podcast
The Autonomous Creative
how do they really do it?
So, are you just supposed to quit your day job? How do you actually make a living? Where do paying fans magically materialize from? Join Jessica Abel as she dives deep into the reality of life as a creative pro — the stuff no professional practice class ever really prepares you for.
Featuring cartoonists, writers, podcasters, small-press publishers, and creative professionals such as Oliver Burkeman, Alison Bechdel, Tom Hart, Alexander Chee, Gene Luen Yang, C. Spike Trotman, Tomm Moore, and many more. Listen, learn, and collaborate with us to make something great.
Host Jessica Abel is a cartoonist, author, and business coach for creatives, and the founder of the Creative Focus Workshop. She helps accomplished creative professionals finish their most important work and build expertise-based businesses that generate reliable income without consuming their creative life.
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There's no magic creative career fairy
You've got the creative skills, and you've got the ideas. How do you translate that into actually building a sustainable career?
Enter The Autonomous Creative: A talk show where we dive deep into the unseen reality of what it means to be a professional creative and to build a life around creative work.
Featuring
- Alison Bechdel
- Tom Hart
- Alexander Chee
- Austin Kleon
- Oliver Burkeman
- Sarah Firth
- Sarah Von Bargen
- Gene Luen Yang
- And many more!
— Crowdcast user APetty
"Such an informative and enriching conversation!"
All Podcast Episodes and Show Notes
Boundaries, balance, and burnout, with Shannon Wright
Listen to the episode: I can understand when people are just like, “oh, I’m posting all the time cause I don’t want to be forgotten” and all those other things, but that is also going to lead to a type of high expectation that you’re putting on yourself—and burnout that you’ll have a hard time…
Writing 1.3 million words (and learning how to slow down), with Sonia Simone
Why not put your best stuff in front of the biggest room? On this episode, I’m joined by writer, marketer, teacher, and Creative Focus Workshop alumni, Sonia Simone. Sonia goes into detail about her two major career pivots, including how she went from “fan-girl” to founding partner at Rainmaker Digital, formerly CopyBlogger Media. She describes…
Nurturing your creative ecosystem, with Didier William
Listen to the episode: “Labor is not a sexy thing to talk about in the art world. We would rather talk about genius and talent and skill, but it’s labor.” Didier William In this episode, I’m joined by contemporary painter and printmaker Didier William. Didier’s incredible work explores the diasporan experience, as well as what…
Being protective of your creative time (and saying no), with Myla Goldberg
Listen to the episode: “You have to protect that time because no one’s going to protect it for you, and no one’s going to give it to you. Only you can give it to you.” On this episode, I’m joined by my long-time friend, novelist Myla Goldberg. In 2000, Myla found breakout success with her…
Creative problem solving and creative self-care, with Victoria Lansford
Listen to the episode: On this episode of the Autonomous Creative, I’m joined by metalsmith, Victoria Lansford. Victoria specializes in old world metalsmithing techniques, like Russian Filigree and Eastern Repoussé, and passes these skills onto others through her many workshops and videos. Victoria calls creative problem solving her ‘ultimate superpower’, and she’s hardly exaggerating. Whether…
Challenging the dominant culture— intent vs. interpretation with Ronald Wimberly
Listen to the episode: There are moments when your work clicks for people— they see what you’re trying to put together— and that’s when you feel great about what you’re doing with your work.And there might be other times when people aren’t quite following. The breadcrumbs just aren’t enough to lead them through the forest.When…
Building a healthy relationship with your creative work, with Nicole Lewis-Keeber
Listen to the episode: Are you in a healthy relationship with your business? With your creative practice? Or is it unrequited love? On this episode of The Autonomous Creative, I talk to psychologist, author and business therapist, Nicole Lewis-Keeber. As a business therapist, Nicole uses her eighteen years of experience as a clinical social worker…
When it’s time to walk away from a creative career (and why that’s totally OK), with Julia DeWitt
Listen to the episode: Julia DeWitt spent most of 2020 at a Zen Buddhist monastery and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work. So…why is she on the Autonomous Creative? Because for the prior eight years, she had an incredibly successful career in podcasting.I met Julia in 2012, while she was l interning…
What does it actually take to find 1,000 True Fans? with Matt Madden
Listen to the episode: What does it actually take to find 1,000 True Fans? Seriously, where are they hiding? Your work is amazing. You’re constantly promoting on social media. You already know that your creative business isn’t bringing in the kind of money you need…especially in a reasonable time frame. So, why is that? Finding…
How to go from making some money to making a living as a creative, with Matt Madden
Listen to the episode: I’ve been thinking and talking a lot with creative people about how they make a living, how they struggle with money, and what they might do differently to bring in a reasonable income. It comes up in virtually every coaching call. I talk about it with friends. I ask people rude…