Founder Diaries: Inside the Creative With Celene Gee

As Gee Beauty’s Creative Director, I get to live in the space where beauty, storytelling, and emotion meet.

My role is about translating the feeling of the Gee Beauty experience — the confidence, the ease, the glow — into everything we create: from campaigns and content to packaging, tone, and even the energy inside our studios.

No two days look the same. One morning might start with concepting our next shoot — building mood boards, developing themes, and pulling visual references that capture how we want someone to feel when they see our imagery. Another day, I’m writing copy for an email, directing a video, or collaborating with our product development team on what’s next.

Whether it’s a new product launch, a service story, or a digital campaign, I want it to always feel modern, meaningful, and distinctly Gee.

What Inspires Me Most

I’m endlessly inspired by real women — their routines, their stories, and the moments that make them feel their best. I’m also constantly moved by art, architecture, travel, nature, light, and music — anything that evokes a mood or sparks an emotion.

Inspiration doesn’t always come from “looking for it.” It often arrives when I least expect it — on a walk, during a quiet morning coffee, or scrolling through old photos that remind me how far we’ve come.

My Best Creativity Tips

1. Create Space to Think

Some of my best ideas come when I’m not working. As Maya Angelou says, "Give your mind space to wander — creativity needs room to breathe."

2. Be Curious

Read. Watch. Listen. Observe. Creativity is built from curiosity — about people, places, textures, and stories.

3. The Answer Is Always in the Brief

This is one of my mantras. The solution always lies in truly understanding the problem.

Creativity is problem-solving in its most beautiful form. The magic happens when you stop chasing ideas and start listening to what the brief — and the brand — is actually asking for.

4. You Can’t Use Up Creativity

The more you use, the more you have. Creativity isn’t a finite resource — it’s a flow. The more you give energy to your ideas, the more they multiply.

5. Be Generous With Your Ideas

Don’t give away everything for free, obviously — but be generous with your energy, enthusiasm, and passion. Gatekeeping isn’t a good look for you or your creativity. When you share, you expand your capacity to create more.

6. Connect Your Creativity to Commerce

At the start of building Gee Beauty, I was laser-focused on the creative — fresh out of design school, learning from mentors, perfecting my skills. But over time, I realized creativity doesn’t live in a vacuum. It has to connect to people — to what they want, need, and feel. When your creativity meets purpose — that’s where the magic happens.

7. Anyone Can Be Creative

I always say, creative people can’t be put in a box. One day you might design a poster, the next you might design a room — or a life. Creativity shows up in so many ways. Maybe your creativity is in problem-solving, leadership, or the way you approach your day. There are endless ways to express it.

8. Focus on What You Do Best

Know your strengths — and build a team that complements them. Collaboration is where creativity expands. Great work doesn’t happen alone; it happens when vision meets trust.

Final Thought

Creativity isn’t about perfection — it’s about presence. It’s being open, curious, and brave enough to put your ideas out there.

If my work as Creative Director has taught me anything, it’s this: creativity grows when you give it away, when you solve real problems, and when you connect it to something bigger than yourself.

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