Justin Girard is a Connecticut-based Creative Director specializing in brand strategy, creative direction, advertising, design, and digital experiences.

I grew up with two interests: art and food. For a while, I was convinced I’d become a chef. I watched the Food Network religiously, spent an unreasonable amount of time in the kitchen, practiced techniques, and developed a pretty strong opinion about what tastes good.

Somewhere along the way, those two passions found each other.

When I got to college, I discovered branding and advertising and realized that much of what I loved about food was there too: culture, communication, craft, taste, experimentation, challenge, and creativity. What started as a career I more or less wandered into quickly became my primary source of self-purpose and expression.

My natural tendency to daydream, get distracted, and follow seemingly unrelated ideas has turned out to be surprisingly useful. With a few loving shoves forward from my beautiful wife, it evolved into a talent for connecting dots in unexpected ways.

I think there’s something powerful about putting familiar things together in unfamiliar ways. We instinctively gravitate toward what we recognize, but when something familiar is combined with something unexpected, it can feel simultaneously new and comfortable. That tension between recognition and surprise is where I often find the most interesting creative ideas.

Since college, I’ve worked at creative agencies across brand identity, integrated campaigns, digital experiences, packaging, web design, and creative direction. Along the way, my work has been recognized by organizations including CADC, GDUSA, HBJ, and the Muse Creative Awards.

In 2017, life took an unexpected detour when I was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. What followed was an ICU stay and eight months of chemotherapy. Thankfully, I made it through and am now cancer-free. The experience left me with a much more humble perspective on life and a profound appreciation for the strangers who show up when you need them most, especially nurses.

Today, I lead a talented team of creatives at Rebellion Group, working across strategy, design, technology, data, and behavioral intelligence. I’m interested in the space between things: the connection between what people already know and what they haven’t seen yet, between human behavior and business opportunity, and between creative instinct and commercial reality.

That’s where I think the good stuff happens.

Outside of work, I’m usually chasing one of a few things: good music, new restaurants, old bars, anything nautical, oysters, street photography, vintage Americana, great interiors, or a trip somewhere I’ve never been. Though no matter how far I travel, I inevitably end up missing the New England coastline.

Are you a brand leader looking to try something new? I’m always up for a conversation, whether it starts with a brief or over a Guinness.