Podcast Summary:

Daring Creativity. Daring Forever.
Host: Radim Malinic
Episode: "How bad do you really want it?" (Joel Pilger bonus episode)
Date: November 6, 2025

Episode Overview

In this bonus chapter of Daring Creativity, Radim Malinic revisits the standout insights from his recent interview with Joel Pilger—a former studio owner turned advisor to creative studios and production companies. Together, they dissect the realities of surviving and thriving in today’s creative industries, challenging notions of self-reliance, destructive competition, and the existential threats and opportunities presented by AI. The conversation is a candid exploration of how creatives can adapt "with soul," rethink collaboration, and discover lasting purpose in an age of relentless change.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Letting Go of the Lone Wolf Mentality ([00:53–01:55])

• Seeking Help Accelerates Growth
  Joel reveals how his own openness to coaching and mentorship was a game changer versus the popular myth of the "self-made creative genius."
  • Joel Pilger:

    "If someone has the shortcut, just lay it on me. If you have the mindset that I need, okay, it's going to be painful because I have to open myself up, I have to share, I have to be vulnerable. I have to admit that I don't know what the hell I'm doing." (00:53)

  • He underscores the “initial pain” of vulnerability but affirms its worth, as mentorship and collaboration can fast-track success.
  • Radim expands, contrasting the glorified “lone wolf” with the reality that isolation often leads to burnout and business failure.

    "The most successful creative business owners aren't the ones who figure it out all alone ... they're the ones who were smart enough to ask for directions." (01:55)

2. Combating the "Prison Eater Mindset" and Scarcity Thinking ([03:54–06:34])

• Destructive Competition vs. Radical Responsibility
  Joel powerfully names and rejects zero-sum, insular thinking that can poison creative circles.
  • Joel Pilger:

    "I'm on a mission to absolutely destroy ... what Mitch and I call the 'prison eater mindset.' It's a zero sum thinking, okay? It's the don't talk to me and try and get my secrets because you're going to use them against me." (03:54)
    "When you compete with somebody and they win because they're the better fit, or sometimes we just have to be honest, they're better than you are ... Everybody who is great at what they do, they got pushed. The market demanded it." (04:52)

  • Radim unpacks this further, warning that hoarding knowledge and seeing peers as threats isolates creatives and holds back the industry as a whole.
    • The healthiest approach is radical responsibility—learning from competitors, actively collaborating, and embracing the growth that comes from being challenged:

      "The prison eater mindset is potentially killing the creative industry from within because it operates on a false belief that another's creative success diminishes your own." (05:12) "The prison eaters eventually starve themselves." (06:34)

3. Creativity, Soul, and the Drive to Succeed ([06:34–07:49])

• How Bad Do You Really Want It?
  The episode pivots to a question at the heart of every creative career: are you truly driven, and are you willing to adapt when everything shifts?
  • Joel Pilger:

    "When I use the word soul, I think I'm challenging myself and all of us with this question of how bad do you really want it? ... The people who really want it, they are obsessed. There's this inner hunger and tenacity. It's so important." (06:34)

  • Joel likens today's AI disruptions to historic shifts (Luddite movement, Arts and Crafts vs. Bauhaus), emphasizing that resistance to the "machine of our day" is futile; evolution is essential.
  • Radim supports this, discussing "adapting with soul": that true longevity comes from aligning business decisions with your deepest values and not shying away from uncomfortable changes.

    "Adapting with soul means making business decisions that align with your deepest values and while having the courage to evolve when the market demands it." (07:49)

4. AI, Irreplaceability, and Evolving Roles ([08:47–09:28])

• AI Angst and the Future of the Creative Workforce
  Joel and Radim confront the existential anxieties around AI, particularly as it relates to illustrators.
  • Joel Pilger:

    "Probably 90% of the illustrators in the world ... have been traditionally been hired because of that specific look. There are clients that are saying, hey, AI, create me something that looks like this and boom, there. It's really close... It's not like there was a project that was lost. It's just that they would have figured out another way to do it." (08:47)

  • Radim frames AI not as the destroyer, but as a reflector of how creatives position themselves in the market:

    "In this case, illustrators being replaced aren't losing work because AI is better, is because losing work because they position themselves as vendor rather than problem solving experts." (09:28)

  • The future belongs to those who leverage AI as a tool, not those who compete with it. The differentiator will always be the “soul”—strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and insight.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|--------------|-------| | 00:53 | Joel Pilger | "If someone has the shortcut, just lay it on me. ... I have to admit that I don't know what the hell I'm doing. But I've found that getting past that initial pain is really worth it."| | 03:54 | Joel Pilger | "I'm on a mission to absolutely destroy ... the 'prison eater mindset.' It's a zero sum thinking, okay? ... don't talk to me and try and get my secrets because you're going to use them against me."| | 04:52 | Joel Pilger | "When you compete with somebody and they win ... sometimes we just have to be honest, they're better than you are. ... Everybody who is great at what they do, ... got pushed. The market demanded it."| | 06:34 | Joel Pilger | "When I use the word soul, I think I'm challenging myself and all of us with this question of how bad do you really want it? ... The people who really want it, they are obsessed. There's this inner hunger and tenacity."| | 08:47 | Joel Pilger | "Probably 90% of the illustrators in the world ... have been traditionally been hired because of that specific look. There are clients that are saying, hey, AI, create me something that looks like this and boom, there. It's really close."| | 09:28 | Radim Malinic| "In this case, illustrators being replaced aren't losing work because AI is better, is because losing work because they position themselves as vendor rather than problem solving experts."|

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:53] Joel on embracing help, coaching, and the pain of vulnerability.
• [03:54] The "prison eater mindset"—hoarding knowledge and fearing competition.
• [04:52] Radical responsibility: learning and growing from honest competition.
• [06:34] Soul, obsession, and how badly you want it—motivation in creative careers.
• [07:49] Adapting with soul vs. resisting change.
• [08:47] AI and the new reality for illustrators and other creatives.
• [09:28] The real reason creatives lose work to AI—and how to stay indispensable.

Conclusion

This episode distills the wisdom of a seasoned creative advisor, laying bare the internal and external obstacles facing anyone determined to build a lasting, fulfilling creative career. Through Joel's vulnerability and Radim's sharp reflections, listeners are encouraged to:

• Seek help and leverage knowledge, rather than clinging to the myth of the self-made creative.
• Abandon scarcity thinking in favor of radical responsibility and industry-wide growth.
• Adapt "with soul," aligning your practice with existential purpose.
• Embrace emerging technologies like AI, not as rivals, but as tools that can amplify the uniquely human qualities that clients will always need.

This is a must-listen for anyone wrestling with change, self-doubt, or the pressure to compete—and who’s willing to ask themselves: How bad do you really want it?