Today we’d like to introduce you to Dustin Black.
Hi Dustin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I didn’t grow up with knock-off toys because we couldn’t afford the real thing. I chose them. While other kids wanted Mickey Mouse, I was all about Rick Raccoon and the Shirt Tales. Everyone else had Legos; I had Construx. They went to Disney; we did Worlds of Fun. Even as a kid, I instinctively zigged when everyone else zagged. There was something about taking the path less traveled, about finding my own version of things, that just felt right. That contrarian streak became the foundation for how I approach everything: life, work, creativity.
After double-majoring in art and advertising at Nebraska, I almost went the conventional route. Master’s program at VCU, everything lined up. But when Bob Thacker at BBDO Minneapolis offered to pay me to learn instead of me paying for school, I pivoted. What was supposed to be 2-3 years turned into 25+ in Minneapolis, working everywhere from Carmichael Lynch to Colle McVoy, learning that great creativity isn’t about budget. It’s about perspective.
During the pandemic, while everyone was baking sourdough, I started making 5-foot felt birds and fish. I had no idea how to use a Cricut machine, how to build an armature, how to work with foam substrates. The point wasn’t knowing. It was figuring it out. And I was loud about it with my daughters: “I don’t know how to do this, but watch me learn.” Because that’s the skill that matters. Not having answers, but being unafraid to start anyway. I’d build up entire sections, realize they weren’t working, cut them off, and start over. That’s the creative process. That’s what I wanted them to see.
Those birds and fish (currently on display at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport through October 2026) represent everything I believe about creativity. They’re bold, unexpected, unmistakably mine. They came from needing to create during chaos, from wanting to show my kids that you don’t wait until you’re an expert to make something. You just start.
Now at Preston Spire, an independent, employee-owned agency, I’m applying that same philosophy. While AI floods the world with average, while holding companies whitewash everything into sameness, we’re the Shirt Tales in a world of Mickey Mouses. We’re proving that creativity (real, human, insight-driven creativity) still matters more than ever.
That kid who chose the knock-off toys understood something: the interesting path is rarely the popular one.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Smooth? Not even close. But that’s kind of the point.
Work-life balance has always been the tightrope act. Advertising demands everything, and for years I gave it. Long hours, weekend pitches, the constant churn of needing to be “on.” Add kids to that equation and suddenly you’re trying to be present at home while your brain is still solving client problems. It’s a struggle I’m still figuring out, honestly. The scale is always tipping one way or the other.
But the art projects? Those brought their own beautiful chaos of challenges. With the felt birds and fish, I didn’t know anything going in. How do you design a 5-foot bird? How do you build an armature that’s strong enough to hold its shape? How do you program a Cricut CNC machine when you’ve never touched one? How do you get felt to actually stick and stay stuck? Where do you work when felt dust is coating everything in your living space? And the hot glue burns. So many hot glue burned fingers.
Then there’s the existential stuff. Where do you even put a 5-foot felt fish when it’s done? Who wants this thing? Why am I doing this?
But every single challenge was the point. I didn’t know how to do any of it. I just started. I’d figure out one problem, and three more would pop up. Build a section, realize it’s wrong, cut it off, start over. That’s not failure. That’s the process. That’s learning.
And that’s what I tell my kids constantly. You’re not supposed to know how to do everything before you start. The not-knowing is where the good stuff happens. The discomfort, the mistakes, the problem-solving on the fly. That’s where you actually grow.
The smooth road teaches you nothing. Give me the one with all the potholes.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m Executive Creative Director at Preston Spire, a fiercely independent, employee-owned creative agency in Minneapolis. Over the past 25+ years, I’ve led creative teams at agencies including Colle McVoy, Carmichael Lynch, mono, and BBDO, working with everyone from Fortune 100 brands to startups just finding their footing.
My work has picked up recognition at Cannes Lions, The One Show, D&AD, Clios, and Effies, but I’m more interested in business results than award show validation. I believe brand success comes from alignment, clarity, and consistency. Not budget size. Every organization deserves a powerful brand, not just those with massive resources.
I double-majored in art and advertising at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, thinking I’d stay in Minneapolis for 2-3 years max. That was 25 years ago. I’m also the creator of the 3D Brand System and co-author of “The Book of SPAM,” which Simon & Schuster published internationally back in 2007.
Beyond advertising, I’m a felt artist. My 5-foot birds and fish are currently on display at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport through October 2026. I also smoke meat, once gamified mouse traps during the pandemic, and generally find creative solutions to problems that don’t need solving.
I lead with a philosophy centered on curiosity, resilience, and the belief that AI can’t replicate the spark of genuine insight born from lived human experience. I’m committed to developing careers, building financially stable teams, and proving that creativity (real, human creativity) matters more than ever.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Resilience, hands down.
People assume my superpower is creativity. It’s not. It’s the ability to get knocked down and keep moving. In advertising, you get beat up constantly. Ideas get killed. Clients go different directions. Pitches fall apart for reasons outside your control. If you can’t bounce back fast, you won’t last.
But resilience only works if it’s paired with curiosity. Curiosity is what keeps you learning when you don’t know something. It’s what makes you ask better questions instead of shutting down. It’s neutral, too. There’s no judgment in curiosity. Just “tell me more” or “how might we figure this out?”
I tell people all the time: I don’t know how to do most things before I start them. I didn’t know how to build a 5-foot felt bird. I didn’t know how to use a Cricut machine. But I was curious enough to try and resilient enough to keep going when it got hard.
That combination is what’s carried me through 25+ years in this business. Get curious. Stay resilient. Everything else figures itself out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dustinblack.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/black_dustin
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustin-black/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@thingsbydustin
