Episodes

The one constant is change. We all know this is true. This can be anxiety inducing when it comes to your creative career. Whether you’re just getting started or completely established, knowing the rules, trends and opportunities WILL change at some point in the future can be very scary. This means that nothing is more important than mastering the art of the breakthrough. As things change, if you’re able to continually break into new markets, you will always be able to grow with the times. In this episode, we talk about a solution for staying ahead of these changes, and it doesn’t involve being afraid all the time. I believe, if you master this one creative virtue, you can stay relevant for a lifetime.

Anxiety is like kryptonite for creatives. Getting locked up in your head and second guessing every decision, can destroy your creative flow and therefore the quality of your work. Rapper Andy Mineo understands this on a personal level, and in this episode he shares his struggles and breakthrough work arounds for when you find yourself in the grip of crippling creative anxiety. This is an extremely special episode. Andy and I got on a roll and had some deep moments and a ton of fun as well. I’m extremely grateful for the time and vulnerability that Andy brought to this interview, and I know you’re going to love it!!Anxiety is like kryptonite for creatives. Getting locked up in your head and second guessing every decision, can destroy your creative flow and therefore the quality of your work. Rapper Andy Mineo understands this on a personal level, and in this episode he shares his struggles and breakthrough work arounds for when you find yourself in the grip of crippling creative anxiet…

believe there are a lot of hurtful myths about creativity perpetuated by creative people. These lies keep us down and keep us from thriving. In this episode I want to expose one of these lies and replace it with what I think is a higher truth about creative work. Are you ever frustrated with the rollercoaster of being a creative person? One minute you’re making the best thing you ever made, the next minute you’re so aggravated with your work you’re thinking of becoming a postal worker? Obviously, creativity has it’s ups and downs, but I believe that if you have the right mindset, and approach your craft in this certain way, your creative work can be a source of ever deepening joy.

It’s so easy to feel lost on your creative career journey. It’s a complex path that can feel random and abstract. Nothing feels better than breaking out of this tough spot and into a moment of clarity and purpose. This episode kicks off our Creative Philosophy Series. This series is meant to help you find patterns in what seems like random static in your life, so that you can find clarity and make progress.

We all know we need to be doing personal work, but what’s the trick to doing personal work that turns into paid work? In this episode I sit down with illustrator / letterer Mary Kate McDevitt and discuss this exact question. Mary Kate has several game changing personal projects under her belt, and she was kind enough to share some of her brilliance with us!

You gotta keep your head above water long enough to learn how to swim. You gotta survive long enough to thrive. In this episode I share practical tips that helped me stay in the game long enough to win a few!! If you’re tired of always waiting around for dream opportunities to land in your lap and you want to take control of your career now, this episode is for you!

Marketing can be pretty gross and the idea of ‘personal brand’ can be marketing at it’s grossest! But it doesn’t have to be this way. In my experience, personal brand can be an outpouring of real inner work and self discovery if you approach it the right way. It’s no secret that ‘personal brand’ is a game changer for your creative success, but if you, like me, find the notion of personal brand to seem shallow, I challenge you to listen to this episode and see that this journey can be quite the opposite! Plus this episode is completely based on big chain pizza restaurant slogans… so you know it’s gonna be good. May your personal brand journey be as deep as a Chicago deep dish pizza pie!

This episode is JAM PACKED with insight!! For those of you living under a rock, Lauren Hom is a designer and letterer best known for her side projects (like Daily Dishonesty) and being a nomadic creative freelancer, working while traveling the globe. In this episode Lauren GENEROUSLY shares her wealth of knowledge on getting started in your creative career, how to make work that people connect with and share, and general tips on marketing your work.

Marketing can be so discouraging when you’re not focusing your efforts on what really works. In my experience there are only a few styles of marketing that really work today and one of them is ‘influencer marketing’. Influencer marketing is like 'word of mouth' on steroids. Now, if you can resist puking in your mouth at the sound of the word ‘influencer’, I think we can learn some things from this marketing style that will not only help us grow our creative careers but also do so in a way that is more positively human!

These days, most creatives market their work with what we call ‘personal projects’, but often our personal projects don’t get the results we want. If your marketing efforts feel like playing the game Operation with giant BBQ grill tongs instead of precise effective tweezers, you have to listen to this episode. NOTHING has changed my career like understanding and properly utilizing content marketing. In this episode we will learn how to apply the principles of effective content marketing to our creative passion projects.

Do you want to market your creative work, but you feel unsure how to do so effectively? Do you ignore marketing because you’re not really sure how to invest your time in a way that will actually turn into results? In this episode I share the process I’ve used to market my work over the past 8 years. These ideas were game changers for me. I’m convinced this process is one of the core contributors to the career breakthroughs I’ve had in my life and I’m super excited to share them with you! This episode is a segue from the Deep Dive series into a new series on Marketing. Stay tuned for more!

Staying relevant over the long haul is a concern of almost every designer I know. So how do you do it? What does it take? What better way to find out than to chat with someone (or in this case someones) who has actually done it? The design duo (now full studio) The Heads of State have had many lives. These guys cut their teeth in the early 2000s gig poster scene, transitioned to illustrators for the likes of The New York Times and now take on larger design projects as a full on design studio. In this interview I really wanted to pick their brains and find out what was it about them that enabled them to stay relevant over the past 15 years? And how do you navigate large transitions in your career?

We all know self-initiated work is essential for pushing forward in your creative career, but finding the discipline and dedication to make it happen can be pretty tough. This episode contains a strategy for unlocking the deep well of discipline and drive that you never knew you had, so that you can make a big splash in the creative world.

It’s so easy to get caught up chasing likes and followers, but should you let these numbers guide your creative career? In this episode I don’t tell you to disregard social media feedback or tell you it’s irrelevant, but instead encourage you to shift your perspective and look for more helpful metrics.

Things feel a bit nuts in the world right now, right? Many creative people keep asking themselves this question: does my creativity even matter? In this episode, I want to help you tap into the meaning of your creativity and show you that when you do, it will change everything.

Super fun chat with my friend Meg Lewis! We covered a range of topics including some tips on unearthing your personal brand and your purpose in life. Big thanks to Danielle Evans for co hosting! :)

If you’re only playing in the shallow waters of creativity, you’re only going to reap shallow rewards. In this episode we talk about the power of diving into the deep end of creativity, career and innovation. Tap into your full potential.

Buckle up. This episode gets DEEP and it's chocked full of PASSION and ENERGY. This is two dudes cut from the same ADHD cloth. You've been warned! ;) Rogie very graciously shares his journey to becoming the Illustrator / Designer / Developer that he is today. We dive into ADHD and meds, the ups and downs of personal faith and how combining your unique skills can set you apart in the industry. If you are a hardcore Creative Pepperoni, this might just be your new favorite episode!

Are you working hard on your creative work, with your head down, locked in your room, trying to make progress, but still unhappy about the pace of your growth? In this episode we talk about the one thing that has the potential to grow your work and your career unlike anything else. If you’re trying to build a creative career without this element, I don’t think you stand a chance!

Do you have false beliefs about marketing that are keeping you from your full potential? Today on the show we identify the beliefs that are keeping you from selling your work properly and how to change your perspective, so that you can give your creative work the best chance to succeed.

For creatives, nothing hurts more than lukewarm feedback. Up and down, Inconsistent, random praise or radio silence is even more maddening. In this episode, we’re digging deep to answer these questions: What’s at the heart of a thriving creative career? Or how do you steadily grow your audience over a lifetime? What's the key to going from creative hobby to creative business?

If you’re not making a deep connection with your audience, you don’t stand a chance. The first step is having an authentic deep connection to your creative work. Easy right? Wrong. In theory it sounds so simple, but anyone who’s attempted to ‘put themselves onto the page’ so to speak, knows that this is trickier than it sounds. In this episode, I identify what I believe to be the key to making more authentic work.

I believe that your creative career doesn’t get super interesting until you find why you are super unique. But you can’t figure this out in an afternoon by starring in the mirror or taking a career aptitude test. The information you need is collected while on the journey of making stuff! In this episode we talk about what that journey looks like so that you can recognize the stages and maximize your results! This episode is part of our series on Creative Destiny AKA your creative career hero’s journey to reach your full potential.

This episode is the definitive foundation of Creative Pep Talk and contains my favorite ideas at the heart of this show. This is your creative destiny compass. In this episode we answer the question: what are the signposts pointing to my CREATIVE DESTINY? How do I know which direction will take me to my full creative career potential. Should you keep going on the path you’re on or do you need to try something else? Is it about grit or should you be pivoting? Just keep swimming or fail fast and explore something new? My hope is that whenever you’re stuck asking these questions, this episode will be your guide. This episode is the first part of our series on Creative Destiny AKA your creative career hero’s journey to reach your full potential. ALSO this episode marks a brand new chapter for the show, with new album artwork to commemorate our first 1 million listens!