The Friendly Unknown

In this episode, I chat with illustrator and cartoonist, Leon Edler. Leon’s bright and cleverly simple hand drawn illustrations are a delight to look at. It’s no wonder he’s worked with a host of impressive clients such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, CNN, Warby Parker, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, and more.

Leon is really funny, insightful and generous with his story. We discuss how a creative career is a process, and you just have to take it step by step. How we were both pretty miserable at the beginning of our careers because we based our self-worth on getting commissions, and how we both wish we had relaxed and enjoyed the process more.

Leon also gives some excellent advice on what to do if you’re feeling like your career is taking a while to get started and you’re not sure what to do in the mean time.

Leon is also a co-founder of Room Fifty, the amazing art print site that curates artwork from today’s top illustrators. Some of my favorite artists have work on there, so if you’re in the market for beautiful artwork to hang in your home or gift to a friend, definitely check out roomfifty.com.

In this episode I chat with New York based illustrator, Amber Vittoria. Amber’s colorful and abstract depictions of the female form aim to dismantle societal stereotypes that are placed upon women. She has worked with clients such as Gucci, The New York Times, Adidas, Facebook, Warby Parker, K-Swiss, Snapchat and the list goes on. She also creates a lot of personal work, and that allows her to not only express herself, but to also keep pushing her ideas and craft forward.

Amber generously shares how she’s managed to accrue such an impressive list of clients, and she goes into detail about her process for reaching out to brands for collaborations. It was super refreshing to hear how proactive Amber is in reaching out to clients to create opportunities. I think it’s easy to assume that most of her clients come knocking on her door, but as she explains, it’s actually kind of the opposite. 

Amber has a great head for business and I’m really excited to share this episode because she’s so open with her trade secrets. I was really inspired by our chat and I know you will be too.

In this episode I speak with illustrator and graphic designer Leena Kisonen about money. We discuss the ways both of us made the transition from working full time in an office to taking the leap into freelance life, we talk about how to discuss money with clients, resources Leena recommends for knowing how much to charge for your work, how to re-frame money in a positive way if you have negative feelings around it, and much more.

In this episode I interview my friend, Meredith Dylan. She’s an astrologist, numerologist, improve comedian, guide, and all around bright light. We dive into the topic of intuition; what it is, how you can hear your own, how you can cultivate it, how it helps you navigate your life and career, and so much more. As she says “Intuition exists in everyone, everywhere, all the time.”

In this introduction to the podcast, the script is flipped and Allison’s best friend Pace interviews her about her intentions for the podcast. Hijinks, as well as deep conversation, ensue.