Creative Slash

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Ep. 061 – Brandon Campbell – Mesmerizing Pen and Ink, Mid-Century Magic, and Drawing Without a Net

2026-11-0601:36:57

Most illustrators sketch first and ink later. Most of us also keep one finger hovering over undo. Brandon Campbell does neither. He puts down shapes of color, then draws straight on top in pen and ink, and whatever happens is what happened. So how does someone end up working with no safety net, and why does it look so effortless when he does it? In this episode, we talk with Brandon about his path from broadcast design at Comedy Central and CNN to a full-time illustration career built on pen,...

Ep. 060 – Oliver Barrett – 300 Pee-wee Posters, Hidden Curses, and Getting Fired Into a Career

2026-10-2901:44:47

Most illustration careers look like a straight line from the outside. Big clients, iconic posters, a portfolio full of names you recognize. Oliver Barrett's started with 300 Pee-wee Herman prints, 12 sales, and a box of leftovers he eventually abandoned in a Cleveland basement. In this episode, we talk with Oliver about how he went from Go Media's first employee to making posters and key art for Mondo, ESPN, Nike, Pearl Jam, and John Wick 4. But the real conversation is about the messy middle...

Ep. 059 – Jess Goldsmith of Women of Type – Cottage Cheese, Bob Lazar, and Why You Are the Niche

2026-10-2201:44:39

Most creatives have heard the advice a hundred times. Pick a lane. Niche down. Be known for one thing. But what happens when the thing you're known for is just you? Doodles one day, glossy dimensional lettering the next, hot pink whenever the brief allows it, and a pencil hair clip you designed because you wanted one to exist. In this episode, we talk with Jess Goldsmith, the Brooklyn-raised lettering artist and illustrator behind Chick of All Trade and the founder of Women of Type. On the su...

Ep. 058 – Clinton Campbell of Studio MUTI – From T-Shirt Label to Global Studio, Scattergories, and Low-Ego Leadership

2026-10-1601:11:01

Illustration is supposed to be a solo sport. One person, one style, one desk. So how does a studio at the bottom of Africa keep a whole team of illustrators working under one name for fifteen years without the egos getting in the way? In this episode, we talk with Clinton Campbell, co-founder and creative director of MUTI in Cape Town, South Africa. Clint tells us how MUTI grew out of a streetwear label he started with his brother, and why the early internet mattered so much when your clients...

Ep. 057 – Matt Dawson – An Orange in the Door, a Cobain Jaguar, and the Freedom of a Day Job

2026-10-0901:37:25

The dream we were all sold was going out on your own. Your own clients, your own hours, your name on the door. But what if freedom looks different once you've lived that dream for a while? In this episode, we talk with designer and CROP founder Matt Dawson about his first-ever CROP Field Trip to Cleveland, his guitars and records, and a band that sounds like Weezer and the Pixies had a baby. Underneath it is a bigger story. After seven years of running his own thing, Matt realized his p...

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