476 - Craft What You're Selling & the Perfect “Button” to Sell It

When working on a project, do you carefully plot or fly by the seat of your pants? How do you switch gears between different projects or even different mediums? This episode is a conversation with Michael Dante DiMartino, the writer, producer and co-creator of the animated series 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' and 'Legend of Korra'. We discuss flipping genres, working on a variety of projects at a once, and finding the balance between dreaming big and getting the job done. SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller sophiemiller.co Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones pendingbeautiful.co  Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? whywithaquestionmark.com   WEB: https://www.michaeldantedimartino.com/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/mike_dante_d His New Novel 'Both Here and Gone' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW1JRPY7 Mentioned: NaNo WriMo: https://nanowrimo.org/ 'On Writing' https://stephenking.com/works/nonfiction/on-writing-a-memoir-of-the-craft.html Ambiguous Loss: https://www.ambiguousloss.com/ Storygrid https://storygrid.com/ SQUARESPACE Head to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK

How many people do you need to connect with to financially make or break your creative career? 1? 10? 100? 1000? In this episode we explore how you can figure out what it is that you're selling, so that trying to keep the lights on doesn't take all your creative energy. Part 2/4 of the Journey of the True Fan Series. Part 1 is episode 473 of Creative Pep Talk SQUARESPACE Head to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller sophiemiller.co Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones pendingbeautiful.co  Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? whywithaquestionmark.com   MENTIONED: Kevin Kelly 1000 True Fans: https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/ Julien Baker https://julienbaker.com/ Boygenius http://xboygeniusx.com SPONSORS: MIRO Miro is a collaborative virtual workspace that syncs in real time for you and your team so that you can innovate an idea into an outcome seamlessly - miro.com

Why do we tell stories? What is my story? How and where do I even start? This episode is a conversation with award-winning screenwriter, director and author Brian McDonald about the why, what and how of telling stories. We dive deep into the process of finding substance, building structure and connecting with others. ---------------- Show Notes ---------------- Brian McDonald https://writeinvisibleink.com/ https://www.instagram.com/writeinvisibleink/ Books https://writeinvisibleink.com/#books Invisible Ink Land of the Dead Previous episode with Brian: http://creativepeptalk.com/326 SPONSORS: Squarespace Head to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK

How to step by step your way to a big goal, glide around obstacles and combine multiple mediums/passions into your masterpiece. This episode is an interview with 3D artist Julian Glander. We discuss his new full length animated feature film and the journey he took to get there. SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller sophiemiller.co Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones pendingbeautiful.co  Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? whywithaquestionmark.com   Julian Glander https://glander.co/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/glanderco/ 'Boys Go To Jupiter' movie https://glander.co/BOYS-GO-TO-JUPITER Also mentioned: Beefstrong SPONSORS: Squarespace Head to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK

Why aren’t more people discovering and embracing your work? It must not be good enough, right?  You’ve heard it a billion times: Just do the work. But what if obsessively overthinking and over-tinkering is just as dangerous of a distraction as procrastination?  What would it look like if you redirected some of your focus away from micro-creative improvements and towards developing a more intentional relationship with new fans? In this episode we explore how to get new people to discover your work and form a meaningful long lasting connection with them as well! Head to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller sophiemiller.co Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones pendingbeautiful.co  Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? whywithaquestionmark.com   Nancy Duarte https://www.ted.com/speakers/nancy_duarte Billy Eichner https://www.instagram.com/billyeichner Invisible Things Books https://www.andyjpizza.com/invisiblethingsbook Also Mentioned: Andy Stanley 'Don't plan on winning the lottery'

When approaching creative projects- how do you express yourself, challenge yourself and be true to yourself? This episode is an interview with Grammy nominated musician Gallant. From the relatable moment when he snapped, to the joyful moment it all clicked, Gallant walks us through his creative process from intuitive mood-boards to finding the flow. Stick to the end for a fresh take on creating mood-boards to inspire your projects. Gallant Links https://gallant.lnk.to/Zinc Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sogallant YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sogallant His New Album 'Zinc' is Out 9/27/2024 https://open.spotify.com/prerelease/1mD2QDlJ2UHLF6X7oFpnlz ---------- SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller sophiemiller.co Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones pendingbeautiful.co  Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? whywithaquestionmark.com   SPONSORS: Squarespace: https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK

Check out Adobe Express' "In the Making" Podcast" here: https://link.chtbl.com/ZNKQZa97 In the Making - from Adobe Express - kicks off season two with Teresa Au interviewing Vanessa Rivera of The Life of AIVAX about her whimsical Photoshop art and how she balances a time-consuming creative career with a family as a working mom. Vanessa talks about creative tools that save her time in her work, how she and her family left their home to travel in Europe for an extended period, how to set limits on her work life, and how to find joy and connection in a lonely world as a creative.

How do you create something both accessible and innovative? What do you draw inspiration from to make authentic and meaningful work? In this episode- animator, illustrator and author Sanjay Patel tells us about his life-changing journey back to his upbringing, we discuss his deep-dive into the well of inspiration he found and how it all came together into a playful preschool show. ------- SHOW NOTES: Writing / Host: Andy J. Pizza Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller sophiemiller.co Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones pendingbeautiful.co  Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? whywithaquestionmark.com   Sanjay Patel https://www.gheehappy.com https://www.instagram.com/gheehappy/ https://www.youtube.com/@gheehappystudio SPONSORS: Immaterial: 5,000 Years of Art, One Material at a Time a podcast by The Met - Each episode examines a material of art, like clay... stone... trash... and what they can reveal about history and humanity. You’ll get a sense of the meaningfulness of these materials, and see them in a whole new way. Check out Immaterial here: https://bio.to/ImmaterialPodcast!PScreativepeptalk Riverside - The easiest way for you and your team to record, edit and share professional grade Videos and Podcasts, from anywhere in the world.  https://creators.riverside.fm/creativepeptalk

Do you have a box of treasured momentos, a drawer of unfinished artwork or a notebook of ideas you never quite started and definitely didn't finish? Author and illustrator Carson Ellis tells us how she uncovered a forgotten journal from her 20s and how it informed an entire series of work, with a little help along the way from some other past projects. This interview is creative inspiration for how to tell stories using pictures, capture nostalgia and perhaps even create art today as a time capsule for the future. ------- SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller sophiemiller.co Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones pendingbeautiful.co  Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? whywithaquestionmark.com https://www.carsonellis.com/ https://www.chroniclebooks.com/products/one-week-in-january Picture book mentions: What is Love, Du is Tak and Wildwood TV show mentions: Mad Men Band: https://www.decemberists.com/ Author Kazoo Ishiguro https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/14137/kazuo-ishiguro/ Julian Glander https://glander.co/ Past episode with Carson Ellis and Mac Barnett: https://creativepeptalk.com/355 SPONSORS: Immaterial: 5,000 Years of Art, One Material at a Time a podcast by The Met - Each episode examines a material of art, like clay... stone... trash... and what they can reveal about history and humanity. You’ll get a sense of the meaningfulness of these materials, and see them in a whole new way. Check out Immaterial here: https://bio.to/ImmaterialPodcast!PScreativepeptalk Riverside - The easiest way for you and your team to record, edit and share professional grade Videos and Podcasts, from anywhere in the world.  https://creators.riverside.fm/creativepeptalk

It’s difficult to know where to focus your creative energy. If you don’t know whether you should be learning a new skill, diving deep into a new project or marketing something you’ve already done, this episode is for you! -------- SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller sophiemiller.co Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones pendingbeautiful.co  Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? whywithaquestionmark.com Dan Harmon, Story Circle https://boords.com/blog/storytelling-101-the-dan-harmon-story-circle The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carrier https://gailcarriger.com/books/hj/ Also mentioned the Maureen Murdock book by the same name SPONSORS: Immaterial: 5,000 Years of Art, One Material at a Time a podcast by The Met - Each episode examines a material of art, like clay... stone... trash... and what they can reveal about history and humanity. You’ll get a sense of the meaningfulness of these materials, and see them in a whole new way. Check out Immaterial here: https://bio.to/ImmaterialPodcast!PScreativepeptalk