Toyota and UPROXX have teamed up for The Next Gear, a new series that puts emerging creatives on a ride-along in the All-Electric C-HR. Joining our creatives in a mentor role is Grammy-nominated DJ, producer, and songwriter Illenium, ready to talk creativity, big dreams, and how to build a career that lasts. This time out, LA stylist and designer Toreno Winn rode shotgun, digging into how Illenium built a fanbase that sticks with him, how to put a personal aesthetic into actual words, and how to stop sitting on finished work and get it out into the world.
We walked away from this one with a list of things we wanted to try on our own stuff, so we’ve built a companion workbook to go with the episode — actionable advice and creative practices you can run on whatever you’re making right now.
This workbook does not assume you have clients, a team, a following, or anything you’ve put out. But if you’re a creator in any field, these tools will help you take things to The Next Gear.
SECTION 1: BUILDING COMMUNITY
“Your fan base is almost family-oriented — How have you built that from the ground up?” — Toreno
“Always being present, always being engaged, and really caring about their opinions to an extent — you have to be your own artist.” — Illenium
WORKSHEET 1.1 — DEFINE YOUR CIRCLE
| Who they are | How they found the work | What they’ve responded to | Have I ever spoken to them directly? |
|---|---|---|---|
“I think your vulnerability in your music helps… when there’s a true level of pain that you’ve helped someone sort out mentally, there’s a connection, a bond.” — Toreno
“A hundred percent. Mixing that with being available to an extent… just take a second out of your day, or a moment online, to interact.” — Illenium
WORKSHEET 1.2 — THE PRESENCE PLAN
Draw a line. Care about their opinions “to an extent,” but stay your own artist.
SECTION 2 – WORLD BUILDING
“If you had to put in words what the world of your work is, how would you describe it?” — Illenium
WORKSHEET 2.1 — PUT IT INTO WORDS
“When I’m getting ready to write an album I really think about the story first… the overall vibe and what am I inspired by. That comes with a story and a sound and a general world. It doesn’t need to be perfectly dialed.” — Illenium
WORKSHEET 2.2 — THE WORLD, WRITTEN DOWN
| Write it | |
|---|---|
| The story this body of work is telling | |
| The place it happens (real or not) | |
| Who lives there — the person wearing it, hearing it, using it | |
| What’s inspiring me right now, specifically | |
| The palette — colors, materials, textures, sounds | |
| What is not allowed in this world |
THE PALETTE TEST
WORKSHEET 2.3 — HOUSE CODES
“A lot of fashion designers keep building on a on a passive setting. They have their house codes, they have their key aesthetics” – Toreno
A. My House Codes Three things that carry forward no matter what the next project is.
1.
2.
3.
B. The next cycle.
SECTION 3 – FEEDBACK & WORKSHOPPING
“You have trusted ears — people you trust artistically. I think you need that. I think anybody needs that.” — Toreno
“If I work ten, twenty hours on something and I think it’s decent, but then I send it to that group of people — if it’s not unanimous, I’ll literally throw it away…But there’s also a type of artistry where you trust yourself so fully that you know best. — Illenium
WORKSHEET 3.1 — THE ROOM
| Name | What they’re good at seeing | Last thing I showed them |
|---|---|---|
WORKSHEET 3.2 — MY GOLDEN RULE
Write the rule now, while you’re not in love with anything.
WORKSHEET 3.3 — COLLABORATING
A. When someone new works on my thing. What do they need to know before they touch it?
B. When I’m the one hired. Before the next job with someone new:
SECTION 4 — PUTTING THE WORK OUT
“I keep holding on to things, and I’m not putting them out… I’m such a perfectionist at times that it’s hard to let go. ” — Toreno
“More exposure is better — let things be rough around the edges. There’s never going to be a perfect scenario where everything is ready. Ever. You have to be able to adapt and live in that gray area where it’s kind of constant chaos, but it’s also a great atmosphere to keep flowing through and figure out how to ride that creative wave.” — Illenium
WORKSHEET 4.1 — THE HOLDING PATTERN
Everything finished, or close, that you haven’t put out yet.
| The piece | How long it’s been done | The reason it hasn’t gone out |
|---|---|---|
How many projects have been waiting longer than three months:
“You’ve just got to take the leap. That’s my number one advice to anybody who ever asks me how I got to where I got. Take the leap of faith.” — Illenium
WORKSHEET 4.2 — THE LEAP
Pick the row from 4.1 that’s been waiting longest.
THE ANTICIPATION AUDIT.
Count the times you’ve teased something and not delivered it. That’s the number people are working from the next time you say something’s coming.
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