Pablo Honey, Head of Design at Automattic (WordPress), shares his extraordinary journey from a small Galician village with "more cows than people" to leading design teams across 23 countries. Born in Spain but raised in Switzerland, Pablo embodies the "Third Culture Kid" experience—never quite fitting into traditional boxes but finding strength in the spaces between.
His path began with award-winning short stories about escapism, led him through Flash festivals in Barcelona, three years working in restaurants while building his design career, and ultimately to prestigious roles at RGA New York working on Nike campaigns. Now managing 80 designers remotely, Pablo reflects on how his multicultural background, sensitivity to overwhelm, and philosophy of "ruthless hospitality" shape his creative leadership.
Key Takeaways
- Embrace the in-between spaces - Not fitting perfectly into any category can become your greatest creative advantage and unique perspective
- Third Culture Kid identity - Growing up between cultures creates rich, diverse thinking but requires learning to navigate belonging and identity challenges
- Moving forward vs. present moment - Balance the drive for "what's next" with appreciation for current achievements to avoid constant restlessness
- Success is seasonal - Your definition of success will evolve from portfolio pieces to financial goals to human connections as you mature
- Ruthless hospitality matters - Treating design as an experience of guiding people through communication applies restaurant service principles to creative work
- Humble beginnings fuel ambition - Coming from no creative references or higher education can motivate you to work harder and inspire others
- Sensitivity as strength - Being overwhelmed by stimuli and visual noise can enhance learning speed and ability to see details others miss
- Remote leadership requires kindness - Managing distributed teams across languages and cultures succeeds through choosing gracious, kind people over just skilled ones
- Home is a state of mind - When you've lived in multiple places, home becomes where your feet are rather than a fixed location
- Craft vs. management tension - Even as a leader, maintaining hands-on creative work keeps you connected to the core of what you love
- Escapism drives creativity - Early writing about breaking free from constraints often reflects deeper desires for creative and geographic movement
- Technology as life-changer - A single Flash presentation at a festival can completely redirect your career path and geographic location
Daring Creativity. Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic
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Mindful Creative: How to understand and deal with the highs and lows of creative life, career and business
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