Creative Slash
Have you ever wondered what secrets drive the most profound, successful, famous, and unique creatives?Then the Creative Slash podcast is for you. We dig deep to discover the high-leverage concepts, philosophies, tools, weird obsessions, and quiet daily routines that fuel their success—the stuff that rarely gets talked about publicly. You'll get an inside look at what really drives the world's greatest graphic designers, illustrators, and artists through in-depth interviews with creatives who've achieved both creative and financial success.Hosted by Brad Woodard (bravethewoods.com) and Dustin Lee (retrosupply.co), each episode feels like you're hanging out with us aft...
Ep. 061 – Brandon Campbell – Mesmerizing Pen and Ink, Mid-Century Magic, and Drawing Without a Net
Most illustrators sketch first and ink later. Most of us also keep one finger hovering over undo.
Brandon Campbell does neither. He puts down shapes of color, then draws straight on top in pen and ink, and whatever happens is what happened. So how does someone end up working with no safety net, and why does it look so effortless when he does it?
In this episode, we talk with Brandon about his path from broadcast design at Comedy Central and CNN to a full-time illustration career built on pen, ink, and mid-century charm. On...
Ep. 060 – Oliver Barrett – 300 Pee-wee Posters, Hidden Curses, and Getting Fired Into a Career
Most illustration careers look like a straight line from the outside. Big clients, iconic posters, a portfolio full of names you recognize.
Oliver Barrett's started with 300 Pee-wee Herman prints, 12 sales, and a box of leftovers he eventually abandoned in a Cleveland basement.
In this episode, we talk with Oliver about how he went from Go Media's first employee to making posters and key art for Mondo, ESPN, Nike, Pearl Jam, and John Wick 4. But the real conversation is about the messy middle: quitting too early, getting fired for a mistake he made, learning to trust...
Ep. 059 – Jess Goldsmith of Women of Type – Cottage Cheese, Bob Lazar, and Why You Are the Niche
Most creatives have heard the advice a hundred times. Pick a lane. Niche down. Be known for one thing.
But what happens when the thing you're known for is just you? Doodles one day, glossy dimensional lettering the next, hot pink whenever the brief allows it, and a pencil hair clip you designed because you wanted one to exist.
In this episode, we talk with Jess Goldsmith, the Brooklyn-raised lettering artist and illustrator behind Chick of All Trade and the founder of Women of Type. On the surface, it's a conversation about clients, pricing, and...
Ep. 058 – Clinton Campbell of Studio MUTI – From T-Shirt Label to Global Studio, Scattergories, and Low-Ego Leadership
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...
Ep. 057 – Matt Dawson – An Orange in the Door, a Cobain Jaguar, and the Freedom of a Day Job
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 c...
Ep. 056 – Tom Froese – Finding the Why in Commercial Art, Overprints, the One-Brush Brush Pack
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...
Ep. 055 – Chris DeLorenzo – Johnny Cupcakes, a 500-Foot Airport Mural, and Learning Everything Once
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...
Ep. 054 – Van Berkemeyer – Design, Music, and the Empty Chase for the Next High
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...
Ep. 053 – Christian Helms – The 99-Pack, a McDonald's Broom, and Taking the Joke Seriously
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...
Ep. 052 – Bill Gardner – Stolen Magic Secrets, a $20 Rock, and Branding for Machines
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 f...
Ep. 051 – Paul Lukes – Graffiti, Getting Clean, and Why Ugly Design Converts
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...
Ep. 050 – 50 Episodes, Over 40 Creatives, and the Equation We Never Meant to Find
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 pe...
Ep. 049 – John Hendrix – Sandcastles, Doubt, and Why Your Calling Doesn't Have to Be Your Career
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...
Ep. 048 – Allan Peters, A$AP Rocky & the Design Influencer Dilemma
In this episode, Brad and Dustin dig into the recent Allan Peters and A$AP Rocky situation, but the real conversation goes much deeper. It turns into a bigger discussion about design influencers, public criticism, jealousy, visibility, client work, AI, and why there may not be one morally pure way to build a creative career anymore.
It is part industry therapy session, part internet anthropology, and part two designers trying to figure out why everyone is suddenly so mad.
In this episode, we talk about:
The Allan Peters and A$AP...Ep. 047 - Emily Balsley - Murals, Community Art, and Making the World Weirder in Public
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 maki...
Ep. 046 – Jason Craig – Cash Flow, Chicken Bones & Making Creative Work Actually Work
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 pr...
Ep. 045 — Dan Lee — Leaving the “Right” Career and Building a Creative Life
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:
How to leave a "safe" career without feeling like you wasted everything that came before it...Ep. 044 – Kate Smith – How Being Unmistakably Yourself Becomes a Creative Business
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...
Ep. 043 – Chris Piascik – The Accidental Illustrator and the Power of Making Work Every Day
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 wh...
Ep. 042 - Brad Stoneking - Design, Deadtooth, and Why Real Creative Work Still Matters
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 t...
Ep. 041 – Goodtype – Magic, Momentum & Building a Creative Business on Your Terms
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:
How Goodtype grew from an inspiration account into a thriving creative business. Prioritizing what felt like it would bri...Ep. 040 – Jeremy Slagle – Family, Creativity & Turning Interests Into Opportunities
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...
Ep. 039 – Lenny Terenzi – The War I Didn’t Know I Was Fighting
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 re...
Ep. 038 – Orlando Arocena (Mexifunk) – The Man Who Changed the Look of Vector
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, bu...
Ep. 037 – Creative South — Community, Creativity & Why Conferences Matter
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 c...
Ep. 036 – Trust Design – Punching Above Your Weight as a Two-Person Studio
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 t...
Ep. 035 – Mikey Burton – Staying Human in an Over-Optimized Creative Industry
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...
Ep. 034 – Jeff LoPilato – Values, Sustainability & Building a Creative Career That Actually Means Something
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:
Bringing your beliefs into your work. How a personal lifestyle shift turned into a long-term creative choice that influenced clients and brought personal fulfillment (as opposed to just financial fulfillment).Redefine “sustainable”. Sustainable doesn't have to mean monk-like discipline. See why small businesses and imperfect efforts still matt...Ep. 033 – Tyler Pate – The Hidden System Behind Consistent Creative Growth
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...
Ep. 032 – Shea O’Connor – One for Me, One for Them (Balancing Personal Work, Clients & Creative Growth)
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:
“One for me, one for them.” How balancing passion projects with strategic work actually fuels growth Why social me...Ep. 031 – Rob Zilla – Sports, Systems & Making Your Own Luck in Creative Work
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:
Drills build skills. Why the boring reps are the real difference-maker for creatives Rejection is fue...Ep. 030 – Chris Lee – Toys, Taste & Building a Creative Career Without Chasing Clients
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:
His early obsession with toys, aquariums, and tiny made-up worlds turned into a real c...Ep. 029 – Thomas Marnin (MarninSayor) – Toy Design, Donut Cats & The Magic of Their Pike Place Shop
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:
How a tiny pencil sketch and a handmade toy turned into a product they could actually sell.What it’s like building a handmade brand piece by piece. From sewing toys to designing packaging to creating a retail space inspired by the characters.Why Pike Place Market is such a unique place...Ep. 028 – Don Clark (Invisible Creature) – Obsession, Risk & Starting Projects You’re Not “Ready” For
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:
How Don built a 27-year studio career (without ever pitching for work)The tension between dreamer energy and financial realityWhy sometimes you need to start things you have “no business” startingThe punk rock DIY ethic behind his new Western apparel brand, Westersen.And what changes when you hit...Ep. 027 – Dan Kuhlken of DKNG - Texture, Taste & The Business of Staying Creative
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 runn...
Ep. 026 – Brad & Dustin — The Clues Hiding in Your Obsessions
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 ful...
Ep. 025 – Nathan Yoder – Choosing Craft in a Rushed World
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:
Why analog still m...Ep. 024 – Travis Robertson – Taking More Swings Before You Feel Ready
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...
Ep.023 – Katie Kirk of Eight Hour Day – The Quiet Choices Behind a Studio That Endures
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:
How to b...Ep.022 – Dustin & Brad – The Great App Audit: What We’re Keeping, Quitting, and Can’t Live Without
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.
Wh...
