My guest today is Mike Jones, co-founder of Creative South. This episode is a little different, Mike and I sat down in my living room to talk about Weapons of Mass Creation, building relationships, and tons of great food in Cleveland.

My guest this week is Aaron Sechrist, better known to the design world as OK Pants. Aaron has worked with clients like Disney, House of Blues, and Patton Oswalt; as well as having his work featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. We talk about growing up in Cleveland, his blue color work ethic, getting his start out of college designing ads for escorts in the local arts and leisure newspaper, his love for stand-up comedy, and his involvement with Weapons of Mass Creation.

My guest this week is my friend, Johnny Gwin, co-founder of Hummingbird Ideas, Deep Fried Studios, and Container Yard – a co-working space he founded with his wife, Stacy Wellborn – that opened last week. Johnny and I sat down in front of the mics in his podcast studio to talk about his career path, and how a PoliSci major ended up the co-founder of an ad agency, a podcasting studio, and a co-working space.

My guest this week is Bethany Heck. Bethany is currently a creative lead for Microsoft’s Power BI team. Her work has been featured in New York Magazine, The New Yorker, Wired, Smashing Magazine, Uppercase Magazine and several other international publications. In addition to that, she runs Eephus League, an online shop dedicated to the fringes of baseball, and freelances under her company Heck House. Bethany and I talk about, growing up the child of a design professor, her love of baseball, the difference between being a designer and being a creative director, and much more.

My guest this week Is Bryan Garvin, from Weapons of Mass Creation. Bryan and I get into the nitty-gritty details of why you should come to WMCFest. We cover everything from speakers like Stefan Sagmeister and Mark Brickey of Adventures In Design, the incredible workshops on topics like How to Start and Build a Profitable Design Business or Sign painting, the entertaining podcasts, the Cleveland studio tour, and the amazing meet and greets and parties that are planned. If you head over the WMCfest.com between now and July 10th you can get two tickets for the price of one. That’s right, Buy One Get One free. So, bring a friend and head to Cleveland the first week of August for Weapons of Mass Creation!

My guests this week are Drew Hill and Bob Ewing of Inch X Inch. Drew and Bob are life long friends, and currently Art Directors for Element 3 in Indianapolis. After hours they run Inch X inch, a monthly subscription button club. Inch X Inch features different artists each month and donates all of the profits to charities focusing on art in schools. We talk about the birth of their friendship, why the chose the charities they donate to, and their relationship with Busy Beaver Button Co., French Paper, and Mama’s Sauce.

My guest this week is my friend, Scotty Russell. Scotty is an illustrative hand lettering artist, and motivation creative coach, in his spare time he holds down a day job as an in-house creative for an industrial manufacturer in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Scotty and I met last year when he came to Mobile to speak at an AIGA portfolio review. I was truly floored by his story and the message behind it. This year at Creative South he presented a version of that same talk and was greeted with a standing ovation at the end.

Antoinette Carroll is the CEO of Creative Reaction Labs, a non-profit based out of St. Louis, dedicated to using design for social innovation and to improve the human experience. She is also the president of AIGA St Louis, she created and serves as chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative at the local level, and at the national level, she is the Chair of AIGA’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.

My guest this week is Ben Stafford. Ben and his wife Beth own and run Fox Meadow Creative, an Ohio-based design studio specializing in brand identity, illustration, print, and digital graphics. We talk about growing up in Ohio, what it’s like to run a business with your spouse, why adoption is so important to him, and teaching online.

My guest this week is Adam Grason. Adam is a freelance designer based out of Orlando, FL and has worked with clients like Hallmark and Disney. Adam and I talk about his growing up in a rough neighborhood, a series of unfortunate losses that threw him into a deep depression, Adam’s time with Disney, and the ups and does that come with running your own business.