Episodes

Have you ever been swimming and lost your sense of up while underwater? It’s incredibly panic inducing. This feeling is something I experience in the creative process sometimes too. Nothing makes sense. You have no sense of how to make any choices within a piece of work. It all looks wrong. If this ever happens to you, or you’re feeling particularly ungrounded in your creative practice today even, this episode will give you a practice for defining guidelines in your work before you enter the creative process. This practice has been incredibly useful for me, and I hope it does the same for you!

The best students I ever had really had a clear sense of their influences. In the old days really studying and imitating your masters was seen as an essential part of the creative path. But what happens when you get stuck in this phase and can’t seem to break out into something that feels more truly yours? What do you do then? In this episode we are going to explore exactly what to do when your creative hero’s are overshadowing your presence in your own work, and the fun and surprising solution to breaking out of this rut.

If you’re stuck and waiting for something to give in your creative practice, do not wait any longer! Listen to this episode. Nearly every major creative career breakthrough I’ve ever had came from a moment when I knew exactly what I wanted to do but no one would give me a shot. In this episode I share the exact practice that led to breakthroughs in editorial illustration work, kids books projects, public speaking and more. If you’re sick of waiting to get discovered, and you’re looking for fresh momentum in your practice. This episode is for you.

If you’re overwhelmed and can’t seem to make progress, it may be time to revisit your creative models. When’s the last time you stopped everything and reconnected with your true north? One of the most centering tools is taking a fresh look at who you’re currently learning from creatively. In this episode I share the 3 step process I recently used to find progress in my creative path again. This episode is for you if you’re feeling: - Unoriginal - Imposter Syndrome - FOMO - Lost and Unmotivated - Like this Year has Already Gotten Away From You!

If you’re in need of a quick jolt of creative pep this episode is for you. We have incredible guests best piece of creative advice. Today I’m joined by Zak Rosen the creator behind The Best Advice Show podcast. The Best Advice Show is a super short podcast where super interesting people show up to give the one piece of advice that’s the best they have. Zak was kind enough to curate the 5 pieces of best advice that he knew would be perfect for Creative Pep Talk and he was right on the money because I felt so creatively on fire after talking these through with him. Tune in for powerful creative advice from: - Filmmaker Mike Mills- Artist Author Poet Holly Wren Spaulding - Artist Consultant Beth Pickens- Screenwriter Sharon Mashihi- Author Brian Selfon

If you’re a creator, chances are you have a legit relationship with sad songs. This probably isn’t news to you. But did you know this well of melancholy might be a secret well of hidden creative power? In today’s episode I sit down and chat with Susan Cain, author of the INCREDIBLE book “Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole” that absolutely BLEW ME AWAY. You might also be one of the 31 million people who know Susan from her TED talk on Introverts - or from her #1 best selling book on the same topic - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. Either way - this was one of my all time favorite chats, and a total honor to speak with such a brilliant creator. I have a strong hunch this will be a listener favorite! ENJOY!

The biggest wins in my creative journey never fit squarely into the whole “just follow your passion and everything will work out” philosophy, but they were never pure pragmatism either. For this reason, even after nearly 8 years of making a podcast that tries to strike the balance between the magic of creativity and the realism of building a career, I still felt pulled between these two extremes, with no real resolve. But I recently stumbled upon a new perspective that synthesizes these two seemingly oppositional takes in such a powerful way that it instantly gave me clarity and action steps. If you’re consistently stuck in the analysis paralysis between following your head or going with your heart, this episode will give you tools to strike the balance in a surprising and useful way.

If you ever wished you had a deeper or more meaningful relationship with your work, or wished you were able to make your work more you so that people like you could more deeply connect to your art, this episode is for you. Even if you’re not interested in making ultra revealing super serious art, there’s still a difference between work that feels authentically connected to who you are vs work that just feels hollow or soulless. In this episode we will explore how one personal breakthrough lead to both a creative inflection point, as well as my adult diagnosis of ADHD.

Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of incredible creative work out there? Scrolling through an endless stream of creative genius on every platform day in and day out is enough to make you want to give up for good. Today’s episode is an antidote to that feeling by means of identifying the surprising places your own creative genius may be hiding. Hint: it might be the last place you look! ALSO if you’re feeling uninspired by your current creative outlets and need to breathe some fresh inspiration into them, this episode explores why your creative skill or medium doesn’t have to be your passion to be your best asset!

You wouldn’t get very far as a basketball player, if you played by the rules of soccer. Can you imagine? Trying to play without touching the ball with your hands? It’d be ridiculous! Actually impossible! And yet, in your creativity, you let other people’s creative rules and values make you feel disqualified all the time. You’ve heard it before “the only rule in creativity is that there are no rules”, so why do we constantly feel like imposters who are “doing it wrong”? I have a hypothesis: Because we don’t realize that creativity means very different things to each and every artist. We all define and value creativity extremely differently. In this episode I want to help you figure out what creativity is about for you. When you start to figure out why YOU love creative work, you can let go of what OTHERS think it’s about and thrive in your own way. Let these frameworks help define where you’re going next. This episode was originally released as 280 in June 2020.

How does someone from Indiana with parents with normal jobs become a full time artist living and working in France? Today on the show we deconstruct Jessi Raulet’s (aka EttaVee) creative journey to find out just that. In this episode we will:- Debunk the myth that you must transform and find yourself as an artist overnight- Find tips and tricks for when you hit a rough patch or get stuck on your journey- Show the difficult process of finding your place creatively in vivid detail!

Have you ever put something out into the world and were just devastated by the results? This is pretty much par for the course when it comes to posting a new piece, publishing a book, or launching really anything as a creator. The more failed and disappointing launches I had in my career, the more I just felt like maybe I just suck… and honestly, I did suck. No. I didn’t suck at making creative work, but I DID suck at launching things. These are two completely different skills. In the episode we dive into a process for covering your bases and making your next creative launch, your best yet.

Is there an area of your creative practice that you just can not seem to make progress in? Do you second guess every new piece and project to the point of doing nothing at all? In this episode we explore the two competing forces within you that are pulling your creativity apart, and how to get them working together on the same team. In this episode: - Why the definition of creativity is surprising - What it means to be a career creative - An activity for determining what work you should focus on

Sometimes the adventure chooses the hero and other times it’s the other way around! Both are valid. The only trouble? Most of us have a default that we get stuck in, it’s helpful to recognize when we need to switch things up. In this episode a classic flying-by-the-seat-of-his-pantser (Zac) and goal oriented plotter (Andy) sit down and compare notes. If you don’t know Zac - he is a phenomenal creator. He won an Emmy for his work on the celebrated mini-series “Over the Garden Wall” on Cartoon Network. Zac has also written several books, many issues of the Rick and Morty comic series, as well as many other incredibly inspiring illustration works!

We’re living through some hard times – but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have the opportunity to really, really matter. In this episode, we’re going back to THE CURSE OF ART ISLAND from Episode 202! For me, the creative career path is a roller coaster. There are so many circumstantial and emotional ups and downs, and if you ride every twist and turn, it can be exhausting and discouraging. Sometimes, I almost feel like this road is somehow cursed even!!! When you’re hitting obstacles and setbacks, you just might be onto something! My hope in revisiting the themes in this episode is that you’re able to find a renewed sense of creative fortitude to help you dig in when times get tough.

Have you ever fallen out of love with your creative practice? Maybe you got stuck and couldn’t reach your goals. Maybe you reached your goals and they weren’t as fulfilling as you thought they’d be? Maybe the creative process itself has become too fraught with expectation and pressure that you can’t even face the proverbial blank page? In this episode we dive into essential ideas for unlocking meaningful and enjoyable work, and ultimately, get better results from this flow. Key ideas from the episode: - What philosopher Keiran Setiya calls “atelic” activity and why it matters to creative work - The lie about creative potential that I had to learn the hard way

Ya ever pour yourself into something and people essentially respond with “meh”? It’s so demoralizing! If you want a few ways to bake in more potent layers into your work that don’t necessarily just mean trying harder. This episode is for you! We explore: – How to use patterns no matter what art discipline you create in – How artists use the psychology or archetype for powerful effect – Why nonsense makes more sense in art

At some point you may notice that putting more time and effort into your work isn’t making the work any better. This overworking results in the ceiling of diminishing returns. What do you do when you want to level up your work, but just trying harder isn’t cutting the mustard? If this is you, it’s time to quit making artwork… and start learning how art works. If this is where you’re at, it’s time to dive into the psychology of human perception and maximize your creative work for bigger impact!

It’s very tempting to get obsessed with WHAT you’re making, but have you given much thought about the WHERE of your creative work? Where you make stuff. Where your head is when you’re making that stuff. Where you publish stuff! These spaces really really matter. Don’t just take it from me. In this episode we’re going to dive deep into what scientists say about what it takes to have more creative breakthroughs, as we explore the 4 spaces I see in almost all of my heroes’ creative practices.

Today on the show we have two of my dream guests ON ONE EPISODE!! Welcome New York Times Best Selling author Mac Barnett and Caldecott Honor Winning author / illustrator Carson Ellis!! These two were both essential inspirations in my creative journey, and it’s no wonder why. They both exude artistry and playful creative spirit in every single thing they create. This conversation could have gone on for AGES but I was just grateful for the time I had. Talking shop with these two was mesmerizing and truly a dream come true. ALSO don’t forget to pick up Caron and Mac’s new picturebook “What is Love?” - it’s as GORGEOUS as it is MOVING!! A classic in the making. It is a must have!

Do you ever fully “find your style” for good? I don’t think so. It’s a living document. I’ve done episodes on the topic. Taught whole classes on it. But, I’ve stayed on the hunt for over a decade, and I still have breakthroughs that surprise me. In this episode, I want to share some new thoughts on how to think about finding your style that really unlocked stuff for me and give you some exercises that I hope unlock something for you TODAY!

In this special episode, we make space to honor the memory of Adé Hogue, who we lost in October, 2021. Adé was a phenomenal lettering artist and designer with an incredible, authentic spirit. Adé cared so passionately about the communities he was a part of, bringing that energy into all of his work. That work will continue through the initiatives at the Adé Hogue Foundation, a non-profit forming in his name and honor. You can support and stay in the loop here: https://www.instagram.com/adehoguefoundation/ We hope you enjoy this conversation with Adé, where he openly shares some great insights about his experiences within his creative practice. We miss you and love you, Adé.

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It’s so easy to get carried away focusing so much on your work, that you neglect yourSELF! BUT the quality and depth of your work comes directly from YOU, so it’s a dangerous habit to get into! In this episode, we dive into 9 powerful creative prompts that will help you connect and deepen your sense of self, and therefore deepen your ability to express yourself.