Creative Slash

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 transcripts to find out what was actually true underneath all of it.

In this episode, Brad and Dustin mark Creative Slash’s 50th episode by digging through their own interview archive for the patte...

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 whole graduate program arguing otherwise.

In this episode, we talk with illustrator, author, and Washington University art professor John Hendrix about making work that is too weird for the church and t...

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 work, AI, and why there may not be one morally pure way to build a creative career anymore.

It is part industry therapy session, part internet anthropology, and part two designers trying to fig...

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 around color, curiosity, local projects, and the kind of ideas that make people stop on a walk and think, “Wait, who made this?”

Emily gets into her path from graphic design to illustrat...

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 flow. Repeat clients. Fast little projects that keep the lights on while the big projects take forever to approve.

Jason also talks about why being easy to work with might be one of the most unde...

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 walked away struck by his optimism about the creative industry, his genuine love for other creatives, and his impeccable style (he was sporting a Westersen hat from Don Clark's western wear venture &m...

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 work that sounds, feels, and thinks like you.

Kate talks about building a creative business from her own weird little ideas, emotional instincts, funny phrases, and need to put more joy into the world. 

That deeply personal ap...

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.

Chris gets into his 14-year daily drawing project, why YouTube changed his business more than Instagram ever did, how his new book The Accidental Illustrator came together, and why being honest about y...

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 into his work under the name Deadtooth, how personal art differs from professional design, why production work deserves more respect, and how years inside agencies set him up to run a small studio d...

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 so much good stuff underneath that. Funny, inspiring stories and philosophies that will change how you think about your creative business. 

In this episode, we talk about:

• How Goodtype grew fr...

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 under the same roof to turning a pickleball obsession into real client work, Jeremy shares how some of the biggest opportunities in his career came from personal projects, side interests, and ideas that...

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 communities, and created work that genuinely impacted people’s careers and lives.

And yet underneath all of it, he secretly felt like he was failing.

In this episode, Lenny opens up about discover...

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. 

While most designers saw Adobe Illustrator as limiting for hyper-realistic illustration work or something to outsource, Orlando saw an opportunity. He spent decades pushing the software far beyond what people thought it could do. 

Eventually, he b...

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 are actually worth the investment.

The conversations drift from creative burnout and imposter syndrome to bizarre conspiracy theories, typography pet peeves, client stories, and the weirdly spe...

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—without becoming a big agency.

They share how they stumbled into starting a studio (with no clear roadmap), why they rejected the idea that design has to be cutthroat, and how discovering the creative community completely changed the...

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 Mikey Burton about that shift. And honestly, it's refreshing, like talking to a design monk who makes everything feel like it's going to be okay.

From editorial work on Last Week Tonight with John Ol...

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 career, plus a lot more, including:

• Bringing your beliefs into your work. How a personal lifestyle shift turned into a long-term creative choice that influenced clients and brought personal fulfillment (as opp...

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 are no shortcuts in Tyler’s story. It’s about making the work, getting better at it, and sticking with it long enough for that effort to add up, whether people notice right away or...

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 with people while building work that attracts the right opportunities.

We get into how she balances personal projects with client work and how that balance shapes her creative direction ...