Creative Pep Talk

Pre-Order My New Book “Mysterious Things” and Help Us Spread the Word!

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Do you have a toxic relationship with goal setting and New Year’s resolutions? Have you already given up this year?!

If so, this episode is for you. In this episode, we will explore the easy and impactful starting place that can help you make this season count for your creative practice.

At the end, I share the “Select Your Seed” Venn diagram exercise for figuring out where to focus your energy and how to kick things off in an easy, deep, holistic way.

SHOW NOTES:

Fresh Start Psychology
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/4000-mondays/202412/fresh-starts-the-psychology-behind-new-year-motivation/amp

Study on Result Goals vs Process Goals
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1750984X.2022.2116723#abstract

The One Thing https://the1thing.com

Producer / Editor: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.co
Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.co
Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? http://whywithaquestionmark.com

SPONSORS:
SQUARESPACE
Head to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK

AEROPRESS
Check out Aeropress and use my code PEPTALK for a great deal: https://aeropress.com

Have you ever heard someone say that making creative work is about having a “point of view”? It sounds right, but what does it mean and how do you find yours?

I can’t think of any creatives that have a more compelling sense of their “point of view” than my guests today. Author Mac Barnett and author-illustrator Jon Klassen have such a strong voice, and I have been longing to have them both on the show for such a long time!!

This is an instant all-timer episode for me. These two legends from the picture book world just knocked it out of the park, and we have an incredible chat exploring how to find your point of view, the artist/audience relationship, storytelling, and so much more.

Buckle up. This mega episode starts off with a bang and just gets better and better all the way til the end! This episode will make for a great companion for a long creative session or long drive!

Hope you love it as much as I did!

SHOW NOTES:

Substack: "Looking at Picture Books"
https://lookingatpicturebooks.substack.com

"Mac B. Spy Kid"
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=%22Mac+B.+Spy+Kid%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

"The Skull" by Jon Klassen
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/725351/the-skull-by-jon-klassen-illustrated-by-jon-klassen/

"Sam and Dave Dig a Hole" by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
https://www.macbarnett.com/sam-dave-dig-a-hole

"Extra Yarn"
https://www.macbarnett.com/extra-yarn

"Where the Wild Things Are"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_Wild_Things_Are

"Goodnight Moon"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodnight_Moon

"The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Remains_of_the_Day

"Swim in a Pond in the Rain" by George Saunders
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609280/a-swim-in-a-pond-in-the-rain-by-george-saunders/

"Outside Over There" by Maurice Sendak
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outside_Over_There

"Sam and the Firefly" by P.D. Eastman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_and_the_Firefly

"Dead Souls" by Nikolai Gogol
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Souls

"Let the Right One In"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_the_Right_One_In_(film)

"Ponyo"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponyo

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Sunshine_of_the_Spotless_Mind

"Mysterious Things" by Andy J. Pizza and Sophie Miller
http://invisiblethings.co

"Making Comics" by Scott McCloud
https://www.scottmccloud.com/makingcomics/

Producer / Editor: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.co
Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.co
Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? http://whywithaquestionmark.com

SPONSORS:
SQUARESPACE
Head to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK

AEROPRESS
Check out Aeropress and use my code PEPTALK for a great deal: https://aeropress.com

Pre-Order “Mysterious Things”

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How do you get excited for the New Year when things feel so unstable? How do you get jazzed about planning and goals, when you don’t know what future you’re planning for?

In times like these, I find it more effective to tap into the creative drives you already have, than working towards a future that may or may not come to pass. Tune in to check out the 3 creative drives and figure out which you can employ today to get excited about making creative work again!

SHOW NOTES:

Mysterious Things by Andy J. Pizza and Sophie Miller
http://invisiblethings.co

Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
https://www.oliverburkeman.com/fourthousandweeks

Producer / Editor: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.co
Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.co
Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? http://whywithaquestionmark.com

SPONSORS:
SQUARESPACE
Head to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK

AEROPRESS
Check out Aeropress and use my code PEPTALK for a great deal: https://aeropress.com

This is a special HOLIDAY episode featuring the chat I had on Katherine May’s Podcast “The Clearing” where guests explore their ideal real or fantasy retreat. Here’s what Katherine said about the episode:

The ADHD and autistic tendency to rest in motion is fully realised in American author and illustrator Andy J. Pizza’s vision of the ideal retreat. Choosing an extraordinary fictional setting which incorporates an ingenious method of traveling the world, this episode showcases the wonder of a brilliantly creative, neurodivergent brain.

Along the way, and with many fascinating tangents, Andy and Katherine discuss the power of Miyazaki films, their shared love of Fraggle Rock and longing for direction from the universe.

A meticulously thought out and fully realised world that accommodates his own personal experience of ADHD, Andy unveils the most beautifully zany and imaginative dreamscape. An absolute treat.

SHOW NOTES:

Fraggle Rock

Last of the Summer Wine Wiki

The Master and his Emissary book about left and right brain

The Little Prince

Producer / Editor: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.co
Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.co
Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? http://whywithaquestionmark.com

SPONSORS:
SQUARESPACE
Head to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK

AEROPRESS
Check out Aeropress and use my code PEPTALK for a great deal: https://aeropress.com

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com

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The Creative Pep Talk Top 5 BEST IDEAS from 2025.

This is a FUN BLITZ through the most essential ideas and tactics from our past year of episodes.

This was exciting and helpful for me to review, and I can’t wait for you to hear this jam packed, end of year episode!
‌

SHOW NOTES:
502 - How to Beat the Analysis Paralysis of "The Right Path"
502 - How to Beat the Analysis Paralysis of "The Right Path"

513 - Why Creatives Have to Build Habits Differently and How to Do It
513 - Why Creatives Have to Build Habits Differently and How to Do It

515 - Want to Quit Social Media? 3 Essential Considerations for Any Creative Practice
515 - Want to Quit Social Media? 3 Essential Considerations for Any Creative Practice

529 - Escape Your Creative Rut with This 5 Part Creative Hygiene Checklist
529 - Escape Your Creative Rut with This 5 Part Creative Hygiene Checklist

532 - THIS is Your Creative Secret Weapon that You’re Ignoring
532 - THIS is Your Creative Secret Weapon that You’re Ignoring

Petey USA on Rainn Wilson’s Soul Boom
Petey USA Leans Into Life

Iain McGilchrist - Master and His Emissary
The Master and His Emissary

Producer / Editor: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.co
Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.co
Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? http://whywithaquestionmark.com

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com

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This was one of my favorite chats!!!

DEEP DIVE with my friend and Filmmaker Seth Worley!

We get into:

1 - Finding the drive to stick to long creative quests, especially when you’re not sure you’re going to reach your goal!

2 - Why to make a proof of concept of your idea and put it out there!

3 - Why the path has to take a long time some times!

4 - A trick for finding your edge among your creative peers!

SHOW NOTES:

Seth Worley
https://sethworley.com

Producer / Editor: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.co
Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.co
Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? http://whywithaquestionmark.com

SPONSORS:
SQUARESPACE
Head to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK

AEROPRESS
Check out Aeropress and use my code PEPTALK for a great deal: https://aeropress.com

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com

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This is a favorite!

Special edition of ask Dr. Pizza episode! This time the questions come from the hosts of the Grupo de Autoayuda de Dibujo podcast! THE CRUSHED IT!

SHOW NOTES:

Grupo de Autoayuda de Dibujo
https://www.instagram.com/grupodeautoayudadedibujo/
https://www.youtube.com/c/GrupodeAutoayudadeDibujo

Producer / Editor: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.co
Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.co
Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? http://whywithaquestionmark.com

SPONSORS:
SQUARESPACE
Head to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK

AEROPRESS
Check out Aeropress and use my code PEPTALK for a great deal: https://aeropress.com

Feeling lost on the creative journey? Download our 7 step Creative Career Path Handbooklet for FREE by signing up to our newsletter: http://andyjpizza.substack.com

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Who doesn’t want better opportunities?

The key is standing out and having a unique creative offering. But that is much easier said than done, when it feels like EVERYTHING has been DONE!

How do you find your edge?

I have had some client opportunities come may way recently that felt SO perfectly custom tailored for me, and it got me thinking: how did these things fall into my lap?

This episode is what I think helped me position my work in a way that attracted those “perfect fit” opportunities and I hope it helps you do the same!

SHOW NOTES:

Landmark School
https://www.landmarkschool.org

“Standing out: an atypical salience account of creativity” Paper
https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(24)00111-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS1364661324001116%3Fshowall%3Dtrue

Producer / Editor: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.co
Audio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.co
Soundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? http://whywithaquestionmark.com

SPONSORS:
SQUARESPACE
Head to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK

AEROPRESS
Check out Aeropress and use my code PEPTALK for a great deal: https://aeropress.com