This Bonus week on GuildCast is our potentially final episode from the South and features a creative professional in our region, William Warren of The Sketch Effect.

For this conversation with Guild South Region Reps and Graphic Artists Tammy, Crisy and Terrence, William talks about his journey as the founder of The Sketch Effect in Georgia. The creative business uses expertise on visual communication to “make ideas more understandable and actionable”. Creating said business around that has its own unique aspects to consider, along with experiences similar to most creative professionals. The process of adding business sense to creativity, work-life-passion balance and an awesome comparison between the art of BBQ and the art of a design business are topics of this conversation. Expanding on the topic of food, we also get William’s description of his art style via self-assigned flavor choice in It Came From The South: Region Highlight.

GuildCast is a weekly podcast created + curated for graphic artists and creatives based on the 3 pillars of the Graphic Artists Guild: Advocacy, Community, Business Resources.

Join the Guild at www.graphicartistsguild.org to listen to the full version of this episode.

The 16th edition of the Guild Handbook stands on the backs of the 15 editions published since its inception. Released May 2021, we brought together a few of the people involved in its creation and continuation, Linda Secondari, Ed Shems and Jessica Abel, Cartoonist, Educator and Writer of the 16th foreword.

Listen as these 3 talk about the benefits of the book on each of their professional journeys and how it empowers us all to take a stand for our valuable place in the world. Some chapters have become staples in all our careers and have stood the test of time, while others have brand new information relevant to the current times. 35 years has done a lot for Pricing & Ethical Guidelines and this conversation will get you a little more acquainted with our “industry bible”. The GuildCast Resources episode this week, What’s New in the Guild Handbook is an introduction to more episodes on the resource dedicated to the upliftment of graphic artists and creatives everywhere.

GuildCast is a weekly podcast created + curated for graphic artists and creatives based on the 3 pillars of the Graphic Artists Guild: Advocacy, Community, Business Resources.

Join the Guild at www.graphicartistsguild.org to listen to the full version of this episode.

40 million Americans are currently living with anxiety, and if you’re a creative, it’s likely that you’re one of them. In 2019 we initiated a series for our members to connect by focusing on personal growth to enhance the journey towards professional goals.

For this Community episode we share a session on Anxiety from the series with Leadership & Athletic Coach, Author and Entrepreneur, Bill Edson. After retiring from the US Army Bill was forced to cope with experiences that lead to his method of dealing with anxiety in his everyday life. Whether you're a former combat medic or CEO of your creative business, these tools can be beneficial to your personal and professional success. 5 components of overcoming anxiety is the topic of this conversation for Member Connect w/ Bill Edson.

GuildCast is a weekly podcast created + curated for graphic artists and creatives based on the 3 pillars of the Graphic Artists Guild: Advocacy, Community, Business Resources.

Join the Guild at www.graphicartistsguild.org to listen to the full version of this episode.

Over half a century ago, the Graphic Artists Guild was born out of necessity in the Midwest. In an Avenger-type joining of forces, graphic artists came together to create change in our industry.

Rebecca Blake, Advocacy Liaison for the Guild and Design Director for Optimum Design & Consulting takes us back in time to the beginning. From our first strike and the 20-page first edition of our Guild Handbook, to becoming a co-sponsor of the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee and influencing local laws, we came out swinging early. In fact, we had to pause the history lesson part way and will be following up with part 2 of the conversation with Cartoonist, Bill Morse guiding us along the timeline. Learn how we’ve advocated over 50+ years for the rights of graphic artists in Rebecca Talks…the Guild’s History of Advocacy.

GuildCast is a weekly podcast created + curated for graphic artists and creatives based on the 3 pillars of the Graphic Artists Guild: Advocacy, Community, and Business Resources.

Join the Guild at www.graphicartistsguild.org to listen to the full version of this episode.

If you’ve been around in the last decade you’ve noticed how influential social media has become. Creative Director, internationally-exhibited Fine Artist and Guild Board Member, Yanique DaCosta is one of our very own who has extended her talents to mastering the social media world, and is here to help us all do the same.

For this GuildCast Bonus episode, Yanique shares basics like the most popular platforms, which one to choose for visual artists, getting the algorithm on your side and actionable tips for increasing engagement. Does any of that sound like a different language? Luckily, Social Media for Creatives is a great way to learn the language, basics and build on those basics despite the platform you choose.

GuildCast is a weekly podcast created + curated for graphic artists and creatives based on the 3 pillars of the Graphic Artists Guild: Advocacy, Community, Business Resources.

Join the Guild at www.graphicartistsguild.org to view the webinar handout and listen to the full version of this episode.

Thinking of becoming a freelancer but don’t know where to start? We have a Resource for that.

The Guild’s webinar archive is a treasure trove of information for graphic artists who want to elevate their creative business at any stage. Whether you need to learn more about mastering social media skills, going green or how to avoid mistakes along the way, we’ve got a long list of successful creative professionals who have shared their knowledge for the benefit of the industry.

As we continue to give our audience a peek into this resource we provide freely to our members, we’re taking it back to the basics. Get your notebooks out for this week’s GuildCast Resources episode, How To Become a Successful Freelancer with Dawn Mitchell, full-time freelance Graphic Designer. What it means to be a freelancer, FAQs for new freelancers, getting your first clients, doing your taxes and Q&A are all on the agenda so get ready to learn and earn.

GuildCast is a weekly podcast created + curated for graphic artists and creatives based on the 3 pillars of the Graphic Artists Guild: Advocacy, Community, Business Resources.

Join the Guild at www.graphicartistsguild.org to listen to the full version of this episode.

One of the best things about being a part of a creative community is the opportunity to connect, learn and share with like-minded individuals. Out of our three pillars, community is a top rated favorite among members and friends of the Guild family, no matter their area of expertise.

In this week's Community episode of GuildCast, Guild Members Ed Shems and Joe Kandra chat with fellow artist Jannie Ho. Cartoonists by trade, we hear these three creative professionals connecting via shared experiences in the cartoonist world. Drawing friends and family plus other sources of inspiration, book publishing tips and repurposing content and, the difference between comic work and commercial illustration portfolios are all points of conversation in GuildCast Community: Cartoonists Connect w/ Ed, Joe and Jannie.

GuildCast is a weekly podcast created + curated for graphic artists and creatives based on the 3 pillars of the Graphic Artists Guild: Advocacy, Community, Business Resources.

Join the Guild at www.graphicartistsguild.org to listen to the full version of this episode.

The Graphic Artists Guild has been advocating for artists’ rights since the 70s and interestingly enough, many artists have no idea why it matters. In recent campaigns we’ve even seen some artists confidently shun advocacy efforts, questioning why it’s necessary and why they should care. This Advocacy episode of GuildCast answers this important question, Why is Advocacy Important for Graphic Artists?

Standing up for yourself and your community can take on many forms like securing better pricing & contract negotiations, and even testifying before Congress. Taking these actions have brought graphic artists many rights that some take for granted. Listen to Guild Advocacy Liaison Rebecca Blake talk in depth with Guild Members and Illustrators Ed Shems and Bill Morse on how important it’s been for them to participate in the fight to take down industry bullies. Then, stay tuned to the next Advocacy episode to learn exactly how we’ve advocated for artists over 50 years.

GuildCast is a weekly podcast created + curated for graphic artists and creatives based on the 3 pillars of the Graphic Artists Guild: Advocacy, Community, Business Resources.

Join the Guild at www.graphicartistsguild.org to listen to the full version of this episode.

Feedback can be a tricky subject. Whether giving or receiving, sometimes it’s difficult to assess where to draw the line in life and, as a designer or graphic artist. But what does feedback have to do with whiskey?

The south has been known to appreciate a good bourbon and, as we are home to the top-selling American whiskey in the world, we observed the correlations between whiskey and feedback. This conversation with a portion of our South team, Crisy, Terrence and Camille compares how feedback affects the creative process of designers to that of feedback for bartenders, musicians and other creatives.

Do we always know what’s best as professional designers and creators, or do we close our eyes and give the client what they want? Do you drink whiskey on the rocks or straight up? The culture of whiskey and feedback is our topic this week for It Came From The South on GuildCast.

GuildCast is a weekly podcast created + curated for graphic artists and creatives based on the 3 pillars of the Graphic Artists Guild: Advocacy, Community, Business Resources.

Join the Guild at www.graphicartistsguild.org to listen to the full version of this episode.

Our Guild Webinars are geared towards giving our community useful, actionable tools and advice to support their journey as creative professionals. In supporting any journey, anywhere, social media is usually a top point of conversation, especially Instagram.

This week’s Resources episode of GuildCast is hosted by Creative Director of theYKMD, internationally-exhibited Fine Artist and Guild Board Member, Yanique DaCosta. She shares her social media prowess that was able to grow her engaged following from 2k to 10k including when to post, how to tell a story, what to post and how to convert followers to customers in Instagram for Graphic Designers. Her education is great for graphic artists and pretty much anyone who uses social media. Stay tuned for more from this South region creative professional who’s worked with the likes of Norwegian Cruise Lines and HBO. Get your notebooks or download the handout and get ready to up your Insta-game.

GuildCast is a weekly podcast created + curated for graphic artists and creatives based on the 3 pillars of the Graphic Artists Guild: Advocacy, Community, Business Resources.

Join the Guild at www.graphicartistsguild.org to view the webinar handout and listen to the full version of this episode.