Explore every episode of the podcast Creative Slash
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ep. 058 – Clinton Campbell of Studio MUTI – From T-Shirt Label to Global Studio, Scattergories, and Low-Ego Leadership | 16 oct. 2026 | 01:11:01 | |
Illustration is supposed to be a solo sport. One person, one style, one desk. So how does a studio at the bottom of Africa keep a whole team of illustrators working under one name for fifteen years without the egos getting in the way? In this episode, we talk with Clinton Campbell, co-founder and creative director of MUTI in Cape Town, South Africa. Clint tells us how MUTI grew out of a streetwear label he started with his brother, and why the early internet mattered so much when your clients are half a world away. Underneath it is a story about building a creative business that actually works, both financially and as a place talented people want to stay. Part studio tour, part cooking show, and part three people trying to talk over a very long internet delay (don't worry, we edited the delays out). In this episode, we talk about:
Whether you run a studio, want to start one, or just like hearing how good creative places actually work, this one reminds us that the best teams run on trust, not rules. Even the rule about plants. ABOUT THE CREATIVE Clinton Campbell is an illustrator, creative director, and co-founder of MUTI, a creative studio in Cape Town, South Africa. He grew up in Durban, studied graphic design in Stellenbosch, and started MUTI in 2011 with Miné Day. Brad Hodgskiss joined as the third founding partner in 2013. The studio's illustrators and designers make everything from lettering and icons to digital painting and animation. Their clients include Google, Nike, Apple, Airbnb, Uber, TIME, and National Geographic. When he isn't drawing, Clint is probably cooking. He cooks at home, and his favorite kitchen gear includes a set of chef's presses and some made-in-the-USA baking trays. Website Instagram Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 057 – Matt Dawson – An Orange in the Door, a Cobain Jaguar, and the Freedom of a Day Job | 09 oct. 2026 | 01:37:25 | |
The dream we were all sold was going out on your own. Your own clients, your own hours, your name on the door. But what if freedom looks different once you've lived that dream for a while? In this episode, we talk with designer and CROP founder Matt Dawson about his first-ever CROP Field Trip to Cleveland, his guitars and records, and a band that sounds like Weezer and the Pixies had a baby. Underneath it is a bigger story. After seven years of running his own thing, Matt realized his priorities had changed. He wanted more time with his family, evenings that actually ended, and room to get excited about design again. He began to see that freedom can mean a lot of things. Sometimes it's your name on the door. Sometimes it's a steady in-house job, a team that logs off at five, and the choice to say yes only to the work you actually want. It is part gear talk, part record-store hang, and part permission slip to stop curating yourself. In this episode, we talk about:
Whether you're freelancing, in-house, or quietly wondering if your priorities have shifted, this one is a reminder that careers don't run in a straight line. As Matt puts it, you can't lay your career on tracing paper over somebody else's and expect it to match up. ABOUT THE CREATIVE Matt Dawson is a designer and creative director based in Austin, Texas, and the person behind Stay Gray Ponyboy. His work centers on brand identities and logo systems, for clients that have included Disney, Jeep, Adobe, Under Armour, the Atlanta Braves, and Toyota. He is also the founder of CROP, a creative conference he runs with his wife in Austin. For the past decade CROP has brought creative people together, and this fall it added Field Trip, a smaller, hang-out-first event in Cleveland. The next CROP conference is April 29 and 30, 2027. When he isn't designing, he might be creating something on his Jaguar, playing with his band LCLS, or checking another ballpark off his list. Website Instagram Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 056 – Tom Froese – Finding the Why in Commercial Art, Overprints, the One-Brush Brush Pack | 01 oct. 2026 | 01:57:34 | |
Most of us were told the same thing. Make something every day, share it, and the people will come. But what happens when you do exactly that for years, the numbers stall, the platforms change the deal, and the thing you love starts to feel like homework for an algorithm? In this episode, we talk with illustrator, teacher, and author Tom Froese about building a very public career as a self-described introvert. It starts with camera presence and resting dad face, then turns into a bigger conversation about owning your audience, scaling back, and why any of us spend our lives making commercial art in the first place. It is part career audit, part wardrobe therapy, and part airport-gate conversation that wanders into ghosts, aliens, and faith. In this episode, we talk about:
Whether you draw every day, quietly wonder if social media is still worth it, or just want permission to make the one-brush version of your thing, this one comes back to a question Tom asks his own students. You're spending most of your adult life making commercial art. Why? ABOUT THE CREATIVE Tom Froese is an illustrator, teacher, and writer based in British Columbia, Canada. His work borrows from printmaking, with limited colors, overprints, and letterpress-style texture, and it shows up in maps, editorial work, and picture books. He is one of Skillshare's top teachers and has taught more than 150,000 students. His book Drawing Is Important: How to Start a Lifelong Daily Drawing Practice came out this spring from Rockport. It is not a how-to-draw book. It is a why-to-draw book. Website Drawing Is Important Classes and Drawing Club Substack Instagram Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 055 – Chris DeLorenzo – Johnny Cupcakes, a 500-Foot Airport Mural, and Learning Everything Once | 24 sept. 2026 | 01:45:03 | |
Most people see a slackline, a motorcycle, or a recurve bow and think, “That’s not me.” Chris DeLorenzo sees the same things and signs up for lessons. He taught himself to slackline one summer. He has a motorcycle license he has never used. For a while, he wondered if he was quietly training for the apocalypse. In this episode, we talk with Chris about his years as lead designer and art director at Johnny Cupcakes, his move into illustration for places like The New York Times, and the 500-foot mural that now greets people flying into Boston. But the real conversation is about curiosity, what happens to it when life gets busier and more settled, and knowing when your work is already good enough to stand behind. It is part career history, part client-wrangling masterclass, and part three guys talking about French chore jackets for longer than anyone planned. In this episode, we talk about:
Whether you are a designer drifting toward illustration, an illustrator with too many hobbies, or someone who keeps saying “that’s not me,” this one is a good nudge. Curiosity is a practice. You are allowed to try the thing before you decide who you are. ABOUT THE CREATIVE Chris DeLorenzo is an illustrator based in Massachusetts, known for simple, bold work built on line, flowers, and hands. He spent about six years as lead designer and art director at Johnny Cupcakes before going out on his own, and this year marks ten years of working for himself. His work has appeared in The New York Times and The Atlantic, and it shows up all over Boston, including a 500-foot mural at Logan Airport. He also designed RetroSupply’s original logo, which is still in use today. Website Shop Instagram Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 054 – Van Berkemeyer – Design, Music, and the Empty Chase for the Next High | 17 sept. 2026 | 01:59:46 | |
Van Berkemeyer has built two separate creative careers: one as an illustrator and designer, one as a musician who's had real viral hits and industry attention. He says neither one ever actually felt like arriving. In this episode, Brad and Dustin talk with Van about growing up on a small farm in rural Texas, working as a cowboy on an Oklahoma ranch as a teenager, and building BerkMade, his illustration and design studio, alongside a music career as Van Andrew. The surface topic is juggling two creative disciplines. The real conversation is about something every working artist runs into eventually: chasing a peak, hitting it, and finding out it doesn't fix anything. It's part career retrospective, part cigar-lounge philosophy session, and part reminder that the goalpost never stops moving, no matter which craft you're chasing it in. In this episode, we talk about:
Whatever discipline you work in, this episode keeps circling back to the same question every working creative eventually asks: once you get the thing you thought you wanted, then what? Van's answer, four and a half years sober and building two careers instead of chasing one high, might be the most useful part of the whole conversation. ABOUT THE CREATIVE Van Berkemeyer is an illustrator and designer based in Nashville, Tennessee, working under the name BerkMade. He grew up on a small farm in rural Texas and spent his teenage years working as a cowboy on an Oklahoma ranch before building two separate creative careers: illustration and design as BerkMade, and music as Van Andrew. Alongside his design work, Van has had real success in music, including a song that went viral and hit number two on iTunes, and a stint as a contestant on The Voice. He's four and a half years sober and spends most of his downtime on his Harley, at the cigar lounge, or playing volleyball. BerkMade (Illustration & Design) https://www.instagram.com/berkmade/ Van Andrew (Music) Website https://www.vanandrewmusic.com/ https://www.instagram.com/vanandrewofficial/ Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 053 – Christian Helms – The 99-Pack, a McDonald's Broom, and Taking the Joke Seriously | 10 sept. 2026 | 01:34:45 | |
A 99-pack of beer sounds like a joke. It's about as tall as Shaq and weighs eighty pounds. When Christian Helms described it to his mom, she said she didn't get it. A few months later, she called to ask if he'd seen what Austin Beerworks did. In this episode, we talk with Christian Helms, founder and creative director of Helms Workshop in Austin, about the 99-pack, Howler Brothers, a week living with Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, and a career built mostly on naive optimism. Underneath the stories is a bigger conversation. Why is the funniest idea in the room so often the most human one? Why do you have to understand something better than anyone before you can make it surprising? And why would he rather hire a great person than a great portfolio? It is part design history, part Southern storytelling, and part confession from a man with two giant wind chimes and a painted bunting at his feeder. In this episode, we talk about:
Whether you run a studio, work in one, or just want your ideas to stop looking like everyone else's, this one's worth your time. The weird idea is usually the right one. Someone just has to be brave enough to make it real. ABOUT THE CREATIVE Christian Helms is the founder and creative director of Helms Workshop, a branding agency in Austin, Texas, focused on consumer goods and hospitality. The studio has built brands for Austin Beerworks, Howler Brothers, Tecovas, and plenty of the places that make Austin feel like Austin. He grew up in small-town North Carolina, studied journalism and creative writing at UNC, went on to Portfolio Center in Atlanta, and interned at Pentagram under Michael Bierut. In Austin he fell in with the Decoder Ring crew, making music posters for the bands he was already seeing four or five nights a week. These days he reads a lot of Southern noir, keeps boiled peanuts in the freezer, and is writing a book on branding. Website https://www.instagram.com/tchristianhelms Studio Instagram https://www.instagram.com/helms_workshop Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 052 – Bill Gardner – Stolen Magic Secrets, a $20 Rock, and Branding for Machines | 03 sept. 2026 | 01:06:39 | |
There are thousands of magicians who can handle a deck of cards better than David Copperfield. There is one David Copperfield. Bill Gardner has a one-word answer for why, and it turns out to be the same word that explains why one designer’s work gets remembered and another’s gets filed. In this episode, we talk with Bill Gardner — founder of LogoLounge, owner of Gardner Design, and a man who put himself through college as a working magician — about story as the actual engine underneath branding. It opens with how he got into magic in the first place, and ends on whether we are about to start designing brands for AI agents instead of for people. It is part magic-shop origin story, part masterclass in selling design to a CFO, and part quiet argument that the thing you are selling has never really been the picture. In this episode, we talk about:
Whether you are trying to justify your rates, name a company, or work out what is left for human designers once the machines are the ones doing the looking, this is the same question coming at you from five directions. What are people actually buying when they buy design — and what makes any of it worth remembering? ABOUT THE CREATIVE Bill Gardner is the owner and creative director of Gardner Design in Wichita, Kansas, which he has been running since 1983. The studio does nothing but branding — roughly 80% of it rebranding — for clients including Cessna, Thermos, Pizza Hut, Coleman, Hallmark, and Wichita State University. He is also the founder of LogoLounge.com, the largest searchable logo archive in the world, now approaching half a million logos submitted by more than 20,000 designers. He has authored fifteen LogoLounge books and has written the annual Logo Trend Report for more than twenty years, which has carried him around the world as a speaker. His newest book is The LogoLounge Guide to Iconic Branding: Trendcasting for Logos that Last. He holds degrees in both business and fine art, collects antique bagatelles, and paid his way through college performing magic. Website LogoLounge https://www.instagram.com/logolounge The LogoLounge Guide to Iconic Branding https://www.quarto.com/books/9780760398104/the-logolounge-guide-to-iconic-branding Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 051 – Paul Lukes – Graffiti, Getting Clean, and Why Ugly Design Converts | 28 août 2026 | 01:30:03 | |
Designers spend their careers trying to make things beautiful. So what do you do when your boss tears up the polished sign you made for the tip jar, tells you to redo it in crayon, and the ugly one makes more money? In this episode, we talk with designer, artist, and reformed graffiti writer Paul Lukes about the road from painting the streets of San Francisco to a career built on craft, community, and a published ethics page. It is a conversation about addiction and recovery, about what graffiti and client work actually have in common, and about why the job is not to make something pretty but to make something that moves people. It is part recovery story, part street history, and part very practical argument for designing things that work. In this episode, we talk about:
Whether you came up in a scene you had to leave, or you are just tired of making pretty things that do not work, this one goes somewhere. It is about what you keep from the person you used to be, and what a creative career looks like once you stop trying to impress other designers. ABOUT THE CREATIVE Paul Lukes is a designer, artist, and retired graffiti writer based in Fort Collins, Colorado. He is a senior designer at Bonfire Effect and runs smART minds, the studio he shares with his wife, music journalist Kyle Eustice. His fine art pulls from found materials and street ephemera the way hip hop pulls from records, layering pieces of the past into something new. He also started CoLab, a free Colorado design community with close to two hundred members, a Slack channel, and periodic in-person events, built on the idea that everyone grows faster when nobody is gatekeeping. Website https://smartmindsthinkalike.com https://www.instagram.com/culture_conservationist https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-lukes-906608134 Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 050 – 50 Episodes, Over 40 Creatives, and the Equation We Never Meant to Find | 21 août 2026 | 01:06:53 | |
Fifty episodes and over forty interviews in, Brad and Dustin have heard just about every piece of advice a working creative can give. About half of it directly contradicts the other half. So they went back through a year of their own transcripts to find out what was actually true underneath all of it. In this episode, Brad and Dustin mark Creative Slash’s 50th episode by digging through their own interview archive for the patterns that kept repeating: the formula almost every guest fits without meaning to, the uncomfortable realization that most of the people they admire most are not secretly geniuses, and why sitting across from forty different creatives finally talked them down from their AI anxiety. It’s part victory lap, part debrief, and part two hosts realizing they’ve accidentally been running a longitudinal study on what actually makes a creative career work. In this episode, we talk about:
Whether you’ve listened since episode one or you’re just now hitting play, this one is less a highlight reel than an audit: the patterns that held up after a year of asking the same questions, and the ones neither of them expected to admit out loud. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 049 – John Hendrix – Sandcastles, Doubt, and Why Your Calling Doesn't Have to Be Your Career | 14 août 2026 | 01:22:30 | |
Somewhere along the way we started assuming that the thing you were made to do and the thing that pays your bills are supposed to be the same thing. John Hendrix does not think that is true, and he has spent a twenty-year career and a whole graduate program arguing otherwise. In this episode, we talk with illustrator, author, and Washington University art professor John Hendrix about making work that is too weird for the church and too churchy for everyone else, why perseverance beats talent every single time, and what changes when you stop treating your art like a monument and start treating it like a sandcastle. John gets into his path from Marvel how-to books to Eisner-nominated graphic novels, the ten years that passed before his first book existed, why he thinks school is about community rather than skill, and the emails he still gets about drawing the Holy Ghost as a small blue cartoon. In this episode, we talk about:
Whether you are deep into a creative career, quietly wondering whether you picked the wrong one, or just trying to work out why twelve productive hours still ends with the feeling that you are behind, this conversation goes somewhere worth following. It is also the only episode where you will hear about losing a national fencing bout to a sixty-five-year-old Frenchman. ABOUT THE CREATIVE John Hendrix is an illustrator, author, and educator based in St. Louis. He is the Founding Chair of the MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also teaches. His books include The Faithful Spy, an NPR Best Book of 2018 about Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the plot to kill Hitler, and The Mythmakers, an Eisner-nominated graphic novel about the friendship between J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. His new book, One Hundred Things You Love to Draw, a follow-up to Drawing Is Magic, arrives this fall, and he is currently at work on a graphic novel about the Salem witch trials. Website Instagram Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 048 – Allan Peters, A$AP Rocky & the Design Influencer Dilemma | 07 août 2026 | 00:45:40 | |
In this episode, Brad and Dustin dig into the recent Allan Peters and A$AP Rocky situation, but the real conversation goes much deeper. It turns into a bigger discussion about design influencers, public criticism, jealousy, visibility, client work, AI, and why there may not be one morally pure way to build a creative career anymore. It is part industry therapy session, part internet anthropology, and part two designers trying to figure out why everyone is suddenly so mad. In this episode, we talk about:
Whether you love design influencers, hate them, or quietly watch every logo breakdown while pretending you don’t care, this episode is about the bigger question underneath it all. What do we actually value in creative work now, and how do we decide what success is supposed to look like? Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 047 - Emily Balsley - Murals, Community Art, and Making the World Weirder in Public | 31 juil. 2026 | 01:33:48 | |
Emily Balsley makes art feel like something that should spill out of your sketchbook and into the neighborhood. In this episode, we talk with illustrator, muralist, and community art instigator Emily Balsley about building a creative life around color, curiosity, local projects, and the kind of ideas that make people stop on a walk and think, “Wait, who made this?” Emily gets into her path from graphic design to illustration, why she stopped calling herself a designer, how neighborhood art projects became a natural part of her work, and what it feels like to keep making physical, human art in a world increasingly full of AI-generated everything. In this episode, we cover:
ABOUT THE CREATIVE Emily Balsley is an illustrator and muralist based in Madison, Wisconsin. Her work is colorful, playful, bold, and full of personality, showing up across murals, editorial work, products, community projects, and the occasional neighborhood Halloween spectacle. She is also deeply involved in local creative projects, from collaborative fence murals to block party art activities to the now infamous Haunting of Commonwealth. Website Instagram Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 046 – Jason Craig – Cash Flow, Chicken Bones & Making Creative Work Actually Work | 24 juil. 2026 | 01:44:32 | |
Jason Craig is the type of guy you talk to about freelance work, and suddenly it feels like you’re seeing the whole thing in technicolor for the first time. This episode gets into the parts of freelancing people usually skip over. Cash flow. Repeat clients. Fast little projects that keep the lights on while the big projects take forever to approve. Jason also talks about why being easy to work with might be one of the most underrated skills in design. Talent matters, obviously, but so does trust, clarity, momentum, and not making every project feel like a hostage negotiation. And yes, this conversation also somehow includes the shopping cart etiquette conspiracy, stolen grapes, closeout mustard, murals, chicken bones, and the moral weight of paying someone else to fix your toilet. IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVER: • Why steady cash flow matters more than waiting around for perfect projects. • How to turn small jobs into steady income that comes in year after year. • Why being easy to work with is a prerequisite to building a stable, low-stress business. • How personality, weird ideas, murals, merch, and community all become part of the work. If you freelance, run a studio, or feel stuck between taking every job and waiting for the dream one, this episode will feel painfully useful. ABOUT THE CREATIVE Jason Craig is a designer, illustrator, mural artist, and speaker based in Augusta, Georgia. His work spans branding, murals, merchandise, sports, restaurants, events, and plenty of strange creative side quests that somehow make perfect sense once Jason explains them. His big, kind, and authentic personality has made him a staple of conferences and talks across the country (and an essential merch stand stop). Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 045 — Dan Lee — Leaving the “Right” Career and Building a Creative Life | 16 juil. 2026 | 01:41:54 | |
In this week's episode, we talk with graphic designer, illustrator, lettering artist, and all-around creative entrepreneur Dan Lee. We've admired Dan's work for years. At Creative South 2026, we finally got to sit down with him, and we walked away struck by his optimism about the creative industry, his genuine love for other creatives, and his impeccable style (he was sporting a Westersen hat from Don Clark's western wear venture — see episode 28). Here's some of what we get into:
It's a conversation about changing direction, finding your people, serving customers well, and building a creative career without waiting for permission — or following the supposedly correct sequence of steps. ABOUT DAN LEE Dan Lee is an artist, writer, illustrator, and designer specializing in hand lettering. A Philly kid now based in Sheridan, Wyoming, he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering, then taught himself to draw words instead. He's the lead artist behind moto lifestyle brand Go Fast Don't Die, and he brings an engineer's eye for structure to compositions that run from four words to a hundred. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 044 – Kate Smith – How Being Unmistakably Yourself Becomes a Creative Business | 09 juil. 2026 | 01:38:38 | |
This episode features artist, illustrator, greeting card designer, and licensing powerhouse Kate Smith on what happens when you stop trying to make work that looks “marketable” and start making work that sounds, feels, and thinks like you. Kate talks about building a creative business from her own weird little ideas, emotional instincts, funny phrases, and need to put more joy into the world. That deeply personal approach has turned into a massive licensing career, with her work selling millions of units at retail across cards, gifts, products, and major collections, including Target. But this conversation is not just about selling a lot of stuff. It’s about how personal work can slowly become financial stability, how licensing can create more freedom, and how building a business around your actual point of view can help you live more of the life you want instead of constantly chasing someone else’s version of success. In this episode, you’ll learn:
ABOUT KATE SMITH Kate Smith is an artist, illustrator, greeting card designer, and creative entrepreneur known for her funny, bright, emotionally honest work that has been licensed across dozens of product categories and sold millions of units at retail. Her work blends humor, vulnerability, color, and sharply specific phrasing in a way that feels unmistakably her. What started as a small greeting card idea inspired by talking for her dog grew into a creative business spanning stationery, gifts, retail collections, licensing, and art that helps people feel a little more seen. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 043 – Chris Piascik – The Accidental Illustrator and the Power of Making Work Every Day | 28 juin 2026 | 01:26:37 | |
This episode features illustrator, author, YouTuber, and accidental Adobe Fresco evangelist Chris Piascik on building a creative career by staying weird, making a lot of work, and refusing to turn art into a fake polished performance. Chris gets into his 14-year daily drawing project, why YouTube changed his business more than Instagram ever did, how his new book The Accidental Illustrator came together, and why being honest about your process is more valuable than pretending everything is effortless. It’s funny, loose, and full of the kind of creative advice that only comes from someone who has spent decades making art, shipping projects, reading terrible comments, rollerblading aggressively, and somehow turning all of it into a real career. In this episode, you’ll learn:
ABOUT CHRIS PIASCIK Chris Piascik is an illustrator, author, designer, and YouTuber known for his bold, funny, weird, character-driven work and his long-running daily drawing project. After drawing every day for 14 years, Chris built a career that spans illustration, lettering, products, online education, YouTube, and his new book The Accidental Illustrator. He’s also one of the clearest voices online for artists trying to make digital illustration feel more natural, honest, and fun, especially through his work with Adobe Fresco. Check out The Accidental Illustrator Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 042 - Brad Stoneking - Design, Deadtooth, and Why Real Creative Work Still Matters | 18 juin 2026 | 01:19:45 | |
This episode features designer, artist, and Piedmont Brand Company founder Brad Stoneking on building a creative life that doesn't run on chasing algorithms, copying trends, or pretending every designer has to be an influencer. Brad gets into his work under the name Deadtooth, how personal art differs from professional design, why production work deserves more respect, and how years inside agencies set him up to run a small studio doing serious work for big brands. It's funny, blunt, occasionally unhinged, and packed with hard-won advice for designers trying to build something real. In this episode, you'll learn:
About Brad Stoneking Brad is a designer, artist, and founder of Piedmont Brand Company, a small studio that helps brands move fast and make useful, well-built work. He also makes art as Deadtooth, where he gives himself room to go weirder, louder, and more personal than client work allows. With nearly three decades in design Brad brings a mix of craft, experience, humor, and a healthy distrust of anything that turns creative work into performance instead of practice. Follow Piedmont Brand on Instagram Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 041 – Goodtype – Magic, Momentum & Building a Creative Business on Your Terms | 11 juin 2026 | 01:41:41 | |
When we sat down with Ilana Griffo and Katie Johnson of Goodtype, we expected to talk about typography, online education, and what it’s like to run one of the most recognizable brands in the creative space. And we did. But there is so much good stuff underneath that. Funny, inspiring stories and philosophies that will change how you think about your creative business. In this episode, we talk about:
Whether you’re just starting to build your creative business or in the messy middle, trying to figure out what to do, you'll love this episode. Get ready for a conversation full of laughs and a reminder that there isn't a right way to do it. ABOUT GOODTYPE Goodtype is a creative education platform, design studio, and global community for lettering artists, designers, and type enthusiasts. Led by Ilana Griffo and Katie Johnson, Goodtype provides courses, events, resources, and inspiration designed to help creatives build meaningful careers doing work they love. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 040 – Jeremy Slagle – Family, Creativity & Turning Interests Into Opportunities | 04 juin 2026 | 01:42:57 | |
In this episode, we sit down with designer, illustrator, and longtime Creative South community member Jeremy Slagle to talk about building a creative career by following curiosity wherever it leads. From raising two graphic designers under the same roof to turning a pickleball obsession into real client work, Jeremy shares how some of the biggest opportunities in his career came from personal projects, side interests, and ideas that initially seemed too small to matter. We talk about the value of creative communities, why portfolios should be filled with real work instead of just class assignments, and how pursuing the things you're genuinely excited about can open doors that strategic career planning never could. Jeremy also shares his perspective on parenting creative kids, the lessons he's learned from more than three decades in design, and why showing people what you want to be hired for is still one of the most powerful career strategies available. Along the way, we discuss Creative South, remote work, building expertise through passion projects, and the surprising connection between pickleball and creative entrepreneurship. About Jeremy Slagle Jeremy Slagle is a designer, illustrator, and creative director with more than 30 years of experience helping brands tell their stories through thoughtful design and illustration. Based in Columbus, Ohio, he's also an avid pickleball player, longtime Creative South attendee, and passionate advocate for creative community, mentorship, and lifelong learning. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 039 – Lenny Terenzi – The War I Didn’t Know I Was Fighting | 28 mai 2026 | 01:46:07 | |
For years, Lenny Terenzi built the kind of creative life designers dream about. He ran a beloved studio and screen printing shop, taught workshops to hundreds of creatives, spoke at conferences around the country, helped build creative communities, and created work that genuinely impacted people’s careers and lives. And yet underneath all of it, he secretly felt like he was failing. In this episode, Lenny opens up about discovering later in life that he had been living with ADHD his entire adult life and didn't know it. Plus, how that realization completely reframed the way he viewed his career, relationships, burnout, creativity, and self-worth. “I was fighting a war that I never knew was declared on myself.” This sentence hit Brad and I hard (and I suspect it does a lot of our listeners as well). We talk about the hidden ways ADHD can show up in creative lives: unfinished ideas, difficulty crossing the finish line, tying your identity to your work, burnout disguised as laziness, and the exhausting cycle of feeling capable of more while never understanding why certain things feel so impossibly hard. But this conversation is also about an important reframe of how we define success. Lenny reflects on shutting down Hey Monkey (the studio and workshop space he spent years building) and why he no longer sees it as a failure simply because it didn’t become a forever business. Over the years, the studio taught hundreds of people how to screen print, launched careers, created friendships, inspired other studios, and gave people a place to belong creatively. And maybe that counts for something too. This episode is for anyone who has:
It’s an honest conversation about creativity, ego, reinvention, mental health, and learning that the value of the things we build can’t always be measured on a spreadsheet. Sometimes a project changes your life even if it is not an indestructible empire. About Lenny Terenzi Lenny Terenzi is a designer, illustrator, creative director, educator, musician, and longtime creative community builder based in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina. Known for his bold visual style and irreverent approach to creativity, Lenny has spent decades helping brands and creatives embrace personality, craft, and experimentation. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 038 – Orlando Arocena (Mexifunk) – The Man Who Changed the Look of Vector | 14 mai 2026 | 01:45:42 | |
In this episode, we sit down with legendary illustrator Orlando Arocena (Mexifunk) to talk about building a creative career by leaning into the things other people run away from. While most designers saw Adobe Illustrator as limiting for hyper-realistic illustration work or something to outsource, Orlando saw an opportunity. He spent decades pushing the software far beyond what people thought it could do. Eventually, he became known for his coveted work with major films, entertainment brands, and some of the most recognizable vector illustrations in the industry (lots of movie posters look Photoshopped, but they're actually vector, insane, I know). Along the way, we also dig into highly actionable insights like:
If you've ever wondered whether your weird interests, niche skills, or unconventional path could actually become your advantage, then buckle up because this episode is for you. (And yes… somehow we also start with colonoscopy stories.) Orlando Arocena is a Mexican-Cuban-American artist and creative strategist known for his bold, highly detailed vector artwork. A 13-time CLIO recipient and 2025 Emmy Award nominee, Orlando has worked across film, pop culture, gaming, and brand storytelling, bringing more than 30 years of creative experience to his distinctive style. Follow Orlando Arocena on Behance and on Instagram Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 037 – Creative South — Community, Creativity & Why Conferences Matter | 08 mai 2026 | 01:30:38 | |
We spent the week talking with designers, illustrators, educators, and other creative professionals from across the country about why they keep coming back year after year, what makes Creative South different, and whether creative conferences are actually worth the investment. The conversations drift from creative burnout and imposter syndrome to bizarre conspiracy theories, typography pet peeves, client stories, and the weirdly specific things only designers care about. But underneath it all is a bigger conversation about community. Why creative work can feel isolating, and how getting in a room with other creative people can completely reset your perspective. Whether you attended Creative South this year, have always wanted to go, or have never been to a creative conference at all, this episode is a candid look at what these events really offer beyond the workshops and keynote talks. Because often, the most valuable part of a conference isn’t the speakers. It’s the conversations in the halls and late-night hangs. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 036 – Trust Design – Punching Above Your Weight as a Two-Person Studio | 30 avr. 2026 | 01:47:11 | |
In this episode, we sit down with Trust Design, a two-person studio run by Hannah Smith and Jesse MacKenzie, to talk about how they’ve built a reputation for delivering big-agency-level work—without becoming a big agency. They share how they stumbled into starting a studio (with no clear roadmap), why they rejected the idea that design has to be cutthroat, and how discovering the creative community completely changed their trajectory. We also dig into their philosophy of “punching above your weight.” What it actually looks like in practice, and why it has less to do with talent and more to do with care. Along the way, we talk about:
If you’ve ever felt like you’re too small to compete (or unsure how to stand out without a massive following) this episode is proof that you don’t need scale to do meaningful, high-level work. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 035 – Mikey Burton – Staying Human in an Over-Optimized Creative Industry | 23 avr. 2026 | 01:26:56 | |
At some point in your creative career, the stakes shift. We go from just making stuff… to overthinking. Obsessing. Optimizing. And it sucks the the fun out of the entire thing. In this episode, we talk with illustrator and designer Mikey Burton about that shift. And honestly, it's refreshing, like talking to a design monk who makes everything feel like it's going to be okay. From editorial work on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to building a career across studios, freelance, and printmaking, Mikey shares a perspective that cuts through a lot of the noise around “getting better” as a creative. We talk to Mikey about staying loose, staying human, and building a career without sanding off the parts that made your work interesting in the first place, including:
Later in the episode, Mikey talks about everything from building a body of work over years (not weeks), to why printing in his “basement dungeon” keeps things grounded, to the strange reality of contributing to something culturally massive without it being your “purest” creative expression. Listen to this. By the time you're done you'll feel some fresh creative energy flowing through your spirit. Hey, check out Mikey Burton! View Mikey Burton's website here Follow Mikey Burton on Instagram here Buy his Pile O' Prints here (Brad and I did, and it's 100% pure awesome) Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 034 – Jeff LoPilato – Values, Sustainability & Building a Creative Career That Actually Means Something | 16 avr. 2026 | 01:23:20 | |
What began as a personal shift toward plant-based living turned into a bigger question: what if your work could actually support the kind of world you want to live in? We talk to Jeff about building a values-driven creative career, plus a lot more, including:
Later in the episode, Jeff shares how his path from making Call of Duty graphics as a kid to running a purpose-driven studio was shaped less by a clear plan and more by following curiosity, interests, and a growing sense of responsibility. If you’ve ever felt torn between doing work that pays and work that actually matters, this conversation offers a more honest way to think about both. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 033 – Tyler Pate – The Hidden System Behind Consistent Creative Growth | 09 avr. 2026 | 01:34:19 | |
In this episode, we talk with illustrator and designer Tyler Pate. He has worked with brands like Adobe, Wacom, and StickerApp, and he’s built his career through steady effort, a clear process, and years of showing up for the work. There are no shortcuts in Tyler’s story. It’s about making the work, getting better at it, and sticking with it long enough for that effort to add up, whether people notice right away or not. We talk with Tyler about how to build a creative practice that grows over time, along with topics like:
Later in the episode, Tyler talks about his path from a small town, where there wasn’t an obvious creative roadmap, to speaking at major events. He figured things out as he went, and in the process became the example he didn’t have when he was younger. Follow Tyler (AKA The Creative Pain) on Instagram Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 032 – Shea O’Connor – One for Me, One for Them (Balancing Personal Work, Clients & Creative Growth) | 01 avr. 2026 | 01:47:18 | |
In this episode, we talk with illustrator Shea O’Connor about building a creative career that grows through personal work, community, and consistency over time. She shares how she approaches social media as a place to explore ideas and connect with people while building work that attracts the right opportunities. We get into how she balances personal projects with client work and how that balance shapes her creative direction and business, plus a lot more, including:
Shea also talks about how her priorities have shifted as her career has grown. She focuses less on doing everything and more on doing the right things well. She shares how she is thinking about licensing and passive income as a way to grow without trading more time for money. If you have ever felt stuck between making what you love and making what sells, this conversation offers a clear and honest look at how those two things can support each other. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 031 – Rob Zilla – Sports, Systems & Making Your Own Luck in Creative Work | 26 mars 2026 | 01:22:51 | |
In this episode, we talk with illustrator Rob Zilla, whose work spans pro sports teams, major brands, and a career built on discipline, adaptability, and doing the work (whether anyone’s watching or not). No shortcuts, no chasing trends. Just years of sharpening skills, building systems, and finding creative parallels in unexpected places (like sports, teaching, and even rejection). We talk to Rob about building a creative career that actually lasts, plus a lot more, including:
Later in the episode, we get into creative careers in the real world. We're talking contracts, net terms, getting paid, and why young artists should think twice about how they position themselves from day one. If you’ve ever felt stuck chasing clients, frustrated by the system, or unsure how to turn your skills into something sustainable, this conversation offers a grounded (and honest) perspective on what actually works. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 030 – Chris Lee – Toys, Taste & Building a Creative Career Without Chasing Clients | 19 mars 2026 | 01:39:12 | |
In this episode, we talk with illustrator and toy designer Chris Lee (AKA The Beast is Back), who built his career mostly through word of mouth and steady visibility. No cold emailing campaign, no hard sell, just years of getting better at what he does, following what genuinely interested him, and putting the work out where people could find it. We talk to Chris about making great work that you stand behind, plus tons more, including:
Later in the episode, we talk about physical products and why so many people want to skip straight to mass production. Chris explains why starting small usually makes more sense, both creatively and financially. If you've been doing all the usual things and still feel stuck chasing work, or you're trying to figure out how a personal obsession turns into a career, this conversation offers a different way to think about it. It's honest, practical, and a lot less polished than the usual creative-career advice, which is probably why it lands. Enjoy the episode, and if you love toys, nostalgia, and design, be sure to follow Chris Lee on Instagram. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 029 – Thomas Marnin (MarninSayor) – Toy Design, Donut Cats & The Magic of Their Pike Place Shop | 12 mars 2026 | 01:35:04 | |
In this episode, we talk with Thomas Marnin, co-founder of MarninSayor, a toy shop inside Seattle’s Pike Place Market. The shop grew out of a passion for handcrafted toys and the nostalgia of classic donut shops. In this episode, we talk about:
If you’ve ever tried to turn a side project into something real, or wondered how a simple creative idea slowly grows into a business, you're going to love this episode. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 028 – Don Clark (Invisible Creature) – Obsession, Risk & Starting Projects You’re Not “Ready” For | 26 févr. 2026 | 01:28:26 | |
What happens after you “make it”? This week, we sit down with Don Clark of Invisible Creature to talk about creative longevity, building brands from scratch, and why your obsession might be the only real compass you need. Here's some of the stuff we dig into:
Don shares how he turns curiosity into real products (toys, watches, pencils, apparel), how he sources partners when entering completely new industries, and why he believes great artists aren’t asking “where do I start?” They’re already obsessed. f you’re a designer or illustrator wondering whether you should finally start the thing you keep thinking about, whether you’re too old to pivot, or how to take creative risks without blowing up your life, this conversation is for you. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 027 – Dan Kuhlken of DKNG - Texture, Taste & The Business of Staying Creative | 19 févr. 2026 | 01:21:53 | |
A lot of creatives are feeling it right now: the market shifting, projects slowing down, the fear of asking “wait… is it just me?” causing a spiral into the anxiety void. This week, we're thrilled to get to talk to one of our heroes, Dan Kuhlken of DKNG. We'll dig into what it actually looks like to stay sharp (and sane) through years of creating, risk-taking, and what it's critical to let go of to move forward. We go way behind the curtain into the technical Illustrator work, the screen-printing mindset, and the less-glamorous reality of running a two-person studio that has to keep the lights on. We also talk about insecurity (yes, even legends struggle with it). the real kind. The “99 kind comments, 1 brutal comment, and now I’m questioning my whole identity” kind. Here are some of the most tasty nuggets to listen for:
If you’re an illustrator/designer trying to stay good through changing seasons or you’re deep in the “how do I make this look human?” Illustrator rabbit hole, hit that play button! And if you want more of the behind-the-scenes thinking like this, the Creative Slash newsletter is linked in the show notes. Get our five-part “Off the Record” email series. It's FREE and packed with the operating systems, philosophies, and tools that top creatives recommend. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 026 – Brad & Dustin — The Clues Hiding in Your Obsessions | 12 févr. 2026 | 01:35:40 | |
This might be the most vulnerable episode we’ve done. If you’ve ever felt like you’re a strange mix of interests… and haven’t figured out how they’re supposed to fit together — this one’s for you. After 25 interviews, we realized something The real pattern in creative careers isn’t in portfolios. It’s in the weird stuff. So in this episode, it’s just us. We dig into our own obsessions. Magic tricks, antique hunting, grade-school nostalgia, expensive tools, and self-doubt. Then connect the dots we hadn’t fully connected before. Here's what we're digging into:
If you’ve been trying to “find your thing” and it keeps feeling elusive, this conversation might shift how you see your own life. In fact, it was the catalyst behind our NEW 5-Part Off the Record Email Series. In the series, learn the creative philosophy, habits, and weird obsessions that quietly shape creative success, featuring industry experts like Aaron Draplin, Mary Kate McDevitt, Jen Hood, and more. Yes, take me to the 5-Part “Off the Record” Email Series Plus, we'll send you an email about every new Creative Slash episode including stories from the creatives, links to recommended resources, and products recommended by your favorite creatives. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 025 – Nathan Yoder – Choosing Craft in a Rushed World | 05 févr. 2026 | 01:45:07 | |
We sat down with Nathan Yoder and, somehow, the chat immediately swerved past tools and trend-talk into the good stuff: craft, philosophy, faith, and how to make work you actually care about in a world that keeps yelling “faster.” Nathan’s an analog-first illustrator, but the real takeaway isn’t how he works, it’s why. He’s thought hard about what matters, what he wants to put into the world, and how to stay honest inside that… even while tech (and now AI) keeps rearranging the furniture. In this episode:
If you’re feeling weird/pissed about AI… tired of trend-chasing… or trying to hang onto the part of making that made you fall in love with it in the first place, this one’s for you. You’re allowed to slow down. Think deeply. Make the kind of work you can stand behind. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 024 – Travis Robertson – Taking More Swings Before You Feel Ready | 29 janv. 2026 | 01:42:58 | |
This episode caught me off guard. Travis Robertson has done things that are, honestly, a little intimidating. Not just successful creative intimidating but hey-I-watched-you-in-movies-as-a-kid intimidating. The kind of stuff that makes you wonder if you’re qualified to be in the room. So yeah, I was a little nervous. But less than a minute after meeting him, it felt like talking to an old buddy. And as we talked the cool stuff he's done Travis kept talking about how he just… tried things. He wanted to be in movies. He saw an ad in the back of the newspaper. Faxed in an audition (which already tells you how long ago this was). Months later, it worked. No sacred path. No years of training under a master. Just a willingness to take a swing. And once you hear that, you start seeing the pattern everywhere. Acting, fighting, and founding his own creative agency. Same underlying belief every time: This is figureoutable. What made this such a great conversation wasn't how impressive Travis is (although he definitely is impressive), it's how human he is about it. Self-deprecating. Curious. Not precious about his wins. Somewhere along the way, the intimidation faded and turned into permission. The big takeaway was: most of us don’t try enough stuff. Here’s some of what we talk about:
If you’ve been telling yourself stories about who gets to do meaningful work, this episode is for you. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep.023 – Katie Kirk of Eight Hour Day – The Quiet Choices Behind a Studio That Endures | 22 janv. 2026 | 01:20:42 | |
Katie Kirk makes work that feels bright, generous, and deeply human. As one half of Eight Hour Day, she’s spent her career building a studio known for warmth, clarity, and work that quietly holds up over time. In this episode, we get an unusually grounded look at what it actually takes to sustain a small independent design studio. Katie talks candidly about how her relationship to creativity has changed, how life pressure reshapes the work, and why staying small was always the point. Here’s some of what we cover:
If you’ve ever wondered how to keep making meaningful work without turning your career into your entire identity, this episode offers clarity, reassurance, and a more sustainable way forward. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep.022 – Dustin & Brad – The Great App Audit: What We’re Keeping, Quitting, and Can’t Live Without | 15 janv. 2026 | 01:35:15 | |
It’s a new year, and Brad and Dustin are taking inventory of their apps. In this no-fluff episode, they go deep into the creative, business, and life tools that actually made a difference in their workflows (and headspace) last year. From Adobe staples to surprise MVPs like CapCut and Headspace, they break down which apps earned their spot, which ones got the axe, and why some are just too good to quit. Expect real talk on controversial design tools, email marketing platforms, productivity stacks, and what happens when the tools start shaping the work. Whether you’re running a design business, shipping digital products, or trying to stay sane while doing both, this one’s for you. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep.021 - Dustin & Brad - The Creative Advice Audit: What Actually Works in 2026 (and What to Ignore) | 19 déc. 2025 | 01:25:25 | |
In this episode, Dustin Lee and Brad Woodard run an honest “advice audit” on the most popular guidance floating around the creative and digital creator world. We hit on ideas from people like Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, Robert Greene, Alex Hormozi and other modern thought leaders. They sort through what’s genuinely useful, what’s overhyped, and what sounds inspiring but falls apart in real life when you’re juggling clients, deadlines, and a creative business. Along the way, they translate big ideas into practical habits you can actually carry into 2026 (so hopefully you’re not just consuming advice, you’re applying it). If you’re hungry for new ideas to bring into your creative work and business in 2026, you’ll almost definitely walk away with at least one author or creator whose advice makes you rethink your approach, sparks a new habit, or sends you down a rabbit hole (books, interviews, deeper work) that levels up your practice in a way you didn’t see coming. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep.020 - Dustin & Brad - The Holiday Guilt Trip, Burnout, and Learning to Let Go | 11 déc. 2025 | 00:57:33 | |
In this special holiday episode, co-hosts Dustin Lee and Brad Woodard sit down one-on-one to unpack the emotional chaos creatives face during the holiday season. From the thrill of hitting year-end sales goals to the creeping guilt of slowing down, they dig into the weird tension between hustle and rest. They talk goal-setting, holiday burnout, managing the “I should be working” voice in your head, and how to actually enjoy the quiet season without self-sabotage. If you’ve ever felt torn between finishing client work and making gingerbread cookies with your kids, this episode will hit home. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep.019 - Dave Arcade - The Illustrator Who Builds Worlds One Obsession at a Time | 04 déc. 2025 | 01:55:56 | |
Dave Arcade creates art that prompts viewers to pause and examine the landscape. It's the kind of work that invites repeated visits, revealing fresh details, small stories, and references to pop culture each time, all complemented by expertly executed craftsmanship. In this episode, we get an unusually honest look at how those worlds come together: from obsessing over the concept to over-engineering (and then pulling back) to self-doubt. And, finally, the satisfaction of turning ambitious ideas into reality. Dave shares how he builds complexity without losing soul, why reference and perspective are his quiet superpowers, and what happens when a commercial illustrator starts wondering where the “art” part actually begins. Here's some of the stuff we'll cover:
If you’ve listened to podcast episodes in the past aiming to improve your own process and felt disappointed, this episode will provide value. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep.018 – Scott Fuller – Lessons on Loyalty, Craft, and Clients Who Become Family | 20 nov. 2025 | 01:45:44 | |
What do world-class logo design, Junior Olympic table tennis, and a mythical quest for the perfect Boo-Berry cereal have in common? Only Scott Fuller could tie them all together and somehow make it all practical, hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt. In this episode, branding expert Scott Fuller lets us into his world: how he turns every client into a friend for life, why he’ll only trust barbers with beards “ten times better than his,”. We also get into the secret sauce behind how Scott instantly makes clients feel understood (sometimes in just a five-minute call). Along the way you'll hear:
If you’ve ever wondered how great creatives build bonds, find their people, or obsess over something as deeply as Scott obsesses over his beard… this episode is your new favorite. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep.017 – Jason Carne – Funeral Homes, Metal Shows, and the Secrets of a 20 Year Career | 13 nov. 2025 | 01:48:07 | |
In this episode, we sit down with lettering artist and illustrator Jason Carne. From haunted Airbnbs to growing up in a funeral home, we cover a lot of ground. We also dig into how style and priorities shift over a 20-year creative career. Here’s what we get into:
If you're starting your freelance journey, this one's for you. It’s like grabbing dinner with creative friends and getting the kind of advice that makes you feel grounded again. When you follow the work you love, things tend to fall into place. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep.016 - The Real Risk Isn't What You Think | 06 nov. 2025 | 01:06:54 | |
In this episode, Brad and Dustin delve into the true meaning of risk and why most creatives have it completely wrong. From quitting safe jobs to launching businesses with no guarantees, they unpack what actually makes something risky. Brad shares the story of nearly getting knocked out of the game after a big risk went sideways, while Dustin breaks down how false safety in traditional jobs can quietly wreck your career. Stick around as they talk about risk mitigation, building a creative runway, and the underrated power of placing lot's of small bets. Whether you’re dreaming of quitting your job or just feeling stuck, this episode will shift how you think about risk, and maybe what’s actually holding you back. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep.015 - Marisol Ortega - Plant Babies, Miniature Ceramics, and Embracing the Weird | 30 oct. 2025 | 01:04:36 | |
In this episode, Marisol Ortega joins Brad and Dustin to talk about embracing her cultural identity through bold color, designing for brands like Starbucks and Hallmark, and why she finally stopped toning herself down to fit in. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Episode 014 - Why You're Not Getting Hired | 24 oct. 2025 | 01:02:02 | |
In this episode, Brad and Dustin talk through the frustrating gap between creative talent and actually getting hired. With over 250 applicants for a single RetroSupply role, Dustin shares his frustrations with finding the right hire and why even the most talented creatives are getting passed over. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep.013 - Josh Emrich - Star Wars, Twinkie Costumes, and Creating Repeat Clients | 16 oct. 2025 | 01:47:39 | |
In this episode, Josh Emrich joins Brad and Dustin to talk about building a thriving design career even without a portfolio, learning the government’s beer label rules when nobody asked him to, and why some of the best creative work happens when no one ever sees it. They dive into everything from Josh’s quiet-kid upbringing to obsessively modeling Star Wars ships with blinking LEDs and trench runs built into his walls. Josh shares stories about mascot disasters, hidden talents, and how he keeps clients around for 13+ years by actually caring about their business, not just the art. There’s childhood embarrassment, designer therapy, and the kind of advice that hits you right in the creative soul. Enjoy! Follow Joh Emrich on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emrichoffice/ Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep.012 - JP Boneyard - Basketball, Backyard Concerts and How to Build Something Bigger than Yourself | 08 oct. 2025 | 01:57:45 | |
In this episode, JP Boneyard joins Brad and Dustin to talk about building a concert series in a backyard shed, patiently emailing your heroes for 10 years straight, and why rejection isn’t scary when you have a sincere motive. They dive into everything from his tumultuous childhood to running massive art collabs like 59 Parks and the Baseline Review. JP shares wild stories about booking legends, getting mistaken for a networker (he’s not), and what it means to actually put artists first. There’s quantum physics, NBA fandom, and a pinch of Dennis Rodman. Enjoy! Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep.011 - Jen Hood - Celebrity Encounters, Cellos and Keeping Hobbies As Hobbies | 02 oct. 2025 | 01:53:13 | |
In this episode, Jen Hood (of Hoodzpah Design) joins Brad and Dustin to talk about making music in secret, accidentally hugging entire boardrooms, and why creative advice from people like tech bros doesn't always apply. They cover everything from the myth of being self-taught to designing physical products to starting side projects with zero budget. Jen drops hard-won wisdom about navigating creative burnout, building confidence, and staying curious, all while being her hilarious self. Enjoy! Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep.010 - Josh Horton - Dharma Beer, Conspiracies and Prioritizing Story Over Status | 25 sept. 2025 | 01:40:10 | |
In this episode, Josh joins Brad and Dustin to talk about the highs, lows, and existential crises behind running a creative conference today. From calling out “designfluencers” to chasing real, human stories on stage, Josh shares why the best speakers aren’t always the most famous. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||
| Ep. 009 - Mike Jones - Hot Dog Restaurants, Cheerleading and the Power of Service | 18 sept. 2025 | 01:41:02 | |
Mike Jones joins Dustin and Brad to talk about the realities of building a creative career while staying true to what matters most. From running Creative South to juggling family, side ventures, and health, Mike shares hard-won lessons on intentionality, delegation, and why kindness always pays off. Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright | |||