← Creative Pep Talk
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This is not an ad, it's a gift. I'm going to be at the Icon Illustration Conference this year in July doing a handful of different things and I asked them if they could give me a discount for the listeners of the show because I would love to see you there and hang out at the after parties and whatnot. And they let me have a hundred dollar discount to share with you, which is just so generous and so awesome. If you're an illustrator, I highly recommend going to Icon. It's been a magical experience the times that I've gone. Even the first time in 2014 that I went, it was a very scary leap, but so worth it. Go to icon icon.creativepeptalk.com to learn more. The discount is automatically applied to that link icon.creativepeptalk.com Hope to see you there. Is your phone ruining your creativity? I feel like that often and in the past few years the most important investments of creativity for me have been things in real life, things that you can hold, things that you can see, send to people and give people, and connect with people over. And in this episode I want to share how you can escape from seeking to constantly prove yourself as an artist through this device. And at the end of this episode I'm going to come back with our creative call to adventure. It's called Spice It Up. How to spice up your work with the stuff that really matters, that really makes a difference, that really connects you to other people. And guess what? It's not a follower. But for now I have to tell you why getting lost in my phone was a serious problem and how I got out of it. Let's go on the creative journey. It's easy to get lost, but don't worry, you'll lift off. Sometimes you just need a creative Pepsi. If you've been listening to the podcast lately, you know I am a big believer in simplifying your wardrobe so that you have a few really nice pieces that mix and match and elevate your style. But you don't have to spend tons of time thinking about it. So you can spend all that decision making potential on your creative work and not just getting dressed and looking decent. Quint makes that easy. When I go to a talk or go to an event, my Quint's shirts are my go to. In fact, I just snagged the one 100% European linen relaxed short sleeve shirt for my spring summer events that I have coming up. I can wear it on its own or open with a little graphic tee, stylish breathable Dare I say, even a little bit snazzy. Even. Everything is priced 50 to 80% less than what you'd find at similar brands. Quint's works directly with ethical factories and cuts out the middlemen. So you're getting premium materials without the markup. Refresh your everyday with luxury you'd actually use. Head to Quince.com Pep Talk for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N C E.com Pep Talk for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com Pep Talk this episode is sponsored by Squarespace. I freaking love having Squarespace as a sponsor because it's easy to sell it when you love something this much. I'm a big fan. Squarespace is an all in one website platform designed to help you succeed online. Here's what I love about Squarespace. They're intuitive and super versatile. Drag and drop tools mean you can make a custom website without knowledge of code. That makes people say, whoa, who made that for you? Looks like you built that from scratch. People have really said stuff like that to me about my site and I built it myself quite easily with Squarespace. You can check it out@andijpizza.com if you want to check that out. What I did with it, it doesn't look templatey and it screams my creative brand. I also love that I have all of domains through Squarespace now, which makes it seamless and easy to manage. I know the first thing us creative folks do when we get an idea is to grab that URL. Now you can keep track of all your websites and your domains in one place. That's super intuitive and easy to manage. Head to squarespace.com pep talk for a free trial and when you're ready to launch, use promo code. PEP Talk all one word to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Raise your hand if you feel like your phone is ruining your creativity. Is it just me who's got their hand up? In 2007, this stupid phone dropped out of the sky and fricking clocked us unexpectedly and completely threatened our humanity ever since. It didn't really come for artists specifically until about 2011 when Instagram really hit. And that's when follower count meant everything. And all of a sudden I needed something from this phone to prove who I was as an artist if I wanted to be. Like, I'm an artist. Like, well, let's see how many followers you have. Like People did that. They still kind of do. And it became tempting to give this thing your everything. To give it all, you had to put everything you've got creatively and stuff it into this freaking phone. So when your identity gets completely wrapped up in this phone, the proof of who you are is determined by this thing. It is really easy to be tempted to give it all you've got to give it everything you have. And I did that for a long time, and I still do. Often. I find myself constantly pouring myself into this thing when I should be being present with the important stuff that is around me, like my family and my kids. Like, recently, I was at a hockey game, and I should have been connecting with my family, and instead, I was looking at this stupid black rectangle at God knows what. I have no idea, can have no recollection of what I was looking at. And our team scored a goal, and I missed it. And luckily, at our local hockey team's arena, when they score a goal, you might miss it, but you won't miss the chance to celebrate because they fire a freaking cannon. And so you just, boom, blast. Get filled with adrenaline. And I jumped up, threw my hands into the sky before I even remembered that they weren't empty. They weren't empty. Now let the record show that I did not drop my phone. I launched my phone up into the sky like it had come from that cannon. And we watched it go up, up, up, and then down, down, down. And, like, it was slow mo. We were like, oh, no. And we watched it go smack, crack right on top of some guy's head. And he was freaking pissed. He was sat next to who I assume was his girlfriend. And just from his body language, I could tell this guy's manhood has come into question. And I just felt like, whoa. It's just like when the phone metaphorically dropped down on all of us back in 2007 and threatened all of our collective humanity, isn't it? And Sophie looked at me and she's like, dude, what the hell are you talking about? Get down there and get your fricking phone, you moron. Except she said it in British, so it was much nicer than that, but it was urgent. Okay, that exchange didn't happen. I only saw the metaphor in retrospect. But I just jumped out of my fricking seat and ran down there to get my phone and apologize profusely. Now, I was really hoping that I'd go down there and he'd be like, no probs, bro. It's totally fine. Who hasn't launched their phone up into the sky and down on some unsuspecting stranger at a hockey game. No worries, man. We're cool. That's not even close to what he said. He said, that hurt. That freaking hurt. And I did not want to know what the next line was. Now, I am adhd. And so even in just, like, normal, everyday circumstances, I'm trying to think, like, what would a normal person do in this interaction? So this was that times a million. But then I saw it in his hand. You know, like in a video game where you get to the boss fight, and there's just some, like, one discolored thing on the creature or something that just doesn't quite fit, you know, like, oh, I've got to go after that thing. That's the weakness. It was his hand. It was in his hand. It was a Bahama Mama cocktail in a can. And I thought, boom, that's it. I thought two things at the same time. The first thing I thought was, maybe this guy is more secure in his masculinity than I realized. Like, he's kind of in touch with his feminine side with this Bahama Mama cocktail in a can. And I respect that. I think I just. Yeah, I just had an idea. And then the second thing I thought was, I'll buy him a drink. That's what a real boy would do, right? Make it four boilermakers. Whatever you want, sir. I said, hey, man, can I buy you a drink? And he softened a little bit, and he's like, yeah, give me another one of these. So I rushed to concessions, and I'm looking for the vendor that sells the Bahama Mama cocktail in a can. And I find it. I order it. I go to tap to pay. Cause I'm like a fancy, modern boy like that. And she hits me with something that I have never been hit with at a sporting event as an adult. It's. No, it wasn't a phone to the head. Although I've heard that's a normal thing that happens all the time. Like, it's. It's cool, man. Like, if someone hits you with the phone at a sporting event, it's like, just be nice to him. He's just trying to have some fun with his family. No, it wasn't a phone to the head. She carted me. She asked for my id. Now, normally, getting carded is not a big deal, because, like, any good dad, I've got a good dad, wallet, phone case where you can stuff your ID in there and your credit card and your debit card and your sandwich shop punch card, you can put everything into this freaking phone. And so normally I am ready at times like this, but normally I don't launch my phone into the sky and watch my cards rain down on a crowd like unusually large pieces of plastic confetti. And so I was backed into a corner and I didn't know what to fricking do. I thought if I go back to this guy empty handed, he might choose violence and get scary. I've got to fricking figure this out right now. And that's why at nearly 40, when the next thing drops out of this guy and knocks me on the head and hits me unexpectedly like AI or reels or whatever other thing is going to come and drop out of the sky by the time I drop this episode. That's why I am a little bit more cautious about giving it my everything. Because while I would love to be able to reach through this screen and hand you a tropical can of goodness, that would help calm you down, I can't. But what I can do is share a story like I did in this episode and share a piece of my heart and give you a little bit of my vulnerability and ultimately spill my freaking guts. I want you to spill your guts. Tell us everything. Everything. Okay, I'll talk. Because I think that not follower count, not buying into the latest thing. That is what makes an artist an artist. And I'm going to continue to show up and do that in my picture books, in this podcast, and in the forms that I feel I can really do that well in. And this is why, at age 40, as new things are just repeatedly dropping out of the sky and smacking me upside the head unexpectedly, like, boom. AI, boom. Instagram reels. Boom. Another thing that's gonna drop by the time I drop this episod. That's why I am so much more cautious than I was a decade ago about giving those new things my everything and rushing to prove who I am, because that's what they said I needed to do. That's why I am less obsessed with proving who I am through a follower count. And I am more invested than I ever have been into what really makes me an artist. And what really makes you an artist. And that is sharing your story, being brave enough and in touch with yourself enough to give a piece of your heart away through your work. Get vulnerable and spill your freaking guts. Because that is what makes you an artist. Not something from your phone, not something that the tech company says you need to do. That is what this is really all about. I could really use your help now. As a rule I try to give way way more on this show than I take but every once in a while I have an ask. I think it's been about three years since my last big ask when we launched me and Sophie's book Invisible Things and now its companion Mysterious Things is on its way and we could really really use your help by buying a book and spreading the word. Pre orders can make or break a book success. If you can launch a book with momentum, it has a chance to get into people's hands. And we really really want to get this book into kids hands because it was written to ignite kids curiosity to get them curious about our mysterious universe. And I don't know about you but I am hoping this next generation is curious, open, full of wonder and engaged and excited about living life on this planet. If you pre order from our local bookshop Birdie Books, you can get a copy that is signed by me and Sophie. There's also a bunch of links to everywhere else. You can get the book at InvisibleThings co. And by the way, I'm doing some talks to virtual groups, schools, companies and conferences in exchange for what's called a pre order book buy AKA buying copies for your group or the attendees. So if you've ever wanted to book me to speak, this is the least expensive it'll ever be. Write to me@hidyjpizza.com and I can walk you through how that works. If you love my art, this is one of my favorite collections of paintings that I've ever made. If you loved Invisible Things, you're gonna love Mysterious Things. And if you have children, nieces, nephews, students or friends with kids in your life, ignite their curiosity with Mysterious things. Pre order at InvisibleThings Co or click the link in the show notes. Thank you so much for your help. We really really really appreciate it. Make every get together chill this Memorial Day get up to an extra thousand dollars off select top brand appliances like LG plus get free delivery at the Home Depot Tackle pool towels and camp laundry with a large capacity washer and host in style with the fridge serving craft ice, mini craft ice cubed ice and and crushed ice. Shop appliance Savings now through June 3rd at the Home Depot offer valid May 14th through June 3rd US only free delivery on appliance purchases of $998 or more. See store online for details. So here's what I'm trying to say. I'm trying to say own your story Front and back. As a creative person. And when I say front and back, I mean front meaning in the work. Put yourself in it, be vulnerable, spill your guts. And then in the back, the backstory around the work, the pr, the press, the launch, tell your story. One of my favorite creative storytellers is of course the musician, folk artist Sufjan Stevens. I've been a huge fan of his for a long time and recently a friend of mine was like, this guy is someone who is just been able to maintain some of that mystique and mystery and still succeed in our modern times. I think a lot of artists aspire to that wish that they could do that. I feel like that's kind of the exception to the rule and it's hard. You can't really plan on being an exception. However, even Sufjan Stevens, we know so much about this guy's personal life, both in the front story, in the music. Like, we learned about his faith in that, his deep things about his faith. We learned about his relationships, we learned about his relationship to his mother and his estrangement from her and, and his stepfather. And like so much through the music that the front story. And then we learn things in the backstory, like every once in a while when he releases an album, like his most recent release, Javelin, he did an interview and spoke for the first time about having been in a long term same sex relationship with someone who he lost. And he was really vulnerable about that. He didn't say everything, but he shared his heart and it adds up to a whole person. And I think in this day and age, it's never been more important to make art as a person, to put your story, to spill your guts in your work. I think this is a little bit about what we get at when we're like, how can you separate the art from the artist? Some of us feel more comfortable doing that than others. But I don't know about you. I would rather consume from a monster of a person than from a robot. Okay. That's how much the humanity matters to me. But I still, because of that, I still struggle sometimes with separating the art from the artist. I can't always do it because the humanity matters that much to me. And so I think about albums like St. Cloud by Waxahachie, one of my favorite albums in the past decade, and that in the music in the Front Story and in the back, in the press around it, there was so much about this is the album of her getting sober. And that gave me something to hold onto, that gave me a piece of humanity that helped me connect to the music. And this happens all the time, not just in my favorite little indie artists. Neither of these people are little by any means, but, you know, not just in arty stuff, but also mainstream stuff. I think about. My daughter is a huge Billie Eilish fan, and she was telling me the story of Billy bringing out Justin Bieber and why that was at Coachella and why that was such a huge deal because that's the reason she makes music today. And we watch little clips and even I get emotional. Even though I'm not super invested in this artist, I don't listen to a ton of Billie Eilish music. I could feel the story coming to life. I could feel the humanity coming to life through the music and through the story. And I think about my son's favorite band, twenty one Pilots. He told me about how for years the lead singer, Tyler, has been trying to get the drummer, Josh, to sing on a track. And for whatever reason, all the fans are aware of this. And then finally, in their recent release, he got Josh to do the bridge, sing the bridge in the song drum show, which I assume is all about Josh and just knowing that story through the fandom of my son. Watching this video, by the time Josh starts singing, I get teared up because I'm like, yeah, I'm invested in the story. I think it's super essential that you put yourself into the work. And yeah, if that ends up in short form video, if that ends up on the latest platform, if that ends up on YouTube, whatever, it doesn't matter. That's not important. It's not important that you keep up with the times and you prove yourself with this technology. What matters is that no matter what you're doing, whether it's an album, a painting, an interview, that you show up with your heart and vulnerability and you tell your story. So today your CTA is Spice it up. And I don't mean in the spicy book sort of way, I mean spice it up like the Spice Girls. Tell me what you want. Tell me what you want Tell them what you want. Tell people what you want. Both in the front story of your work and the backstory and the stories around your work. Because stories are about a character that wants something. And I think that this is sort of paramount in my own personal life philosophy. I heard a philosopher recently, Peter Rawlins, say that philosophies based on hedonism are about just try to fulfill your desires at any cost. That's what's going to make you happy. And Then he said, philosophies that are based on nihilism are just don't have desires because your desires will not fulfill you. And that the philosophies based on absurdism are this idea that says desires won't fulfill you and you can't not desire things. Find your fulfillment in desire, in wanting, in chasing. And I actually think as an ADHD person, that feels so good to me because dopamine, the thing that I'm lacking, the thing that I have to scour the earth for, it comes from chasing things, wanting things, and enjoying the journey of that. And it's not about getting what you want. It's about wanting great things and being on the journey to get them. That's your story. That is the wanting. And it also reminds me of this part in the book Primal Intelligence by Angus Fletcher. He talks about, like, this is a bad scenario where your past is frayed. You feel like, oh, my past is a series of things that don't make any sense. Like a bunch of lines going in a bunch of different directions. And I don't really see how they added up to my present moment. And my future is just one straight line, one possibility. There's only one thing that could happen. That's what you don't want. That's when you are miserable. But when you are feeling good, engaged in your life, engaged in your story, your past is braided into one strand. We're like, oh, it all came together for me to be here. And then when I look out into the future, the thing that I want today is opening up so many possibilities. And I think the way that you ground yourself in a present like that is to have a sense of, what do I want? Not just me and the singular, but me and the plural. The past me, the future me, the current me, the me that wants to eat a huge burrito the size of my head and the person in me that doesn't. What do I know that I want that my whole self wants? And you get that by looking into the backstory, the past, looking into and seeing, like, what is it that I'm doing now that adds up to what I'm. What is it? What do I want right now that adds up from my past? Like, I can see a through line that gives me this singular braid, this line of like, oh, I want to do this because of that thing that happened and that thing that happened, that thing happened, and what do I want today? Does that also open up possibilities that I can't imagine in the future? That's the Kind of want that you want to tap into. And so as an example, I'm just going to share the most current version of that in my present moment. And it comes with this book. I've been talking about mysterious things. I put my desires into this book. And I also have desires for the future of this book. And there are desires that are coming from my own life experience, my story, my past. I see how my past added up for me to be a person that could make this book. And I think that just as a little side note, like, sharing what you want is a very vulnerable thing. Even as I go to talk about it in the example of making this book, it is a vulnerable thing. And I think about the artists that were willing to share things they wanted that didn't come to pass, or things that they were trying to do in the album or the things that they were pursuing as a person, and how they put that in their songs and movies and paintings. That that wanting is opening you up to be like, yeah, and I might not get it. It might blow up in my face. I don't even. I might in five years, look back and be like, why did I want that? Like, that wanting is the spilling of the guts. That is the vulnerability. And so in this book, it shows up in the book, in the front story. So I want kids and people. You know, I try to make these books kind of for all ages. It's all ages picture book. I want them to embrace the unknown. It's printed huge on the back cover. I want them to follow their curiosity. There's curiosity character, and he shows up as a big part of the book. And then as around the book, the backstory is, I wanted to make a book about the knowledge paradox, which sounds like a really heavy thing to make a picture book about, which it is. But I think we successfully made it accessible to all ages, to kids and adults alike. And the idea of the knowledge paradox is that you would think the more we know, the less mysterious our universe would become. But in fact, the opposite happened. The more we know, the more we realize we don't know. You know, 100 years ago, physicists would be like, we only got about 1% to figure out left. And now physicists, they're physicists that are like, we don't even know if we scratched 1% because our world is so bizarre with quantum entanglement and spooky action and multiple worlds theory and string theory. And, like, our world is so much stranger. The more we know, the more we realize we don't know. Mystery is actually growing as our knowledge grows. And I wanted to make that book for kids and grownups alike to be like, hey, you might feel like everything's been done. You might have gone to school and felt like we figured out the world's knowledge. Here it is in all the books. Catch up so you can make value for shareholders. But that's not true. We're learning to open up the mysteries. And I didn't get that until I was maybe 17 or 18, and I wish I would have got it so much younger. But that is an example. This is stuff I've been talking about on the podcast this year because that's what I want. I want people to get this book, hold it, and I want them to. I'm hoping that it helps them embrace the unknown and see how mysterious things are in our universe. And so that's an example of my own creative practice and how I'm trying to live this out. All right, I'll say one other thing. I would really love for you to buy a pre order copy of this that's signed from Birdie Books, our local bookstore that's just across the street from this podcast space. You can go to InvisibleThings Co and all the links of where to buy it are there. Really, really appreciate everybody that's already bought a copy. I can't wait to get this into your hands. Sophie and I are just super proud of it. Thanks to Sophie Miller for being an editor and producer on this show. She helped me work out this story for this episode and added a bunch of good stuff. Thanks to Connor Jones of Pending Beautiful for audio edits, video edits, sound design and animation. Thanks to Yoni Wolf of the band Y for our theme music and soundtrack. And thanks to all of you for listening. Until we speak again, stay pepped up.
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We all need advice, but it's not always clear who to ask. Even in 2026. Enter how to the long standing Advice show, an Ambie Award nominated Best Personal Growth Podcast. That's back with new episodes and a new host. Who?
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Me.
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Mike Pesca. Each week I tackle a listener question ranging from travel to finance to relationships and beyond, with help from a world class expert. You know, someone who actually very much knows what they're talking about. Think of it as eavesdropping on someone else's therapy session without the copay or awkward silences. You've got questions. We'll find the experts and the answers. So follow how to with Mike Pesca Wherever you get podcasts.
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Have you ever asked yourself, can the president really do that, or wondered if there was too much money in political campaigns. Then check out the new season of you Might Be Right, hosted by us former Tennessee governors Phil Bredesen and Bill Haslam. We're back for a brand new season now, and you Might Be Right cements the idea that constructive disagreement can lead to real problem solving. This season we're going to dig into the role of National Guard AI regulation, and a lot more new episodes drop every other week. Follow you Might Be Right wherever you get your podcasts.