17 - Fear with Grace Miceli

In this episode, I chat about community with fellow San Francisco based creative Lindsay Stripling. Lindsay is an artist, illustrator, muralist, teacher, and she hosts an amazing series on her instagram called Lunch Club, where she has really wonderful conversations with fellow artists.We discuss how community has shaped Lindsay’s life and career, how having a creative community to tap into can accelerate your path and feel like therapy, how to build your own community (even if you’re shy), and how important it is to surround yourself with supportive, like-minded people.Lindsay also shares a super useful map she uses (and teaches) to help navigate the ups and downs of a creative project. Talking to Lindsay was so fun and insightful. She’s a ray of sunshine and I hope this conversation makes your day a little brighter.You can find out more about Lindsay by following her on instagram, or find her online at lindsaystripling.com.

In this episode, I chat with Brooklyn based artist Grace Miceli. Grace works across multiple mediums including illustration, animation, comics, product design, murals, and she’s recently added published author to that list. She has an amazing new book coming out on May 4th, called How to Deal: With Fear, Failure, and Other Daily Dreads.Grace has worked with an impressive roster of clients including The New Yorker, Apple, Nike, Warner Bros., The New York Times, Urban Outfitters, Instagram, Adidas, MTV, Adobe, and the list goes on...Her work explores life’s deeper topics with a colorful, humorous, and nostalgic approach. Viewing her work almost feels like you’re secretly reading through her diary. It’s very specific to her experience and at the same time, so universal. I’m so thankful that Grace was brave enough to explore the topic of fear with me. We talk about the fear involved in forging your own path as a creative, how personal growth and healing is often painful but ultimately rewarding, how fear can be a sign post pointing us in the right direction, how we can learn to live with fear, what it’s like to write a book and the fears that come along with that process, and much, much more. This was such a wonderful conversation and I’m really excited to share it with you all.You can find out more about Grace by following her on instagram here, or find her online at gracemiceli.com. And be sure to check out her new book as well. Resources Mentioned:Pema ChodronTara BrachDharma PunxMental Health Happy Hour podcast

In this episode, I chat with the wonderful Morgan Harper Nichols. Morgan is an artist, poet and musician. Her process for creating work is really unique and amazing. People submit their stories to her and she creates artwork for those individuals, and then shares those pieces daily on her social channels. Although each piece is created for one person, they deeply resonate with the larger collective as well. So much so, that Morgan currently has 1.7 million followers on Instagram. And honestly it isn’t surprising, her presence feels like a breath of fresh air in a world that can often feel so overwhelming. Morgan shares her journey from being a musician first to becoming a visual artist, and the winding road she had to navigate to get here. We dive into the topic of “growing”, both in our personal and professional lives. Growth is a theme Morgan often explores in her work, and she has a really wonderful perspective on the topic that I hadn’t considered going into the interview. Morgan also has a beautiful new book coming out on April 27th titled How Far You Have Come. Be sure to check it out, and if you aren’t already, follow Morgan on instagram here, or find her online at morganharpernichols.com

In this episode, I chat with the enlightened duo behind Slimy Oddity, Cherie and Tim. Slimy Oddity is an art collective brought together to spread love and light into the world. Their work focuses on sharing insights from timeless wisdom found in spirituality, philosophy and the human experience. They have a friendly and playful style that makes these deeper topics fun and approachable.We dive into the theme of awakening in this episode. Awakening to your life, the magic in the world, your gifts and your purpose, and even to the awareness of a world beyond our senses. Awakening is an overarching theme for Slimy Oddity, and we dive deep into it. Cherie and Tim also generously share their own personal awakening journeys. This dynamic duo are also incredible musicians. Their band Kekko is releasing their debut single titled “Within You” mid March on Spirit Goth Records. Stay tuned to the end of the episode where we’ll be playing it for you. I love this song and I’m so excited to share it with you guys.To find out more about Slimy Oddity, you can follow them on instagram here, or online at slimyoddity.com.

In this episode, I chat with Brooklyn based creative studio and dynamic duo, Wade and Leta. Wade and Leta do it all, they’re graphic designers, art directors, photographers, public speakers, they do event design, branding, sculpture, book design, type design, retail design, film, and more. If there’s something they haven’t done, they want to try that too. They’re a duo who personifies today’s topic of “Taking the Leap”. They’re constantly pushing themselves into new directions and mediums. They love a good challenge, they see constraints as opportunities, and they thrive on intensity. This drive has led them to create work for a truly impressive roster of clients that include Gucci, The New York Times, Herman Miller, IBM, Instagram, Facebook, Adobe, Airbnb, Target, and the list goes on. We discuss the lessons they’ve learned on their journey so far, how they’re able to continually “take the leap” into new directions and opportunities, how keeping an open mind and fresh perspective is key, how important it is to ask for help and learn from others, their pursuit to continually “level up”, what their dream project is, and much more.This conversation was really inspiring to me. Wade and Leta are always striving to create their best work and it’s hard not to be in awe of them. These two have such wonderful energy and a refreshing perspective on life and career. I hope you’re just as inspired by this one as I am.To find out more about Wade and Leta, you can follow them on instagram @wadeandleta, @wadejeffree, @letasobierajski or online at wadeandleta.com.

In this episode, I chat with the amazing Andy J. Pizza. You probably already know Andy from his incredible podcast Creative Pep Talk. It’s one of my all-time-favorite podcasts and was a big part of what kept me going on my journey to become an illustrator, and what’s kept me motivated in tough times since. Honestly, I don’t think I’d be making this podcast if it weren’t for Andy. He’s been a huge inspiration to me! If you aren’t already listening to Creative Pep Talk, then definitely head over after this episode and give it a listen. I know you’re going to love it. Andy’s an illustrator, a public speaker, a podcaster, and so much more. He’s the co-founder of co-loop, which is an artist agency, he’s an educator and has classes available right now on skillshare.com. He’s hilarious and wise beyond his years, and he’s here to generously share his wisdom with you all. Andy and I have a lot in common, so I was really excited to talk shop with him. And he did not disappoint. We dive into subjects like finding your style, finding yourself and your message, we talk about the hero’s journey, personality types, spirituality, how important it is to be your unique self, how important exploration is to feeling fulfilled in your creative journey, how your perceived weaknesses are actually strengths, and much, much more. I need to have Andy back on the show again soon, because there was so much more I wanted to talk about. I’m really grateful I was able to speak with him, and I’m so grateful you’re here listening. I’m excited to share this one with you guys.

In this episode, I chat with New York based illustrator and musician, Lauren Martin. Lauren’s sunny, smiley, vibrant illustrations and animations are full of the kind of optimism and encouragement we all need right now. Lauren’s journey to full-time illustration is a recent one, having just set out on that path earlier this year. In that short amount of time, she’s already carved out her unique style and quite a following and client list to go with it. She talks about how having to pause touring with Frankie Cosmos, the band she plays keyboard and guitar with, has allowed her to take this shot at illustration. And how the timing of it all was kismet. She also discusses how going to therapy, working on her personal development and going through a spiritual awakening opened up everything for her. I too, went through a similar path, and it was great to find such a kindred spirit to discuss these topics with. So I’m really excited to share this one with you all.

In this episode, I chat with illustrator and human being extraordinaire, Jim Stoten. Jim’s work is a kaleidoscopic adventure, full of vivid color, imagination and playfulness, all while maintaining a beautiful depth to it. Jim and I explore the topic of time in this episode. How Jim spends his time, How he perceives time, what advice he would give his past self, and what advice his future self would give him today. I feel like I caught Jim at just the right time for this conversation, he’s just celebrated his fortieth birthday and is both looking ahead to the next decade and reflecting on the past one as well. This one’s less about the business of being a creative professional and more about all the other important aspects; an artist's state of mind, hopes and dreams, perceptions of self, struggles and inspirations. I’m really grateful to Jim for being so open with his thoughts and feelings in this one. Jim always carries a sketchbook with him and he habitually draws his way through the world. To take a peek inside these famed sketchbooks, He actually has a new book available now that’s filled with pages from them called Skotchbook, as well as a magnificent new zine called “The Mind wanders, the Eye follows”, both out now with Unseen Sketchbooks. Jim’s also a talented musician. He has a new album out now called “Lights” with dirty melody records. In true Jim fashion, it’s amazing. Definitely give it a listen. And while you’re at it, check out his new music video for the single “over the mountain”.

In this episode, I chat with the amazing Dutch illustrator and designer Seb Agresti. Seb just returned from a transformative experience at an artist residency in Japan. As you’ll hear in the episode, he decided to embark on that journey as a way to step away from his client work and focus on creating personal work again. The residency and what he learned in the process allowed him to recalibrate his life and gain new perspectives on his career after years of intense client work. Seb and I discuss what’s inspiring him right now, what he learned from his time in Japan, finding balance and setting boundaries with client work, burnout, book recommendations, what the future holds for him, and much more. Seb is quite thoughtful and introspective and it was a pleasure to be able to speak with him at this unique time in his life. He was sort of in between worlds when we spoke, and I’m thankful he was so candid about his experience. I think many of us can relate to the feeling of needing a change of pace or wanting to reconnect with ourselves. I’m excited to see how he embarks on this next chapter of his journey.

In this episode, I’m chatting with illustrator, designer, art director and all around amazing human being, Chrissie Abbott. Chrissie is one of my favorite creatives and a huge inspiration to me, so I was super excited to be able to speak with her and peer into her world a little bit. We talk about Chrissie’s creative journey to where she is now, our mutual love for personal growth and New Age inspiration, how making personal work helps evolve her client work, how she struggled with money when she was starting out as a freelancer (which is a struggle most of us can relate to I’m sure), how she recently created posters for likes of Courtney Barnett and Tame Impala, and much more. We also dive into the topic of gratitude, a concept Chrissie was introduced to at an early age by her mom, and a tool she has used throughout her journey to keep things in perspective. I’ve personally been struggling with gratitude recently, so it was really nice to hear Chrissie’s thoughts on this topic. It’s a challenging time for all of us in one way or another, so I’m hoping this episode will leave you feeling a bit better about things.