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 after hours, having the kind of conversations that happen when the work day is done.
You'll walk away with fresh inspiration, new ideas, and practical advice you can actually use in both your creative work and personal life.
Episodes
51 episodes
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,...
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 tran...
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 who...
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 w...
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...
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 fl...
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 wa...
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 wo...
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.Chr...
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 ...
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 ...
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 unde...
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 co...
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.
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 a...
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—withou...
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 ...
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 caree...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ca...
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,...
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 ...
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 ...