Inspired. It’s a way of looking at a piece of corrugated steel, a light bulb, a cement block or a blank wall and seeing the possibility. Add to that a fearlessness of doing it wrong, starting over, and an uncanny ability to break things down into their simplest form and you have a creative leader. If you ask Kirby Schultz, co-owner of HenkinSchultz Creative Services where he works, he’ll tell you he works for a marketing company. But for the people that work with him, he provides inspiration to do good work, every day. Kirby doesn’t just create at the office, as one of Sioux Falls most noteworthy artists he works on projects that extend far outside its walls. His commissioned paintings hang in area homes. His artwork is at the core of the interior design for organizations including Docutap, the Sioux Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau, Advanced Asset Alliance (AAA) and a number of Avera facilities. Even his front yard is a canvas from which creative design springs. Growing up, Kirby had an unconventional way of looking at life, but it was his 7th grade teacher, armed with a box of oil pastels, that lit a fire for art that still burns. Over the years he had a number of graphic design heroes, but it was Richard Gorsuch that helped to shape his creative philosophy. After attending an art competition in California, Gorsuch related a story that redefined the way Kirby looked at art. The entrance to the exhibit had two signs. The one pointing left said, “for love.” The one pointing right said, “for money.” Gorsuch told Kirby that it was just wrong – that the art you make shouldn’t be defined by its purpose. “He gave me permission to put my heart into graphic design,” said Kirby. Since that time, there isn’t a project he touches that doesn’t start in the heart. According to Kirby, “Every job has in it an opportunity to be wonderful.” Whether it’s a big ad campaign or an annual report, it can be something special – something that gets clients noticed. The creative team at HenkinSchultz takes their lead from Kirby, putting their heart into every project. That’s why, said Kirby, “We do it better than anyone else.” Inspired creative? At HenkinSchultz, it comes from the top and trickles down into to every design, every piece of copy and every person that has the privilege to work with Kirby Schultz. And our clients, they get to enjoy the benefits of that inspiration.