Bad Idea Social Club

In the conclusion of the season 7 finale, Anna van Schaap (fine artist, tattoo artist, curator) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about building a creative life that refuses to be small. She gets into finding her voice and claiming her space out of passion and defiance, and carving out something different for women and queer folks in an industry with a history of the opposite. They talk about ar...

To kick-off the two-part season 7 finale, Anna van Schaap (fine artist, tattoo artist,  curator) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about building a creative life that refuses to be small. She gets into finding her voice and claiming her space out of passion and defiance, and carving out something different for women and queer folks in an industry with a history of the opposite. They talk about a...

Sara Pulver (illustrator, muralist, Dear Ollie) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about knowing who you are and building something around it. She gets into a lifelong love of tactile, handmade things that eventually turned into markets, a grant, and a stationery shop where she hosts her own work alongside over a hundred vendors with a focus on women and queer creators. They talk about tackling m...

Luke Grill (chef, restaurateur, sommelier, 1983 Restaurants) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about what it means to build something people can feel. He gets into cutting his teeth in some of the most demanding kitchens in the country, how dangerous it is to follow the crowd, and why holding his convictions is non-negotiable. They talk about the tension between art and business, building spaces...

Mark Stein (artist, illustrator) joins Aaron McCall to talk about what it takes to go all in on your work and the cost of pushing too hard. He gets into growing up on cartoons, punk and skate culture, the wake-up calls that changed everything, and why being a lone wolf will only get you so far. They talk about finding creative community, imposter syndrome, getting out from behind your desk, and wh...

AB (DJ, creative) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about confidence, rejection, and how your sense of self evolves as you move through new experiences. He gets into music as both expression and connection, the push and pull of reading a room while staying true to your own voice, and how failure, fatherhood, and life experience shaped the way he moves through the world. They talk creativity, sel...

Joel Hoekstra (cook, musician, owner of Meyer Music) hosts Aaron McCall for dinner as they discuss creativity, instinct, and finding room to breathe inside the things that matter most. He gets into the connection between food and music, how growth comes from pushing beyond structure, and how both create joy, healing, and a real sense of community when they’re done with care. As a music education a...

Hannah Berry (artist, founder of Lions & Rabbits) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about community, creativity, and the work happening between the cracks. She gets into turning art into real community impact, building something without a clear roadmap, and why creative people are often the ones holding solutions that nobody is listening to yet. They talk about collaboration, economic and co...

Ryan “Ryno” Wasson (brewer, Head of Beverage at Coopersville Brewing) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about beer, endurance, reinvention, and learning how to live inside your own wiring. He gets into brewing as both craft and creative outlet, the discipline it takes to keep refining your work, and how running became a way to process life when everything else felt too loud. They talk about curi...

Amy Carroll (photographer, artist) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about identity, ego, and the long process of figuring out who you actually are. She gets into building a career that looks good on the outside but feels empty, learning how to create work that people can actually feel, and the shift from chasing attention to chasing something real. They talk about aging, confidence, creative ev...

Ahead of Season 7 on April 14, Aaron McCall and Joe Matteson sit down to show off the studio space, talk through what’s changing, and shake the rust off a bit. They get into the shift to video, what it’s doing to the energy of the show, how this next chapter already feels different, and why they’re both excited and a little nervous about it. It’s loose, it’s honest, and it’s a quick look at where...

Aaron McCall moderates a Creative Mornings Grand Rapids panel discussion on “Growth,” recorded at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre with more than 200 people in attendance. Joined by Ian Labardee, Bailey Sell, Hannah Berry, and Leigh Ann Cobb, the conversation gets honest about what growth actually looks like once momentum builds—imposter syndrome, uncertainty, shifting priorities, burnout, community...

Courtney Lauer (graphic designer, artist) shares her story with Aaron McCall and talks about survival, control, and the strength it takes to turn pain into something honest. She opens up about surviving and processing trauma, rebuilding identity through creativity, and using art to make sense of the things that don’t have easy answers. Keep up with Courtney Lauer: courtneylauer.me IG: @courtneylau...

Jacob Betts (singer-songwriter, The American Hotel System) joins Aaron McCall to talk about creativity as something to hold onto when life unravels, how grief reshapes how we see purpose, and what it means to rebuild belief in people when everything around you feels painfully divided. He opens up about faith, art, and the defiance it takes to choose hope over cynicism. Keep up with Jacob Betts: am...

Casey Lambert (independent pro wrestler, marketing director) joins Aaron McCall to talk about life in and out of the ring, how strength and vulnerability feed off each other, and how connection shows up everywhere from the crowd to your opponent, and the relationships that matter most. They dig into storytelling in wrestling, learning how to take a hit and keep showing up, and what it actually loo...

Joy Rhine (visual designer, photographer) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about keeping creativity in your life without letting it become your whole identity. She opens up about being people-first in a screen-first industry, why she’d rather build community than chase trends, and how confidence came from doing hard things like running marathons and summiting Mount Kilimanjaro “for fun.” From t...

Mack Garrison (motion designer, co-founder of Dash Studio) joins Aaron McCall to talk about ADHD as both a curse and a creative advantage, building a studio rooted in empathy over ego, and what happens when you decide burnout isn’t a badge of honor. He opens up about the lessons that shaped Dash’s first decade, from mentorship and community to leading with transparency when things get hard and wha...

Scott Katsufrakis (founder of Flying House Threads, firefighter) joins Aaron McCall to talk creative entrepreneurship at the edge of whimsy and weight. They dig into building a Disney-inspired, punk-leaning apparel brand while working life-and-death shifts, the pressure of being “the face” on camera, and the mental health work behind staying steady. They touch on the role of community, the discipl...

Taylor Matteson (painter, experimenter) shares her story with Aaron McCall and discusses following creativity wherever it leads: painting, sculpture, and adding teeth to thrifted objects. She opens up about growing up shy in a loud, creative household and learning to embrace the unapologetically weird. From finding confidence through experimenting in her 20s to building a deep connection with anim...

Ray Ann Barker (painter, photographer, model, content creator) talks with Aaron McCall about anxiety as the root of her creativity, finding ground through photography and abstract painting, and how turning perfectionism on its head opened new doors. She opens up about modeling in her 30s, navigating motherhood, and creating space for community over competition in creativity. Keep up with Ray Anne...

Colin Russell (artist, muralist, Ghost Town) talks with Aaron McCall about moving from years in coffee to a life in art, stumbling into murals, and building a world in black and white. His work is bold, playful, and unsettling all at once—creepy cartoons that have made their way from Grand Rapids to Japan. Colin opens up about freelancing, anxiety, and what happens when the thing that used to be y...

To kick off Season 6, Virginia Anzengruber (comedian, filmmaker, writer) joins Aaron McCall for a conversation about grief, comedy, and what it takes to keep creating when life gets heavy. She talks about loss, writing scripts that hold both humor and heartbreak, the grind of freelancing across film and TV, and the uneasy balance between survival and art. Keep up with Virginia Anzengruber: IG: @vi...

This time, we’re talking about the mess of being online. From LiveJournal drama to influencer marketing and the existential weight of Instagram captions, we dig into what makes social media feel necessary, fake, addictive, useful, and totally exhausting. We ask big questions about authenticity, attention, and the line between art and content. When the algorithm is hungry, we keep feeding it pieces...

This time, it’s just the three of us—Aaron, Joe, and Amber. No guest, no plan, just vibes and a theme: starting over . From lost files and ruined shoots to quitting jobs and creative resets, we get into the mess and momentum of starting fresh—when it’s your choice, and when it’s not. Technically, a bonus episode. Structurally, unsound—a freefall. —— This episode is supported by: Creative Mornings...

Jenny Hearns (artist, graphic designer) talks with Aaron McCall about creative identity, chronic illness, and what happens when your body hits pause before your mind is ready. They get into creepy-cute aesthetics, the pressure to stay visible, and how she’s learned to make space for rest without losing her spark. It's the classic tale of a ghost, an onion and a perfectly reasonable emotional...