Season 1, Episode 4

Teachers as Designers: A Conversation with IBM Designer

Creativity in the Arts, Season 1

“I kind of think about creativity in support your mental health. I think it’s almost the same idea as going to the gym every day for your physical health. To me, maintaining a creative practice is one of the ways that I maintain my mental health.”

– KC Lathrop

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Episode Transcription

Teachers as Designers: A conversation with IBM designer, KC Lathrop

How do you go from teaching to designing?

In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with creator, educator, and designer, KC Lathrop. As a former teacher turned designer, KC works to empower people to go against societal norms, change careers, start over, start again, learn anything they want, and follow all creative desires.

Tune in to learn about her transition from educator to full-time designer at IBM, the similarities between teaching and design professions, and how her administrative role allows her to be creative in new ways. She also describes the fascinating 100 of Making practice and how it nurtures her creativity, design, innovation, and even mental health.

KC’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:

1. Take every lesson you teach as a new opportunity to learn something for yourself. Not every class is going to be the best class you’ve ever taught.

2. A part of learning is being vulnerable. If you want your students to be vulnerable, you also need to be vulnerable with them.

3. Meet people where they are. No matter how much experience you have, there’s always space for learning and growing.

About the Guest

KC Lathrop is a designer, creator, and educator. She currently works in strategy and operations for IBM’s IT department. KC started at IBM as a User Experience Designer 5 years ago while getting her master’s degree from New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP). During her time at NYU, KC enrolled in the class 100 days of making, which she ended up teaching the following year. As a former teacher turned designer, she works to empower people to go against societal norms, change careers, start over, start again, learn anything you want and follow all creative desires. KC currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her adorable dog, Waffles. Visit KC’s website Connect with her on LinkedIn Follow her on Instagram

Episode Debrief

Collection Episodes

Integrating Creativity in Arts Education

Integrating Creativity in Arts Education

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In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Tamara Doleman, head of the Visual Art department at Ashbury College in Canada. Tamara has a Master’s degree in creativity and has coached individuals, run workshops, written articles, and presented a TEDX talk on the topic of creativity in schools. She’s passionate about exploring the intersection between art, creativity, wellbeing, and the growth and healing potential it can provide our communities and schools.

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Podcast Sponsor

We are thrilled to partner with Curiosity 2 Create as our sponsor, a company that shares our commitment to fostering creativity in education. Curiosity 2 Create empowers educators through professional development and community support, helping them integrate interactive, creative thinking approaches into their classrooms. By moving beyond traditional lecture-based methods, they help teachers create dynamic learning environments that enhance student engagement, improve academic performance, and support teacher retention. With a focus on collaborative learning and exploration, Curiosity 2 Create is transforming classrooms into spaces where students thrive through continuous engagement and growth.

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