This week we’re talking with the one and only Andy J. Pizza. Andy is a prolific illustrator who’s worked with some of the most respected brands in the world. All four of us love his particular style of illustration and we’re also huge fans of the Creative Pep Talk podcast that Andy releases regularly, giving back that same value to the design community.

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Show Notes for This Episode:

1:00] The gang welcomes Andy to the show!
[2:30] Andy in a nutshell.
[3:10] The cradle of Andy’s creative work began with a Blog.
[4:20] He tanked so hard in the beginning that he took down his website.
[5:00] Andy finds himself at a juvenile detention center.
[6:00] The real reason Andy wanted to be an illustrator.
[7:00] A-ha moment! The best business pros are creative.
[8:10] Andy’s Dark Age.
[9:00] Devouring business information and pairing it with illustrations.
[10:00] Making the leap out of darkness.
[11:20] The first attempt at a creative career and wanting to skip to the end.
[12:00] Andy jumps in on an adult coloring book before they were vogue.
[13:00] Magical Magic Markers.
[14:20] Stepping into Wonderland.
[15:00] The universe connects Andy and Andrew Neyer.
[16:00] Andy sees himself in Andrew Neyer.
[17:10] Tom asks Andy to speak to creatives who are struggling.
[18:00] A personal project gets the ball rolling.
[19:00] Andy’s personal project gains him work, but with a nasty client.
[20:30] Finding the advantage in a bad situation.
[21:00] Andy realizes he must write the script for the movie he wants to star in.
[22:00] Avoid being typecast. Andy uses Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as examples.
[23:00] You have to be careful about the work you share.
[24:00] Inbound Marketing and Outbound Marketing.
[25:00] Go get those rejections.
[26:00] 1,000 emails later…
[27:00] Pay attention to how you found your creative favorites.
[28:00] One of Andy’s favorite tactics for gaining work.
[29:00] Finding a way into the castle that holds the perfect work for you.
[30:00] Paying jobs are not always good paying jobs.
[31:00] Barter your pants off.
[32:00] Making a creative baby through collaboration.
[33:30] Collaboration emails and cold calls.
[34:00] From coaching call to bestie.
[35:20] Dustin loves Andy’s playful illustration style.
[36:00] Andy talks getting into his creative flow state.
[37:00] Boredom keeps Andy motivated.
[38:00] Think, ponder and think some more.
[39:00] See the world through the lens of a storyteller.
[40:10] Be prepared to play a lot to find magic.
[41:00] It took Andy 10 years to find his thing.
[42:00] Connecting the dots.
[43:40] Andy talks to his younger self.
[44:00] The anxiety and the nerves mean you’re not bored.
[45:00] It’s only fun to play at games you’re not sure you’ll win.
[46:40] We are splitting this episode into two parts. Join us next week for Part 2!
[47:00] And that’s a wrap.

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