Ash Phillips is one-half of the visionary duo that runs Six Cinquième, an award winning creative agency based in Montreal, CA. The name derives from their belief that “the spark of inspiration that is familiar to all creatives is akin to divine intervention,” and should be considered as a sixth sense. Ash and her creative partner, Miro LaFlaga, crossed paths post college while Ash was pursuing her independent design practice. Their shared passion to foster the creative community, bring diverse voices and stories to the forefront, and push cultural shifts were the sparks that led them to start a business together.
As an up-and-coming agency, Ash believes that they have the flexibility to build a foundation for a work culture that doesn’t comply with old agency traditions that are hard to dismantle. They protect and prioritise the team so as to prevent it from slipping into the fast-paced and high-pressure agency grind. They believe that they can offer an example of how agencies can be run differently.
This level of intentionality can also be applied to the clients they work with. “We only work with clients who want to use their influence in positive ways,” Ash tells us. This type of relationship allows them to host workshops with clients who are willing to embrace the “aha” moments that lead to new perspectives and discoveries. They also open their doors to mentor local entrepreneurs and businesses by providing people with ‘the knowledge and representation we wish we had.”
We talked with Ash about how to prioritize creativity and the people behind it (including yourself), how they’re redefining agency culture, and why opening their doors to the community is vital to their creative process.
Where did it all begin? What were your first steps into the design industry?
I was interested in art in general from a very young age, but my interest in the design industry was actually a bit of a fluke! I chose to study design simply because it was the most creative thing I could find. Luckily, I ended up discovering a passion for it and the rest is history.
What led you to set up your studio Six Cinquième with Miro LaFlaga?
Starting Six Cinquième was a natural next step for me. I never intended to have my own agency; it came out of necessity. The necessity to do meaningful work that I truly cared about, the necessity to have creative freedom, the necessity to create a space for and with diverse creatives, where our ideas were valued and could thrive. My partner Miro and I needed this space for ourselves at first, but we weren’t alone in needing it, so we created it for all the folks like us on similar paths.
“I never intended to have my own agency; it came out of necessity. The necessity to do meaningful work that I truly cared about, the necessity to have creative freedom, the necessity to create a space for and with diverse creatives, where our ideas were valued and could thrive.”
What is your studio ethos and approach and on what type of client projects do you usually focus?
So with us, there are two important things. Our people come first. We thrive in a low-pressure environment where creativity can flourish. That is one of our main priorities, so we are very strict about setting healthy boundaries for our team. Second, we want our work to be meaningful, so we only work with clients who want to use their influence in positive ways. This could be at a large, global scale, or on an individual level. It doesn’t really matter, as long as it inspires us. If that desire exists within a company, we will be motivated to help them define and express it to those who need it with our intentional and strategic approach to design and branding.
Have there been any key pivotal moments in your career that have helped you progress to where you are now?
Every project opens the door to new opportunities in different ways, so it’s hard to pinpoint one pivotal moment. They’ve all brought in so many great collaborations and relationships that I think just enjoying the ride and learning from every moment is what has helped me progress to where I am now.
Are there any barriers or challenges that you have faced during your career and how have you overcome them?
Overcoming doubts and imposter syndrome is something I think every woman in business can relate to. I just take things one step at a time and try to be realistic with myself. No one really knows what they’re doing and that’s okay. It’s cool and totally normal to figure things out as you go along. Doubts are just part of the process, but everything always works out in the end if you just focus on doing the best you can. That’s how it’s been working for me anyway, and this mindset has brought me this far so I’m sticking with it!
“Overcoming doubts and imposter syndrome is something I think every woman in business can relate to. I just take things one step at a time and try to be realistic with myself. No one really knows what they’re doing and that’s okay.”
You also run workshops. Why did you start doing this and how does it feed into your creative business?
Occasionally my partner and I will run workshops either on creative entrepreneurship or branding targeted at other young professionals and aspiring creatives. We want to provide people with the knowledge and representation we wish we had enjoyed. We’re still growing and learning but we’re happy to share what we learn along the way. This has trickled down into our creative process, as we’ve been running collaborative workshops with clients, which really enriches our approach to strategy, design and branding.
We love your work! Can you tell us about any other exciting recent projects you’ve been working on, what they involved and your creative approach?
Thank you! 🙂 Right now, I’m working on an exciting project in the entertainment industry, but that’s all I can say about it for now lol. Another recent project I can talk about though, is the branding for a CBC Gem show called Revenge of the Black Best Friend. RBBF is a series created by Amanda Parris that follows Dr. Toni Shakur, a self-help guru whose singular mission is to cancel the entertainment industry’s reliance on token Black characters… before she gets canceled herself. Our team dove headfirst into the show to find the best way to visually communicate the show’s comedic and surreal nature. We created a brand identity that conveys the exaggerated enactments of revenge from the show. We also created the key artwork for the show. We wanted to create intrigue and mirror the hyperrealism found in the show by exaggerating Toni’s afro. The end result is a super fun, eye-catching lead poster that I am very proud of. I would love to do more of these.
What do you think are the most important qualities for success in a creative lead role/running a creative agency?
I think caring about and prioritising creativity and the people behind it above anything else is super important to me. Making people feel valued, giving them room to learn and grow into their potential. Not having an ego and being willing to surround yourself with people who are smarter and better than you. Being open minded, understanding and a good communicator. I’m not perfect at any of these but I try to embody these qualities.
“I think caring about and prioritising creativity and the people behind it above anything else is super important to me.”
How do you think we can encourage greater diversity in the creative industries?
With patience and a genuine willingness to. We need to create spaces that are welcoming and allow for diverse creatives to be their true selves. We can benefit most from their creative expression by enabling their authentic selves to just be in these spaces. But this requires a lot of unlearning of how things are done and what creativity looks like, which requires strong will and patience. We need to be willing to take chances on people and nurture their ideas.
“We need to create spaces that are welcoming and allow for diverse creatives to be their true selves.”
Do you have any advice for women and gender expansive creatives looking to progress their career in design?
Surround yourself with people who want to see you win and who push you out of your comfort zone. Do things even though they scare you or even though you don’t feel 100% ready for them. Have faith in yourself, you’ll always find a way to figure it out. You’re better, smarter and stronger than you realize.
