Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter. --- Listen to this if you are feeling overwhelmed, struggling to focus and unable to find the fuel you need to show up. There’s a cliche that says artists are depressive types, and although this isn’t completely unfounded, this disposition creates a powerful opportunity that you may be missing! SHOW NOTES: Andre 3000 on Broken Recordhttps://youtu.be/LjHcHTJ8D5k?si=...
Jun 25, 2025•36 min
Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter. --- This episode is for you if you: 1 - Struggle to be productive like a “normal” human2 - Want to make your work more YOU3 - You want to get looser and have more fun in your work4 - Are interested in storytelling / picture books THIS WAS A PHENOMENALLY FUN AND INSIGHTFUL CHAT with picture book legend Bob Shea! SHOW NOTES: Bob Sheahttps://www.bobshea.com Bearsuit T...
Jun 18, 2025•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 510
Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter. ---This episode is for you if you are: 1 - A beginner trying to make a splash2 - A seasoned creative who needs to try something new3 - Stuck and uninspired and lost the love of making stuff We are all beginners at some point and we become beginners again and again at different aspects of our creative journey repeatedly. With times rapidly changing, this has never b...
Jun 11, 2025•47 min•Ep. 509
Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter. --- How do truly embed yourself into your work? Today on the show, we have a creative master who has done this at the highest level. In this episode, Caldecott winning author illustrator Brian Selznick joins me to discuss his new book “Run Away with Me”. We deconstruct the elements that make this book both a quintessential piece of work for Selznick, and also an ev...
Jun 04, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 508
Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter. ---Do you feel like the competition is so steep you don’t have a chance? Do you ever look around online and think “why should I even bother? I am not even close to this level of talent!” If so, this episode is for you. Stop trying to be super and tap into your true edge: your secret creative powers! Let’s talk about how to find them! SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editin...
May 28, 2025•37 min•Ep. 507
Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter. ---When times are hectic and industries freeze, it can feel like creative progress is impossible. In times like these, rather than bang your head up against the same wall over and over again, you can see this external block as a sign that it’s time to shift your focus and ways of being. In this episode I share one of the most essential breakthroughs in my creative ...
May 21, 2025•38 min•Ep. 506
Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter. --- This was an INCREDIBLE CHAT. I left so pepped. If you are overwhelmed by the blank page, scared to try and fail, or feel the pressure to exist in a vacuum, this episode is for you! In this episode, Poet Maggie Smith is back with her brilliant new book “Dear Writer: Pep Talks and Practical Advice for the Creative Life”. I LOVED this book and this chat JUST AS MU...
May 14, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 505
Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter here: andyjpizza.substack.com --- Are you overwhelmed pretty much no matter what you do? Are you overwhelmed by long to do lists? Short ones? Complex and simple ones? In this episode I will share a recent shift that has made a big impact on me that resulted in me feeling less overwhelmed and more able to be creatively productive. SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editing: So...
May 07, 2025•29 min•Ep. 504
Feel like things have changed or are always changing? Do you find yourself changing yourself to fit? Where do you really want to be? In this episode I am joined by artist and author, Morgan Harper Nichols. We discuss envisioning a future for yourself that you actually want to go towards and how to find the right creative home within all the possibilities. https://morganharpernichols.com ------ Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by ...
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 503
Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter here: andyjpizza.substack.com If you THINK more about making stuff than actually making stuff, this episode is for you! I tell a story that helped me realize that going the right way is overrated and what to do instead. SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.co Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.co Soundtr...
Apr 23, 2025•39 min•Ep. 502
How do you develop discipline as an artist? Can you hack your behavior and form creative habits? What tips or tricks could help you to create more often AND more confidently? In this episode I'm joined by Eisner Award winning cartoonist Sophie Yanow. Sophie has so much insight on this topic and found great value in creating what she calls a 'Gentle Comics Habit'. We talk starting, stacking and bundling habits and what it all achieved. If you'd like to join in, use the hashtag #gentlecomicshabit ...
Apr 16, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 501
Discuss this episode, share creative wins and obstacles at our next monthly meetup! Join this month’s Creative Pep Rally by supporting the show on Substack or Patreon: andyjpizza.substack.com https://www.patreon.com/c/creativepeptalk If you’re like me, you have more trouble with following through with ideas than you do coming up with new ideas. I am a serial quitter. I have ADHD and I am often working on 5 things at once. BUT. In this episode I want to share 5 things that have helped me stay con...
Apr 09, 2025•54 min•Ep. 500
Discuss this episode, share creative wins and obstacles at our next monthly meetup! Join this month’s Creative Pep Rally by supporting the show on Substack or Patreon: andyjpizza.substack.com https://www.patreon.com/c/creativepeptalk On this Ask Dr. Pizza episode we hear from 3 artists in totally different creative pitfalls and explore what action you can take to get past each of them! This episode is for you if: 1 - You don’t have enough time and space to create the art you want 2 - You’re afra...
Apr 02, 2025•45 min•Ep. 499
Join our January Virtual Pep Rally by supporting on Substack or Patreon! andyjpizza.substack.com https://www.patreon.com/c/creativepeptalk Do you feel like you’ve lost your way a bit creatively? Maybe you feel lost or in a creative rut. Today on the show we chat with Artist / Actor / YouTuber Cheyenne Barton about a recent creative crisis and we find some aha moments along the way! Loved this episode! SHOW NOTES: Cheyenne Barton https://cheyennebarton.com https://www.youtube.com/user/cheyennebar...
Mar 26, 2025•54 min•Ep. 498
Join our January Virtual Pep Rally by supporting on Substack or Patreon! andyjpizza.substack.com https://www.patreon.com/c/creativepeptalk Some people say that creativity is all about perfect timing, but in my experience, the best work comes from those spaces where you lose track of time completely. If TIME has become a brutal master and “staying relevant”, “hitting the cultural zeitgeist”, “keeping up with the times”, “missing your chance” or even “posting at the perfect time” has taken all of ...
Mar 19, 2025•49 min•Ep. 497
Go to http://andyjpizza.substack.com to sign up to our newsletter and get the “Passion Mastery Table” download mentioned in this episode. If you feel like you have to do everything but none of it actually works, listen to this. We are in the midst of outrageous chaos and change. The last thing you need to be doing is focusing on what doesn’t matter in your creative practice. In this episode, you will get a tool for organizing your efforts in such a way that you can find clarity in what to focus ...
Mar 12, 2025•46 min•Ep. 482
Are you in survival mode? Do you feel like something is failing, broken, wrong? In this episode I talk through 3 things that help me when I'm feeling lost on the Creative Journey. Join our next Virtual Pep Rally by supporting on Substack or Patreon! andyjpizza.substack.com https://www.patreon.com/c/creativepeptalk SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.co Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.co Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? h...
Mar 05, 2025•46 min•Ep. 495
Join our January Virtual Pep Rally by supporting on Substack or Patreon! andyjpizza.substack.com https://www.patreon.com/c/creativepeptalk Special edition of Ask Dr. Pizza! Mega creative, long time listener Jen Kwok asks Andy questions around navigating transitions, parenting as a creative, getting stuff done and the key to keep longer projects interesting. SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.co Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.co...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 494
Join our January Virtual Pep Rally by supporting on Substack or Patreon! andyjpizza.substack.com https://www.patreon.com/c/creativepeptalk Has an unexpected life event ever derailed your creative journey? When I reached out to illustrator Rebecca Green to join me on the podcast for the second time, she graciously volunteered to speak about a tragedy she had experienced in recent years, that brought her life to a complete stand still. Join us for a deeply vulnerable and inspiring conversation abo...
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 493
Join our January Virtual Pep Rally by supporting on Substack or Patreon! andyjpizza.substack.com https://www.patreon.com/c/creativepeptalk Things change fast these days. If I started my creative practice in 2025 I would do things very differently than when I started out over 15 years ago. Tune into this episode to hear the 7 sequential steps I would take if I was starting out today. SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.co Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones ...
Feb 12, 2025•32 min•Ep. 492
What should you focus your creative energy towards right now? It helps to tune into the creative stage you’re currently in. Today on the show we chat with Illustrator Chris Piascik about how he went from a daily drawing practice to shifting gears and focusing on building his YouTube to nearly 100k subscribers. If you’re feeling out of sync with your creative season or need inspo for reigniting your personal work, this episode is for you! Join our January Virtual Pep Rally by supporting on Substa...
Feb 05, 2025•53 min•Ep. 491
If you’re struggling to find motivation in the face of bad habits and bad news, this episode is for you. Repeat episodes of burn out, procrastination or lack of progress can wear you down, so if you’re looking for a fresh perspective, check this episode out! THIS EPISODE IS INSPIRED BY MY LOVE OF THE SHOW SEVERANCE, BUT CONTAINS NO SPOILERS! Join our January Virtual Pep Rally by supporting on Substack or Patreon! andyjpizza.substack.com https://www.patreon.com/c/creativepeptalk SHOW NOTES: Co-Wr...
Jan 29, 2025•29 min•Ep. 490
Andy sits down to have a joint podcast episode with master storyteller and comedian Alice Fraser for both of their podcasts. In this episode we explore: - Making work that’s more personal and meaningful - The things to consider when sharing elements of your personal life in your work - Being a parent when you have a creative practice - Navigating the different stages of life / the creative journey Join our January Virtual Pep Rally by supporting on Substack or Patreon! andyjpizza.substack.com ht...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 489
Freeze up during slow times? Waiting for a BIG IDEA to get started? Overwhelmed by the blank page? In this episode, we explore how to tap into your effortless creativity and get yourself to start TODAY. Join our January Virtual Pep Rally by supporting on Substack or Patreon! andyjpizza.substack.com https://www.patreon.com/c/creativepeptalk SHOW NOTES: Co-Writing / Editing: Sophie Miller SOPHIE MILLER Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones Pending Beautiful Collective Soundtrack / Theme Song:...
Jan 15, 2025•38 min•Ep. 488
If you’re struggling to create goals that feel motivating, this episode is for you! Goals have their place, but sometimes we need to tap into a more renewable motivation. In this episode I share a shift that freaking changed the game for me! For real! Hope you get the same boost from this that I did! Join our January Virtual Pep Rally by supporting on Substack or Patreon! andyjpizza.substack.com https://www.patreon.com/c/creativepeptalk Albert Camus - Sisyphus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_M...
Jan 08, 2025•39 min•Ep. 487
Join our January Virtual Pep Rally by supporting on Substack or Patreon! andyjpizza.substack.com https://www.patreon.com/c/creativepeptalk --- If you’re struggling to find an exciting vision for your creative future this new year, this episode is for you. This is episode one of “The Grounding Series”. While others may be shooting for the sky this January, we start with the opposite: getting grounded. Let’s tap into what really matters and why we choose to create in the first place. If chasing sa...
Jan 01, 2025•39 min•Ep. 486
Prompts for reflection, intention and hope with Andy J. Pizza and Sophie Miller. Step back from the holiday hustle, consider your 2024 year of creativity and look forward into the year to come. In this fun Christmas Carol themed episode (not too Christmassy so don’t let that put you off!) we are visited by 3 Ghosts: Past, Present and Future. Each Creative Ghost asks a question and we each answer their prompts. There are themes of gratitude, growth, presence, inspiration for 2025. This episode ha...
Dec 25, 2024•54 min•Ep. 485
10 Years of the Creative Pep Talk Podcast. Can you believe it? In this episode the tables get turned! Bestselling Author Katherine May interviews Andy J. Pizza about this ten year journey of a creative project. In this vulnerable behind the scenes chat we cover: How to unlock the creative discipline to keep showing up in your creative practice even when you may want to quit sometimes. Why you might want to include personal / vulnerable information in your work and how to think about what you wan...
Dec 18, 2024•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 484
How do you find a creative niche? It's become a Creative Pep Talk classic cliche! In this Artist Case Study episode we talk through the creative journey of Scottish Singer-Songwriter, Olivia Rafferty. Olivia is such a great example of an artist who has found a novel way to cut through the noise by stepping out of her industry and dipping into another. From the creative sparks, to all the confusing conflicting advice, to finding something that works for you and rolling with it. http://www.oliviar...
Dec 11, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 483
Episode 4/4 of The Journey of The True Fan Series How do you find an audience for your work? Does it feel like you're sat quietly with your fishing rod, just waiting patiently for something to bite? Have you really considered what you're hoping to catch and how best to get its attention? In this episode we explore the DISCOVERY of the 3 part plan: Discovery, Trust and Sell. We get into the essential purpose of your website too! This episode is in partnership with Squarespace! Head to https://www...
Dec 04, 2024•38 min•Ep. 482
