In this episode, we speak with professional illustrator and lettering artist Mary Kate McDevitt on how she's built a fulfilling career stemming from personal design projects that snowballed into dream clients. She’s worked with major brands like Target, Nike, Panera, New York Times, Johnson & Johnson, and AT&T (to name a few).

Many creatives feel like they struggle with getting a foot in the door in the industry, especially in an era ruled by the pressure of algorithms and chaotic news cycles. Mary Kate shares why returning to analog methods can reignite artistic joy that translates to paid work and how freelancers can confidently price their illustrations to win new business. From her Vermont barn studio, she reminds us that creativity thrives where curiosity and real-world making meet.

In this episode, we’re chatting with Tom Froese, an Award-Winning Illustrator, Top Teacher on Skillshare who has led over 120,000 students, and the host of the podcast Thoughts on Illustration. Tom has illustrated for clients like Yahoo!, Airbnb, GQ, and The Wall Street Journal. He’s best known for his brightly colored maps and illustration work made with expressive shapes and printmaking-inspired textures.

In this episode, we cover finding a unique career path as an illustrator in a crowded space, how to develop a signature style, and ways to increase visibility towards getting more work. Tom shares how he deals with burnout, leans in on what comes naturally to maximize his talent, and shares ideas for young illustrators to get a foot in the door.

In this episode, we're talking with Evante Daniels about Cultural Physics and how to build resonance that's felt, remembered, and trusted through design and marketing. Evante is the founder and Chief Strategy Officer at SEEQER, a cultural intelligence firm. His professional background spans industrial design, brand strategy, and marketing leadership.

For many creatives, the concept of “culture” feels like something that moves independently of us, making it difficult to gauge its importance in strategic decision-making. But it’s not guesswork. Evante shares how we can define and work intentionally with the forces shaping collective perception. We cover what cultural physics is, why it matters to designers and marketers, and how to actually work with culture instead of trying to get lucky.

Grace Ling is the Founder of Design Buddies - a massive design community hosted both online and in-real-life events. She is a UX designer, product designer, illustrator, community builder, content creator, competitive runner, and a world traveler with visits to over 40 countries stamped on her passport.

She’s built a huge personal brand across various social media networks, spoken at over 100 events, and has been featured in New York Times Square and Wall Street Journal. Her career also includes several design roles at Electronic Arts (EA).

This episode features a live conversation with Grace where over 100 attendees joined to listen in. We cover how to get started with building a personal brand, what to focus on as you grow, and what to avoid as well. 

Frank Bach is a Staff Product Designer at Instagram, formerly at Headspace. He's interested in the relationship between mindfulness and creativity: how meditation can empower you to be a stronger designer and more engaged contributor. His work spans product, growth and brand design – and on the side, he also runs an online store and tours with his punk band, Monk.

Mick Champayne is a designer on the Google Doodles & Delight team, who moonlights as an illustrator. In a nutshell, she loves internet culture, navel-gazing about the future, and connecting people through visual storytelling and concept-driven design. From doodles to design, she's always scheming ways to inject a little personality and friendliness into anything she makes.