Meet Cecilia Tripp | Co-Founder and Director of Brand Strategy at Laurel Canyon Creative

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

Hi Cecilia, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I used to be a workaholic. If you had asked me a few years ago if I was I would deny it but I did not possess the ability to say no and for 6 months of my life I was putting in 80-100 hour work weeks (too many late nights, I was a wreck). Fortunately, when I decided to work for myself I focused really hard on structuring my work hours and giving myself the freedom to step away from it.

And then pandemic hit and I (along with many others) was forced to look at how unbalanced my schedule was. On top of that my pregnancy ended up being high risk so it suddenly became a medical necessity to really re-evaluate how I was approaching my work life balance.

Before, work felt like it needed to be top priority in order for me to grow and succeed. Our culture is very wrapped up in “the hustle” mentality. All work and no play and I was such a consumer of that belief. Now, my life, my family, my health are number one. I enjoy my work, it allows me to afford the things I enjoy in my life, but it no longer consumes my every thought. Am I perfect at the balancing act yet? Absolutely not. But I’m getting closer to figuring it out every day.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My background is in the entertainment industry. I got a BFA in acting so storytelling has always been a part of our brand. We work really hard with our clients to learn their voice so it feels seamless when we write copy for their websites, create content for their social media pages, design new logos for their companies, etc. The heart of our company is built on relationships and that’s what we pride ourselves on.

I started realizing how much I loved creating stories and content for other people when I was brought on as a personal assistant for someone who was just getting ready to launch a blog. The two of us spent so much time together writing stories, thinking of fun photoshoots, filming recipes, all of these different things that I had never done before. She trusted me to figure out a way to get things done and I fell in love. I would spend hours researching how to edit videos, how to design graphics, what best practices we should be using on social media. Eventually friends would reach out and ask for advice on how they could do it for themselves and one friend in particular texted me after meeting up and said “don’t ever do that for free again. How much do I owe you?”

I was floored. I had suddenly become an “expert” and the advice I was giving to others was working really well for them. So I took a leap of faith on myself.

I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is that for the longest time the biggest battle you will face will be with yourself. It will be the constant struggle with imposter syndrome and wondering if anything you are doing is actually correct. If you can continue to work through those and continue to grow confidence in yourself and your abilities then you will have the tools to succeed.

What started as an off handed comment about running social for a living soon turned into an hour long walk fantasizing over company names has now grown into what Laurel Canyon Creative prides itself on today; hard work, passion for our clients, simplicity in our design and the desire to always be learning.

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?
If my best friend was visiting for a week we’d start our mornings off with a different little coffee shop every day. My number one is the little shop at the edge of my neighborhood, Marie et Cie. Others would include; Romancing the Bean, M Street Cafe, The Ugly Mug, and Coffee Fix. I am a BIG fan of finding little coffee shops. It was one of the things I missed most during COVID.

I am a big fan of getting outside as much as possible so I’d have to take them to Descanso Gardens, Temescal Canyon Park, Fryman Canyon Hiking Trail, Kenneth Hahn, and any of the overlooks along Muholland Drive.

For food, we’d have to get Silver Lake Ramen, Sloan’s, Midici’s, Spumonis and Ysabel’s in West Hollywood. Ysabel’s was literally so good my friend asked for a to go container for their butter. THEIR BUTTER.

And honestly, we’d probably spend some time at my co-working office space, Second Home. I absolutely love it there. It is such a gem in the middle of Hollywood and it makes you feel like you are in a completely different place. The people who work there are so friendly and the energy around you is so positive. They’ve got a cute little cafe in the main lobby area and the outside “pods” are surrounded by so many plants you feel like you are walking through a jungle in the middle of LA.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people who deserve a little credit when it comes to my journey in owning a business and there’s no way I could mention them all in one post.

First, I have to give credit to my husband. He was the first person to encourage me to step away from all of my day jobs and take the leap of faith knowing that I would not be making any money for quite some time. Second, my two co-founders, Julie Logue and Emily Feldt. I approached them with the idea of Laurel Canyon Creative and without questioning me and knowing I had zero experience, they jumped right on board and have been the biggest support ever since. I truly would not have been able to grow the company to what it is today without them behind me. Third, Jessica Sherman, a dear friend who I met when I started running social for her nonprofit organization, A Cause for Entertainment. When I told her that I was starting Laurel Canyon Creative she started referring me to everyone she knew. Through her I received two of my first clients who I still work with today.

Website: https://www.laurelcanyon.studio/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurelcanyoncreative/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/71337278/admin/