The short version of wordsmithPHD.
Today, it seems that truth is no longer based on objective reality. ​As a citizen and a social scientist the need to speak truths, in support of our democracy, seized me. Thus, I launched WordsmithPHD
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Here you will find provocative visual Word Puzzles accompanied by short pity essays - along with Written Words, longer thought pieces. My words seek to help build a more inclusive, rational, and just society.
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​So yes, I am a WORDSMITH (38) who’s earned a PHD (9) – 47. I seek to BUILD (9) COMMUNITY (36) TRUST (7) – 52. As I INSPIRE (13) HONEST (10) TENACITY (28) – 51. ​
All of which matter more, and score higher, than wordsmithPHD.
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The short version of me.
I'm Jean Grow PhD, a Wordsmith and a social and cultural scientist. Rather ironically my love of words is paired with dyslexia. I'm also a branded inclusion consultant. I spent a decade in the advertising industry, eventually earning a PHD, while raising two children and commuting long distances. I somehow thought academia would allow me more time to focus on my family. Ha!
As an "accidental academic" I immersed myself in the social and cultural side of brand research for more than two decades. If I've learned anything it's this. Words backed by strategy always have power to influence. But, words that have the most influence are those that speak truths. Interested in the long version of me? See below.​
The long (almost no-fear) version of me.
I grew up in a blue-collar family. The 5th of 7 kids and the only one born with a clotting disorder, which has made my life ever-more interesting. In my working-class neighborhood kids ran free in hand-me-downs. My father was a skilled-tradesmen, union president, and a die-hard Democrat. My mother, a staunch Republican, tended our home and raised 7 children, working longer hours than he. Their political dichotomy seemed completely normal to me. My oldest brother was a troubled man who became a police officer. While I know officers who use their power for good, my brother was not one of them. My younger sisters and I experienced horrible things at his hands.
I am a fighter.
I’m a first-generation college graduate. The first and only person in my family to earn advanced degrees. Though I think it only fair to note I dropped out of college before eventually returning and finishing my BFA at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1980s. Across 15 years I lived in Chicago and launched my own design firm, eventually ending up in advertising. I worked with big agencies, great clients and notable brands. Much was grand. But, I also experienced advertising’s dark side - physically, financially and emotionally. Being a fighter helped me survive. In turn, advertising’s darkness inspired my academic research.
From darkness comes light.
In the 1990s I moved to Wisconsin, though not initially to Milwaukee, my current home. I did creative consulting and eventually took a corporate marketing job. Yet, I itched for something more. Needing a new challenge, and hoping to scratch out more time with my children, I returned to graduate school. I eventually earned my PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2001. Along the way, I commuted long hours, for many years, while raising two children, consulting, and teaching. The latter two payed the bills.
Circuitous routes and tenacity are often good companions.
In 2000 I began my life as an “Accidental Academic” at Marquette University. After all, artists don't become academics do they?Twenty+ years later I’ve published more than 50 articles, whitepapers, and/or book chapters. Most address the dark side of advertising, while always looking for the light. I’m the co-author of Advertising Creative: Strategy, Copy & Design (Sage, 6e), sold in 25 countries. I’ve also published, or been interviewed, by more than 20 national publications including Fortune, Newsweek, NPR, and The Chicago Tribune. And, I’ve traveled to more than 40 countries and interviewed advertising practitioners in nearly half of them.
Not bad for an artist with dyslexia.
At the end of 2020 I ditched academia for reasons too tiring and awful (and likely liable to tell here) and founded GROW inclusion the next year. I figured work as a social and cultural scientist, along with my advertising experience, might be a good combo to help practitioners craft authentically inclusive and sustainable brand strategies. Of course, this can only work if advertising agencies, and the brands they serve, honestly aspire to be inclusive. If they do, they might consider exploring my branded inclusion offerings at GROW inclusion.
It takes courage to acknowledge your privilege and its harms to others.
Recently, as I've watched my beloved country imploding, I've pivoted again. I added WordsmithPHD to my repertoire. As you have likely figured out by now, my provocative Word Puzzles with their pointed essays and my Written Words, challenge us, I hope, to rethink our shared American destiny. In the end, as a dear colleague and friend was quick to say of me...
I’m "radically honesty.”
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Welcome to WordsmithPHD.
Words Matter.