Bad Idea Social Club

Jack Muldowney (graphic designer, Studio Malt ) shares his story with Aaron McCall as they discuss the intersection of design and beer, environmental and social responsibility in his work and his space, and identity as an artist/studio. Keep up with Jack Muldowney: studiomalt.com IG: @studiomalt —— This episode is supported by: Creative Mornings Grand Rapids Merchants & Makers —— Writer/Produc...

Curt Prudden (artist, painter) opens up with Aaron McCall about using creativity as a tool for both expression and survival, comparing himself to other people and artists, and his story from his time in the military to solo trips of self-discovery. Keep up with Curt Prudden: IG: @curtprudden —— This episode is supported by: Creative Mornings Grand Rapids Merchants & Makers —— Writer/Producer/E...

Lainey Yehl (freelance graphic designer, illustrator) shares her story with Aaron McCall as they discuss her crooked and colorful path to graphic design, the love/hate relationship with hunting down new business, and overdue invoices, and Instagram of it all. Keep up with Lainey Yehl: laineyyehl.com IG: @laineymay —— This episode is supported by: Creative Mornings Grand Rapids Merchants & Make...

Trish Hadley (boudoir photographer) shares her story with Aaron McCall as they discuss the mutual vulnerability and trust in boudoir photography,  the varied motivations of her subjects to be photographed, and the ability to pivot when your path feels wrong. Keep up with Trish Hadley: trishhadleyboudoir.com IG: @trish.hadley.studios —— This episode is supported by: Creative Mornings Grand Rapids M...

Sabrina Dahlgren (singer, stage/voice actor) shares her story with Aaron McCall as they discuss the effects of mental health on creativity and relationships, exploring herself as a performer and a whole person, and sticking up for your time and energy to be who and what you want. Keep up with Sabrina Dahlgren: IG: @sabrinasings1 —— This episode is supported by: Creative Mornings Grand Rapids Merch...

Derek Mohr (freelance brand designer and web developer) shares his story with Aaron McCall over a few bottles of red wine as they discuss the influences of travel on creativity, balancing professional and creative responsibilities with extracurricular experiences, and how design informs web development and vice versa. Keep up with Derek Mohr: onemohrti.me IG: @onemohrtimedesign —— This episode is...

Sarah Anderson (traveling ceramics artist) shares her story with Aaron McCall as they discuss life on the road as a traveling artist, her vibrant and expressive sense of self and art, and her connection with nature from an ever-changing backdrop to funny mushrooms. Keep up with Sarah Anderson: sarahandersonceramics.com IG: @sarahandersonceramics —— This episode is supported by: Creative Mornings G...

Joe Short (founder, brewer, creative maniac, Short's Brewing Company ) shares his story with Aaron McCall as they discuss his relationship with creating and consuming beer, the blurry line between Joe as a person and Short's as a brand, and lessons learned in the first 20 years of Short's Brewing Company . Keep up with Joe Short: shortsbrewing.com IG: @shortsbrewing —— This episode...

Kaelyn Moore (storyteller, podcaster, producer, Heart Starts Pounding , The Timekeeper ) shares her story with Aaron McCall as they discuss the depths and limitations of telling real stories with creativity and empathy, exploring our dark curiosities, and the vulnerability in putting your whole self into the things you're passionate about. Keep up with Kaelyn Moore: heartstartspounding.com IG...

In the first-ever Bad Idea Social Club LIVE event, hosted by DO:BETTER ( dobetterhere.com ) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Jacob Rosenburg (graphic designer, illustrator, Design Director, Commonwealth//McCann Detroit ) shared his story with Aaron McCall and Joe Matteson as they discussed the blurry line between art and design, the need for individuality in creativity, and the value of dedication. Keep up...

In this BONUS episode, marketing and communications professional, Lindsay Dow, turns the tables to put our host, Aaron McCall (graphic designer, artist, podcaster, Bad Idea Social Club), on the other side of the interview. Aaron shares his story with Lindsay as they discuss the effects of mental health on creativity, leaving behind a steady paycheck for creative freedom, and going wherever creativ...

To wrap up Season 2, Edwin Anderson (painter, mural artist, Studio Smoov) shares his story with Aaron McCall as they get into the weight of creating artwork to reflect the people and the culture of the space it’s in, making the most of the opportunities in front of you, and the importance of representation in art and media. Keep up with Edwin Anderson: IG: @studiosmoov —— This episode is supported...

Jason Richardson (chef) and Korin Hollinshead (varied creative) are the husband and wife team behind Black Napkin Takeout and Any Colour You Like Popsicles . Jason and Korin share their story with Aaron McCall as they discuss creating something special out of something familiar, betting on yourself to do things your way, and the need to always be creative and the price of it. Keep up with Jason Ri...

Nick Camia (elementary school art teacher, illustrator, extracooler ) shares his story with Aaron McCall as they discuss creating artwork in the professional wrestling space, nurturing the creativity of children through education and illustrating children’s books, and somehow balancing it all with quality family time and his own podcast, The extracooler Show . Keep up with Nick Camia: extracoolera...

Dustin Foster (video editor, director, Chop & Hue ) shares his story with Aaron McCall as they discuss the value of collaboration in creativity, finding and addressing your vulnerabilities, and the impact of physical and mental health on creativity. There's a ghost story in there, too. Keep up with Dustin Foster: chopandhue.com IG: @chopandhue IG: @dustin_foster_ch —— This episode is supp...

Susan Thompson (brand designer, art director, The Dogs Breakfast ) shares her story with Aaron McCall as they get into what makes a good brand, intentionality in both creativity and in life, and the importance of giving a damn. Keep up with Susan Thompson: thedogsbreakfast.com IG: @thedogsbreakfast IG: @wolf.in.the.parlor —— This episode is supported by: Creative Mornings Grand Rapids Merchants &a...

Luciana Van Dort (poet, Love Ya , Flippant Hiatus ) and Aaron McCall have a raw and honest conversation about creativity as a form of therapy and healing, the changes that come with suffering personal tragedies, and the weight of each word she puts on the page. Keep up with Luciana Van Dort: flippanthiatus.com IG: @lucianagoose Sensitive Content Warning: This episode contains discussions about sen...

Jon Moore (co-founder, Foster Coffee Co. ) shares his story with Aaron McCall as they discuss coffee and cocktails, his former life as a touring drummer, and how creativity plays into his everyday life without a specific medium. Keep up with Jon Moore: fostercoffee.co IG: @jonjmoore —— This episode is supported by: Creative Mornings Grand Rapids Merchants & Makers —— Writer/Producer/Editor/Hos...

Khalid Ibrahim (photographer, Eat Pomegranate ) opens up with Aaron McCall about connecting with his subjects, balancing his creativity with his life as an epidemiologist, and how his experiences growing up in both Pakistan and the United States have influenced his relationship with his camera. Keep up with Khalid Ibrahim: eatpomegranate.com IG: @eatpomegranate —— This episode is supported by: Cre...

Jen Estill (creative director, Redhead Creative Consultancy, The Nelson Gallery , podcast co-host , The Speak Easy Podcast ) shares her story with Aaron McCall as they discuss her transition from a freelance graphic designer to an agency owner, contributions to—and appreciation of—the creative communities around them, and successfully running on fumes. Keep up with Jen Estill: redhead.studio thesp...

Bradley Walden (singer, songwriter, Emarosa , Badley ) shares his story with Aaron McCall as they discuss the substance in songwriting, real-life influences in his music,  and upholding creative integrity. Keep up with Bradley Walden: emarosa.us IG: @bradleyscott IG: @emarosa —— This episode is supported by: Creative Mornings Grand Rapids Merchants & Makers —— Writer/Producer/Editor/Host: Aaro...

Before the first episode went live, Aaron McCall recorded a test episode with his good friend, Jeff Torrey (podcaster, Fantasy Football Prophet ). The point was to get a feel for the process, build the format, and to get comfortable behind a microphone. But Jeff turned out to be a bit more than a great test subject—he shared his story as they discussed creating and consuming, starting a podcast, a...

To wrap up our first season, Christopher Michon (artist, Failed Imagineer ) shares some stories with Aaron McCall about mashing up punk rock and popular culture, the fun and the anxiety that comes with putting your artwork into the world, and how managing your mental health is its own different kind of project. Keep up with Christopher Michon: IG: @failedimagineer —— This episode is supported by:...

Rhett Blankenship (motion and visual effects artist, The Flannel Motion Co. ) shares some stories with Aaron McCall about finding his footing in video, the blurry line between work and life, and his love for horror and bad comedy bits. Keep up with Rhett Blankenship: theflannel.com IG: @rdblank IG: @theflannelmotionco —— This episode is supported by: Creative Mornings Grand Rapids Merchants &...

Jon Eslinger (brand strategist/designer, DO:BETTER ) shares some stories with Aaron McCall about selling t-shirts on the indie wrestling scene, starting a design shop rooted in social justice and defiance, and some successes and f*ck ups, too. Keep up with Jon Eslinger: dobetterhere.com IG: @dobetterhere @joneslinger —— This episode is supported by: Creative Mornings Grand Rapids Merchants & M...