Creative Pep Talk

Have you ever heard someone say that making creative work is about having a “point of view”? It sounds right, but what does it mean and how do you find yours? I can’t think of any creatives that have a more compelling sense of their “point of view” than my guests today. Author Mac Barnett and author-illustrator Jon Klassen have such a strong voice, and I have been longing to have them both on the...

Pre-Order “Mysterious Things” --- How do you get excited for the New Year when things feel so unstable? How do you get jazzed about planning and goals, when you don’t know what future you’re planning for? In times like these, I find it more effective to tap into the creative drives you already have, than working towards a future that may or may not come to pass. Tune in to check out the 3 creative...

This is a special HOLIDAY episode featuring the chat I had on Katherine May’s Podcast “The Clearing” where guests explore their ideal real or fantasy retreat. Here’s what Katherine said about the episode: The ADHD and autistic tendency to rest in motion is fully realised in American author and illustrator Andy J. Pizza’s vision of the ideal retreat. Choosing an extraordinary fictional setting whic...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- The Creative Pep Talk Top 5 BEST IDEAS from 2025. This is a FUN BLITZ through the most essential ideas and tactics from our past year of episodes. This was exciting and helpful for me to review, and I can’t wait for you to hear this...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- This was one of my favorite chats!!! DEEP DIVE with my friend and Filmmaker Seth Worley! We get into: 1 - Finding the drive to stick to long creative quests, especially when you’re not sure you’re going to reach your goal! 2 - Why t...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- This is a favorite! Special edition of ask Dr. Pizza episode! This time the questions come from the hosts of the Grupo de Autoayuda de Dibujo podcast! THE CRUSHED IT!   SHOW NOTES: Grupo de Autoayuda de Dibujohttps://www.instagram.c...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- Who doesn’t want better opportunities? The key is standing out and having a unique creative offering. But that is much easier said than done, when it feels like EVERYTHING has been DONE! How do you find your edge? I have had some cl...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- If you’re used to doing work for clients, it can be tough to then create your own solo project. On the other hand, if you’re only used to doing your own thing, working for a client can feel impossible! How do you find yourself and y...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- FRANNERD RETURNS! Illustrator, Comic Artist and YouTuber Fran Meneses is a long time friend of the show and it’s been 6 years since her last episode! We dive deep into: 1 - When mental health “gets in the way” of your creative plans...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- Like sleep, creativity is something you can’t force. It’s a brain state that you have to slip into. But that doesn’t mean you can’t create the perfect conditions for this state to be more likely to occur. If you have been blocked or...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- We cover a LOT in this episode. If you want some PEP but you’re not sure exactly what it is you need, we probably cover it in this episode! We explore: When the reality of creating isn’t what we thought it would be. How to find your...

Stay pepped ALL NEXT YEAR with our 2026 Calendar: creativepeptalk.etsy.com --- Visual journaling can unlock your creativity, but it can also enhance your life. If you are struggling to tune into your everyday life and find inspiration there, this is the episode for you! Samantha Dion Baker has written the book on this! Well 3 books on this!! So much goodness in this episode! SHOW NOTES: Samantha D...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- Find your niche. Stand out from the competition. Find your unique selling point. Easier said than done. Right? In this episode we explore where your creative edge might be hiding and how to strategically think about your place withi...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- Do you feel like the stuff you’re putting out is white noise in an already noisy world? In this episode we explore what you need to cut through and connect with the hearts of your potential fans. SHOW NOTESStudy: “Seeing your life s...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- Does this sound familiar? You find a new thing. You’re certain this is THE thing. It all makes sense! You get started with tons of energy… but then you hit a wall. It all feels wrong. You bail. Find a new thing and the loop starts a...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- This episode contains three small things that made a huge difference in my creative practice! Tune in if you know you need a creative boost, but you’re not EXACTLY sure what it is you need because this is like THREE mini episodes in...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- If you’re a creative type, you probably don’t quite fit into the systems you were born into. This can be VERY DIFFICULT. There’s a lot of pressure for folks like us to beat ourselves up into a shape that fits society. In this episod...

Sharing a new podcast from Campside Media called Origin Stories, about the creative process and the craft of writing and reporting. Each episode drills down on a single work. What inspired it? How was it created, and why? What kind of challenges and hurdles cropped up along the way? And above all, what can the rest of us learn from the guest’s creative process?  In this episode, Matt talks to Dan...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- Are you so worried about other people’s opinions you don’t make or share anything? Need a tool for finding the thing you’re so passionate about that you’ll finally have the courage to put yourself out there? If so, this episode is f...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- This episode is for you if: - The chaos of the world is making creative work feel meaningless- Need to remember why making creative work is your passion- You need a dose of art that makes you remember what life is about SHOW NOTES:P...

This episode is for you if you need: - To tap into your intuition and imagination in a deeper way than ever before - A boost of hope for your creative future and the future of human creativity - To hear two creativity nerds getting EXTREMELY excited about art, story and human potential!!! Pretty much everyday you are told that AI is coming for your job, but NOT TODAY, because today we talk with An...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- The chaotic changes we are currently experiencing are truly unreal. Tech. Platforms. Politics. Economy. It’s an upheaval. It’s very easy to slip into a full on panic when looking into your creative future. In this episode I want to...

Check Out the rest of the Ghost Frame series:Ghost Frame on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ghost-frame/id1814128797 Ghost Frame on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/4dpUSAANUNsukVTMbkuEDC?si=1cbe0dba190045c5 --- This week we are featuring an episode of the “Ghost Frame” podcast by animator / illustrator / director Sarah Beth Morgan. This 5 part narrative non-fiction seri...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com --- WHOA! Loved this conversation SO MUCH! There’s so much to go at here and I could have spoke with Yowei for twice as long. Hope to have her back sometime. Yowei Shaw is an “emotional investigative journalist” and the creator of the r...

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter. --- I used to think I didn’t have ideas. I would hear other artists talk about how an idea presented to them and think “oh that never happens to me, I must not have ideas!” But over time, I’ve come to realize that ideas present in different ways to everyone. That’s w...