need to tell us what are your favorite films or your favorite dramas. Well, for anyone who is interested in checking out a K-drama, my recommendation would be, I personally love anything that makes me think. So I gravitate towards movies that are. like crime base where you're trying to figure out because Dan wants or something that's

detective age. I really like them. So I think that I really would recommend would be something like Flower of Evil. It has a strange name, but it hooks you from the beginning till the end. And then another one would be Cairo's

because it's all about time travel and it's also a lot of thinking. So I also like sci-fi. So sci-fi and crime meets together perfect perfect combination for me and the last one would be let me say which should be my last one

okay this one has romance in it but it's called I think it's called my dearest or something I think it's one of my all-time favorite my dearest so yeah those are just the things I really enjoy I admit that I'm pretty sure I don't know any but I will make sure to check them out

please do and give me your thoughts afterwards And now we discussed the movies or dramas And what about books? Do you read books? And if so, have you got any recommendations? I haven't read a book in a while. I used to read quite a while. There was a season I was really reading.

But because life has been very busy, having had a time. Oh gosh, I wish I checked. This podcast, if I was to recommend something that is similar to books, but isn't really a book. So this podcast, but honestly I've forgotten into me, I don't know. I wish I could remember it, but it's a very interesting podcast that goes deeper into books. And I'll just plug it in and listen. It really dives into like books written for business, books written for leadership. I just enjoy listening to it because I can get so many nuggets at one city. So I think that's what I gravitated towards. I've really forgotten it to me, but it was an interesting one. that I used to listen to quite a bit. How about you, Thomas, what do you listen to in terms of podcasts? In terms of podcast, it's a good question.

I feel like there are so many. But it's interesting. And I thought actually about this question a few times that's like the podcast. And the fact is that I actually like to listen to podcasts that are in my native language. That yes, they are like English or American and podcast in English that I like as well. but at the same time, I don't know why, but I just like podcasts that are in my native language. So for people out there, it wouldn't make sense, but I like it, because it's usually like about the people or about the topics that are still from my home country,

and then I still feel like I can relate to a lot because all the time, everything kind of in English. So I like, even in my native language, and then it's pretty much about the topics that are just interested. That's really nice. That's amazing. You're from Czech, right? Yes, oh my god, how do you know? I did research. I did a little research.

Oh, God. You really made me happy. That's a plus point. Thank you for that. I appreciate it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're welcome. And so, Jess, can you please summarize where people can find you, follow you, and promote it of your services? Sure, thank. I am on LinkedIn, and I'm not active on any other social media platform for now, but I'm building strongly on LinkedIn. So just touch my name, Jasmine Gazoga, and I offer, as I said at the beginning, I do graphic design with canvas.

So if you're looking for a convert designer, I am your go-to. And if you want someone who can make LinkedIn feel easier for you, because I know how much LinkedIn can feel overwhelming for most people. So if you want someone who can sit with you, either have a one-on-one talk or someone who can give you the strategies on how to get started and start making something out of LinkedIn,

builds your personal brand on LinkedIn, then I am the go-to. I'm one DM-O-A, so yes. I agree, and as you can hear from this conversation, if you also want to have fun and someone who is authentic, real and just enjoys it, I recommend. Jasmine, you mentioned that for now you are on LinkedIn, but not other platform.

Does it mean that you've got plans to try something, some other platforms, or during other places? Yes, I do have plans to eventually, hopefully, I've been procrastination for a long time, but I wanted to build an X for a very, very long time. The thing is because LinkedIn keeps me busy, like really busy. So sometimes it's hard to start something new on a different platform

when what you're already building has momentum. So, but I'm trusting that at some point you will find me on X building there. We just hope that you won't leave for X. I really don't if I would leave for X. How about you for much? You're on YouTube, you're on Spotify, you're on Substack, you're on LinkedIn. Which is the place are you? I try to, but for me, I feel like it kind of makes sense

because if I do the podcast, of course I don't have to, but I think it's beneficial to be on streaming platforms, like YouTube, Spotify and potentially Apple Podcast. And then of course LinkedIn, we are all on LinkedIn. And I like to write on Substack, so it's just one of the other ones that I try to do as well. Oh, that's nice. I will definitely check that one out more often in the future. And just have you got like any plans or goals or anything in the upcoming weeks or months and you will be willing to share with us?

Well, I think for this month, the thing I am looking forward to is having. Like, as I said, we're having an event in Kenya, so that's what I'm looking forward to. But next month, I am, okay, I'm letting the secret out of the bag. But I am actually going to be having my own Canva master class coming up next month. So I'm in the preparation for it. Yeah, so it's going to be probably a couple of days masterclass on how to design social media designs, flyers. because people have asked me, so many people have asked me, can you teach us how to make flyers and all of that?

And since LinkedIn is not necessarily a video fast platform, I don't necessarily walk people through the process of how do you design. You know, like if it shows on Instagram, that's something which is expected. On LinkedIn, we more of do the wires and all of that. So I wanted an opportunity to be able to teach people as much as I could. So I'll be having an event next month. I will announce it soon enough at the beginning of next month, the dates and everything. So that's what I'm looking for too, most of the time.

That sounds great and we'll be excited to see that, of course, hope it goes well. And then the very last question, is there anything I should have asked you and did not or anything you would like to leave before we finish? If there's something, I think I would love to leave a message to the person who's watching this. and that hasn't yet feels something for themselves that they're you know I think this yes there's something which I which I said earlier there was a season of my life where I really could not make something dissent of myself like you know where you do not have any financial backing nothing you have nothing to your name you're seeing your peers growing fast doing this doing that and

does something to your head, like to start wondering, okay, what's wrong with me? I'm not the dumbest person in the room. I'm not the most less skilled person in the room. I actually can do something. So when does that season of my life where everything just felt like it wasn't working? I just listened to that gut, that spirit that led me to build on LinkedIn. So for whoever's watching this and you're in that season where nothing seems to be working, I have two things I'd say.

One, find a platform. It doesn't have to be LinkedIn. It can be any other platform. Go build on that platform and give yourself to it for six months. I say six months because you cannot do something for one month. And if it doesn't work, say it doesn't work. No, give yourself wholly to it. Commit to learning it.

Commit to implementation. And see it work for you. So that's the first thing I'll say, build online. because nowadays if you have a skill, you have to publicize it. You have to be your biggest cheerleader. So put it out there. And then second, I would say, remember you have value in you. There's someone who is 10 steps behind of you who would do anything to know what you know.

So never feel like I have nothing to bring to the table. You do. You do have something to bring to the table. Bring to the table something that you wish you knew one year ago. Bring that. Everyone has a story. Just bring it out. And then the last thing I would say, don't be scared to embrace your personality.

Your personality is your unique selling point. Your personality is the reason people should work with you. Your personality is the reason you will go far in life. How you see the world. How you think about the world. How you think about people. How you embrace people. Bring it to the table and it will pay for itself.

So that would be my part of it. shot definitely. I like it. I think it's a great message to finish with. Very true, real and inspiring. So just mean I want to say a huge thank you. It was great to meet you. As I said before, I enjoy your content. I encourage people to check it out, not copy, but to inspiration and of course to have fun. And I genuinely enjoyed it because it was really fun, great wipes and nice to hear your story and inspiring to me as well. And it was of course great to meet you. So thank you so much. We'll be excited to see you when you post about your events next month and also just to keep following and supporting. So thank you so much and I'll be wishing you all the best.

Thank you so much so much. It was a pleasure being here. I appreciate it. Thanks for listening to Prejudge By with Tomen. Check the show notes for all the links. And don't forget to subscribe, like and share your feedback. Speak soon.