Inspired by conversations with industry leaders and the creative community at conferences like Crop and Creative South, Mike started The Pencil Pushers Podcast as a way to extend those discussions into an ongoing creative dialogue.
The series explores illustration, animation, lettering, graphic design and more through honest conversations with working creatives. Each episode features designers and artists sharing their career journeys, creative processes, and the lessons learned through years in the creative industry.
From independent illustrators to studio designers and creative directors, The Pencil Pushers Podcast highlights the real stories behind the work and the evolving role of hand-drawn and human-centered design in a digital world.
TUNE IN & GET INSPIRED
From Lisa Congdon and Andreas Dejá to Joey Capps, listen to over 80 episodes with the illustrators, animators, and artists keeping hand-drawn work alive in modern design.
The Pencil Pushers Podcast
One of the most important graphic designers and design thinkers in history, the late Milton Glaser gets deeply philosophical, sometimes brutally honest, critiquing the modern design world, and provides hopeful advice on what can be done.
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The Pencil Pushers Podcast
Liquid Death's Creative Director Will Carsola traces how a career built on humor, DIY grit, and making things for the love of it led to one of the most distinctive brand voices in modern marketing.
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The Pencil Pushers Podcast
Illustrator and Printed Peanut founder Louise Lockhart gets candid about running a creative business on her own terms, choosing personal fulfillment over financial pressure, and what it really takes to sustain a distinctive creative identity over the long term.
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The Pencil Pushers Podcast
Art Director Walter C. Barnett, the creative behind J. Cole's Dreamer brand, talks about building a design career across ESPN, theater, and entertainment, and what it means to develop a visual identity with real cultural weight.
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The Pencil Pushers Podcast
Illustrator and educator Charly Clements opens up about navigating rejection, ADHD, and the gap between creative passion and business know-how, and how pushing through it all led to a thriving career on her own terms.
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