Mark Stein (artist, illustrator) joins Aaron McCall to talk about what it takes to go all in on your work and the cost of pushing too hard. He gets into growing up on cartoons, punk and skate culture, the wake-up calls that changed everything, and why being a lone wolf will only get you so far. They talk about finding creative community, imposter syndrome, getting out from behind your desk, and why if it’s not hard, you’re probably not trying hard enough. This is a conversation about the slow build, the kind that takes until your late 30s to really catch fire, and the kind of stubbornness it takes to keep it burning.

Keep up with Mark Stein:
steinbydesign.com⁠
IG: ⁠@steinbydesign

Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Monthly lecture series. Everyone's creative and everyone's welcome. Find your local chapter.

Merchants & Makers
West Michigan artists, makers, and small businesses. Shop local with food trucks and live music.

——
This episode is supported by:
Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Merchants & Makers
——
Writer/Producer/Editor/Host:
Aaron McCall
aaronmccall.net
IG: @aaron_mccall
——
Co-Host/Sidekick/Photographer:
Joe Matteson
themattesons.co
IG: @joe_dustin
——
Music:
"Noises" by Mike Mains & The Branches
——
Support the Podcast:
Buy Merch
——
Follow Bad Idea Social Club:
badideasocialclub.com
IG: @badideasocialclub

AB (DJ, creative) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about confidence, rejection, and how your sense of self evolves as you move through new experiences. He gets into music as both expression and connection, the push and pull of reading a room while staying true to your own voice, and how failure, fatherhood, and life experience shaped the way he moves through the world. They talk creativity, self-awareness, faith, the creative scene, and how to keep getting better without losing yourself in the process.

Keep up with AB:
everythingab.com
IG: @ab.everywhere

Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Monthly lecture series. Everyone's creative and everyone's welcome. Find your local chapter.

Merchants & Makers
West Michigan artists, makers, and small businesses. Shop local with food trucks and live music.

——
This episode is supported by:
Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Merchants & Makers
——
Writer/Producer/Editor/Host:
Aaron McCall
aaronmccall.net
IG: @aaron_mccall
——
Co-Host/Sidekick/Photographer:
Joe Matteson
themattesons.co
IG: @joe_dustin
——
Music:
"Noises" by Mike Mains & The Branches
——
Support the Podcast:
Buy Merch
——
Follow Bad Idea Social Club:
badideasocialclub.com
IG: @badideasocialclub

Joel Hoekstra (cook, musician, owner of Meyer Music) hosts Aaron McCall for dinner as they discuss creativity, instinct, and finding room to breathe inside the things that matter most. He gets into the connection between food and music, how growth comes from pushing beyond structure, and how both create joy, healing, and a real sense of community when they’re done with care. As a music education advocate, he speaks to the importance of access to music and why it matters. They talk about creative freedom, cooking as expression, and the version of yourself that starts to show up when you finally feel at peace.

Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Monthly lecture series. Everyone's creative and everyone's welcome. Find your local chapter.

Merchants & Makers
West Michigan artists, makers, and small businesses. Shop local with food trucks and live music.

——
This episode is supported by:
Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Merchants & Makers
——
Writer/Producer/Editor/Host:
Aaron McCall
aaronmccall.net
IG: @aaron_mccall
——
Co-Host/Sidekick/Photographer:
Joe Matteson
themattesons.co
IG: @joe_dustin
——
Music:
"Noises" by Mike Mains & The Branches
——
Support the Podcast:
Buy Merch
——
Follow Bad Idea Social Club:
badideasocialclub.com
IG: @badideasocialclub

This is Bad Idea Social Club. And yeah, it’s a little bit about the craft… but really, it’s the stories that shape us, as creatives and as people.

These are the conversations that usually stay off-mic. They’re raw and without judgement or filters. They’re honest. And they’re exposed.

Hosted by graphic designer Aaron McCall with photographer Joe Matteson, find Bad Idea Social Club pretty much wherever you get your podcasts.

Hannah Berry (artist, founder of Lions & Rabbits) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about community, creativity, and the work happening between the cracks. She gets into turning art into real community impact, building something without a clear roadmap, and why creative people are often the ones holding solutions that nobody is listening to yet. They talk about collaboration, economic and community development, the tension between intention and execution, and how slowing down, letting go of control, and trusting the right people changed everything.

Keep up with Hanna Berry:
lionsandrabbits.com
IG: @bananasnhannahs
IG: @lionsandrabbits

Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Monthly lecture series. Everyone's creative and everyone's welcome. Find your local chapter.

Merchants & Makers
West Michigan artists, makers, and small businesses. Shop local with food trucks and live music.

——
This episode is supported by:
Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Merchants & Makers
——
Writer/Producer/Editor/Host:
Aaron McCall
aaronmccall.net
IG: @aaron_mccall
——
Co-Host/Sidekick/Photographer:
Joe Matteson
themattesons.co
IG: @joe_dustin
——
Music:
"Noises" by Mike Mains & The Branches
——
Support the Podcast:
Buy Merch
——
Follow Bad Idea Social Club:
badideasocialclub.com
IG: @badideasocialclub

Ryan “Ryno” Wasson (brewer, Head of Beverage at Coopersville Brewing) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about beer, endurance, reinvention, and learning how to live inside your own wiring. He gets into brewing as both craft and creative outlet, the discipline it takes to keep refining your work, and how running became a way to process life when everything else felt too loud. They talk about curiosity, criticism, relationships, starting over, and the kind of self-awareness that only shows up after you’ve taken a few hits and kept going.

Keep up with Ryan Wasson:
IG: @feedtheryno

Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Monthly lecture series. Everyone's creative and everyone's welcome. Find your local chapter.

Merchants & Makers
West Michigan artists, makers, and small businesses. Shop local with food trucks and live music.

——
This episode is supported by:
Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Merchants & Makers
——
Writer/Producer/Editor/Host:
Aaron McCall
aaronmccall.net
IG: @aaron_mccall
——
Co-Host/Sidekick/Photographer:
Joe Matteson
themattesons.co
IG: @joe_dustin
——
Music:
"Noises" by Mike Mains & The Branches
——
Support the Podcast:
Buy Merch
——
Follow Bad Idea Social Club:
badideasocialclub.com
IG: @badideasocialclub

Amy Carroll (photographer, artist) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about identity, ego, and the long process of figuring out who you actually are. She gets into building a career that looks good on the outside but feels empty, learning how to create work that people can actually feel, and the shift from chasing attention to chasing something real. They talk about aging, confidence, creative evolution, and what it takes to let go of control long enough to make something honest.

Keep up with Amy Carroll:
amycarroll.photography
IG: @amycarrollphotography

Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Monthly lecture series. Everyone's creative and everyone's welcome. Find your local chapter.

Merchants & Makers
West Michigan artists, makers, and small businesses. Shop local with food trucks and live music.

——
This episode is supported by:
Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Merchants & Makers
——
Writer/Producer/Editor/Host:
Aaron McCall
aaronmccall.net
IG: @aaron_mccall
——
Co-Host/Sidekick/Photographer:
Joe Matteson
themattesons.co
IG: @joe_dustin
——
Music:
"Noises" by Mike Mains & The Branches
——
Support the Podcast:
Buy Merch
——
Follow Bad Idea Social Club:
badideasocialclub.com
IG: @badideasocialclub

Ahead of Season 7 on April 14, Aaron McCall and Joe Matteson sit down to show off the studio space, talk through what’s changing, and shake the rust off a bit. They get into the shift to video, what it’s doing to the energy of the show, how this next chapter already feels different, and why they’re both excited and a little nervous about it. It’s loose, it’s honest, and it’s a quick look at where things are headed and what it took to get here.

Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Monthly lecture series. Everyone's creative and everyone's welcome. Find your local chapter.

Merchants & Makers
West Michigan artists, makers, and small businesses. Shop local with food trucks and live music.

——
This episode is supported by:
Creative Mornings Grand Rapids
Merchants & Makers
——
Writer/Producer/Editor/Host:
Aaron McCall
aaronmccall.net
IG: @aaron_mccall
——
Co-Host/Sidekick/Photographer:
Joe Matteson
themattesons.co
IG: @joe_dustin
——
Music:
"Noises" by Mike Mains & The Branches
——
Support the Podcast:
Buy Merch
——
Follow Bad Idea Social Club:
badideasocialclub.com
IG: @badideasocialclub

Aaron McCall, Joe Matteson, and Amber Gray talk about the one thing we all pretend we’re good at: knowing what the hell is going on. “I don’t know” turns into the point, not the punchline. They get into ego, confidence, learning in public, and where flexibility ends and conviction starts. Curiosity, humility, and at least one terrible metaphor.

Writer/Producer/Editor/Host:
Aaron McCall
aaronmccall.net
Instagram: @aaron_mccall
LinkedIn: Aaron McCall

Co-Host/Sidekick/Photographer:
Joe Matteson
themattesons.co
Instagram: @joe_dustin

Co-Host/Sidekick/Manager:
Amber Gray
Instagram: @bad_ambellina
LinkedIn: Amber Gray

Music:
"Noises" by Mike Mains & The Branches

Help Support the Podcast:
Buy Merch
Make a Donation

Follow Bad Idea Social Club:
badideasocialclub.com
Instagram: @badideasocialclub
LinkedIn: Bad Idea Social Club

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time, it’s about when everything adds up and overflows. Not one big thing, just work, expectations, responsibility, and momentum piling on over time. We get into boundaries, how work and life shape each other in uneven ways, and how we’re striking balance while trying to keep up.

Writer/Producer/Editor/Host:
Aaron McCall
aaronmccall.net
Instagram: @aaron_mccall
LinkedIn: Aaron McCall

Co-Host/Sidekick/Photographer:
Joe Matteson
themattesons.co
Instagram: @joe_dustin

Co-Host/Sidekick/Manager:
Amber Gray
Instagram: @bad_ambellina
LinkedIn: Amber Gray

Music:
"Noises" by Mike Mains & The Branches

Help Support the Podcast:
Buy Merch
Make a Donation

Follow Bad Idea Social Club:
badideasocialclub.com
Instagram: @badideasocialclub
LinkedIn: Bad Idea Social Club

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.