The CMD-Z Show

In the current age (at the time of this episode's posting) of the writers strike and understanding how we can define the value of the creative services we provide, Shelby and Matt sat down to discuss how creatives can establish their worth. From finding your confidence and holding your ground, to the financial ramification of knowing one’s worth, to the value of AI… We cover a lot of ground in this episode of The CMD-Z Show! 

Getting creatives together in one space where they can learn and grow together has always been a challenge, especially once you’re working outside the realm of academia. But at Made By Things, we’ve been creating a place to do just that. In the latest episode of The CMD-Z Show, we chat about creative communities and our new instructional space, the Make Create Club. 

The term “self-promotion” can really make a creative cringe. It’s uncomfortable to just put yourself out there, whether that be on social media, through phone calls and emails, or simply creating demo reels. No one wants to come off as sales-pitchy. So how can a creative effectively promote their work while remaining true to their brand? 

Finding and developing a personal art style is a process every artist goes through. While that process may look a little different for everyone, artists all face the same anxieties, pressure, and cyclical exercise of defining and re-defining what their style looks like. We sat down with Made By Things art director Melissa Lee Johnson to discuss what this process looks like on the latest episode of The CMD-Z Show.

Which came first? The money or the artist? We’ve worked on projects with a wide range of budgets, but it can still be challenging to know when it’s time to get scrappy and when we should really start to push ourselves and our capabilities on a project. In this week’s episode of The CMD-Z Show, Matt and Shelby discuss just how much of an impact finances have on creative projects and creative businesses as a whole. 

You've been on the same track for a long time and it's time for a change. But how? How can you alter the path you’ve been on this whole time? That’s what we asked Nils Root on this week’s episode of The CMD-Z Show.

Matt and Shelby chat with Dylan Menges about his first year back working full-time (as opposed to freelancing).

Imposter syndrome looks different for everyone, especially those working within the creative field. From being a perfectionist to doing everything yourself to becoming an “expert” for self-validation, the feeling that you are impersonating the professionals can take many shapes. Matt and Shelby discuss what imposter syndrome means to them and how creatives can overcome it.

Finding time to have a side project can be challenging, let alone really finishing one. From budget constraints to time commitments to losing steam midway, there can be a lot of challenges in completing a project outside of our usual working hours. But when your work/life balance focuses on the love of the work, this can look very different. This week on The CMD-Z Show, we sat down to discuss Shelby’s latest side project, her feature film “Between the Lines,” which recently premiered and is currently making its way through the film festival circuit. Shelby breaks down how she views completing a side project and the challenges she faces, but also the joys of creating something just for herself with a team she loves. 

At the heart of creativity sits the human urge to make things and tell stories in ways only we as individual creatives can. But, with the rise of Artificial Intelligence, will that all change? What happens to the role of the “maker” when technology can also create? Matt and Shelby sit down with CJ Casciotta to discuss these questions and more in this episode of The CMD-Z Show.