Great Ideas "Serve, Include, Uplift, Challenge, and Connect" Says Claire Sutton

Claire Sutton is a positively-charged creative based on Gadigal Land (Sydney), blending purpose with playfulness, and using far too many exclamation marks. With roots in creative direction, design, illustration, and socially responsible communications, she brings clarity, energy, and intent to every project.

She adores ideas that foster understanding of others, challenge established systems, and inspire change — all without taking herself too seriously. Whether teaching, writing, or collaborating, she believes in messy starts, generous thinking, and creative that matters.

On a mission to kill jargon, champion curiosity, and make space for more voices at the table.

LBB> Person: What kind of creative person are you?

Claire> Anxious and chaotic when it doesn’t matter and calm in the face of a challenge. I’m like a spiralling, scribbly mess — equal parts curiosity, contradiction, and caffeine (and, let’s be honest, wine). 
I’m a chaotic soul with a deep hunger for clarity.

An extroverted introvert who craves solitude… and group brainstorms. I exist in a constant state of creative whiplash: one moment I’m a genius, the next I’m declaring it garbage. But that’s the dance, isn’t it?

But we learn! Over time, I’ve stopped resisting the contradictions. I’ve learned to trust the process, even when it humbles me, which is often.

LBB> Product: How do you judge creativity?

Claire> I don’t believe good creative work is just about being clever or cool. I believe great ideas should serve, include, uplift, challenge, and connect. I’ve worked on purpose-led and social impact campaigns, so I’m not interested in creativity that’s just smoke and mirrors. I value work that breaks down barriers, not builds them. If it opens doors instead of swinging velvet ropes, if it makes someone feel seen, if it changes the way we see the world—even just a little—then that’s creativity doing its job.

LBB> Process: What’s your process for making creative work?

Claire> Teaching creative communications at Western Sydney University pushed me to really dissect my creative process for the first time. Turns out, teaching creativity is one of the most powerful ways to understand your own.

I need two things: solitude to explore and collaboration to sharpen.

It always starts with paper. Always. No matter how messy or weird, it has to exist somewhere outside my brain, and pen-to-paper is the easiest way I know to begin, like a little one-on-one chat with a brief.

Once the raw material is there I need more brains! There is no lone genius here, the strongest work comes from diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and messy, generous conversations.

I’ve come to believe discomfort is part of the deal. Killing your darlings hurts. So does self-doubt. I’ve realised that what feels like chaos is often just the early stages of clarity birthing itself (weird visual).

LBB> Press: What external factors have shaped you?

Claire> Once, an art teacher told me I was good at something—a first for me. That moment changed everything. I’ve been shaped by the people who’ve believed in me, challenged me, and made space for me, both personally and professionally. But I’m also shaped by less obvious things: my upbringing, my restlessness, the communities I’ve joined through constant movement and travel. By caffeine-fuelled nights, punk gigs, nonsensical anxiety, and long mountain thoughtful hikes?

I’ve worked in environments where creativity had to mean something, not just look good—and that’s stayed with me. The mentors through working at B Corps on the most pressing issues of our times really puts creative work into perspective. There’s a responsibility that comes with making anything: to be thoughtful, intentional, and open, no matter the scale of the problem there is a way to have a positive impact.

At the heart of shaping my work is a commitment to centering and listening to the communities it serves.