Podcast · 111 episodes

Creative Pep Talk

by Andy J. Pizza · English

A Weekly Podcast Companion for Your Creative Journey Transform your creative potential into reality by making your creativity a practice. A “creative discipline” can feel like an oxymoron. Creativity is about doing something new. Discipline is about doing something consistently. The aim of this podcast is to help you strike that elusive balance. Each week, New York Times Bestselling Author Illustrator Andy J. Pizza shares everything he’s learning about building a thriving creative practice. Through solo episodes and interviews with top-tier creatives, Pizza brings you the strategies and stories that you need week in and week out to keep your inner critic at bay, bust through creative blocks and stay creatively pepped to the max!! Learn more: creativepeptalk.com Check out the host: andyjpizza.com

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Latest episodes

575 - An Alternative to Habits for Creative Brains with ADHD Neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le CunffReplacing rigid habit-building with “pacts” and “tiny experiments” for ADHD/creative brains—using nonjudgmental self-observation, curiosity, and data analysis (internal + external signals) to adapt…30 Sep 2026 · 41 min

574 - 3 Things to Do When You Can’t Change Your CircumstanceHow to keep creating when you can’t change your circumstance; shift from resisting to changing the “how” via autonomy.23 Sep 2026 · 25 min

573 - Need More Joy? How Creativity is the Discipline in Optimism Tina Roth EisenbergCreativity as “a discipline in optimism”—staying open, shipping work, and using deadlines/community to counter jadedness and cancel-culture negativity.16 Sep 2026 · 41 min

All episodes

572 - Listen to Unlock Flow Now, Prep for Big Projects and Courage to Put Yourself Out ThereA creative pep talk focused on overcoming resistance to starting/finishing projects, “unlocking flow,” and managing ADHD/neurodivergent creativity (fear of being seen, novelty vs.9 Sep 2026 · 47 min · 13 chapters

571 - How to Escape Creative Paralysis According to Studies, Science and Real Life Stories with David EpsteinHow to escape creative paralysis by using constraints, deadlines, and “rope” (familiar scaffolding) to force better ideas; includes “shrink the problem space” as a method for creative experiments.2 Sep 2026 · 1 h 3 min · 25 chapters

570 - The 3 Part Process I Use to Actually Get Creative Stuff DoneA neurodivergent-friendly, “interest-based” method to get creative work done, framed as a dog’s “sniffing” curiosity.26 Aug 2026 · 24 min · 7 chapters

569 - Making Things Happen, Create on Command, Changing Direction with Asher PerlmanHow to keep creativity moving when “going with the flow” hits a brick wall; using constraints, structure, and decision-making to create on command; balancing surprise with audience expectations in…19 Aug 2026 · 1 h 6 min · 19 chapters

568 - Make Finishing Strong Fun, Where to Find Ideas & Create an Influence Shelf w Sophie BlackallHow to “finish strong” creatively—recovering fun when a project feels over-plotted or joyless; where book ideas come from; authorship, specificity, and critique; and the role of community in…12 Aug 2026 · 49 min · 15 chapters

567 - Find What to Focus On Next with These FrameworksUnplugged “ask Dr. Pizza” episode where Andy Pizza explains what frameworks he uses to decide what to focus on next during creative transitions, then teases a Q&A format.5 Aug 2026 · 41 min · 25 chapters

566 - Creative Strategy: Less Social Media, Income Streams & 3 EssentialsCreative strategy for artists who want to rely less on social media, build resilient income streams, and use “strategy” (starting with the end in mind) rather than “algorithm bargaining.”29 Jul 2026 · 1 h 2 min · 20 chapters

565 - What Type of Creator Are You? Unlock Your Style with Katie & Ilana of GoodtypeFinding your creative voice and style. The hosts argue that “style” shouldn’t mean a tiny, fixed aesthetic; instead, it’s a consistent thread of who you are.22 Jul 2026 · 43 min · 15 chapters

564 - Unlock Creative Drive, Peace and Clarity with This FrameworkA creative pep talk for people whose circumstances (grief, betrayal, heartbreak, job/market shifts, ADHD/neurodivergence) have disrupted their creative drive.15 Jul 2026 · 30 min · 13 chapters

563 - Find Your Inner Writer, What You Want to Say and See Your Ideas with Halsey BerrymanFinding your “inner writer” as an illustrator/artist—how to identify a unique point of view, bridge aesthetics to authorship, and turn personal noticing into a book or message.8 Jul 2026 · 32 min · 12 chapters

562 - Show the Real You, Why the Death of Insta isn't All Bad, Do Your Thing by Being Part of Something Bigger & ADHDAuthentic creativity for illustrators/designers—stripping ego, resisting “cool”/trend-chasing, and why Instagram’s decline may help.1 Jul 2026 · 1 h 17 min · 25 chapters

561 - The Best Case for Not Fearing AI, Help with Email and Creative Diet with Cal NewportCal Newport returns to discuss “not fearing AI” and how to regain humanness through technology, plus practical systems for productivity and creative consumption.24 Jun 2026 · 1 h 14 min · 28 chapters

560 - Get Back to Passion, Ignore the Internet, Reorient to "Bad" Creative Feelings and Find Your Next SeasonAn “ADHD grab bag” creative pep talk about getting back to passion, ignoring internet/social-media incentives, embracing “bad” feelings (resistance, disappointment, jealousy vs.17 Jun 2026 · 40 min · 10 chapters

559 - Make Before Thinking, Sales Mode, Get Weird with It, The Opposite of Depression and MORE with Austin KleonAustin Kleon discusses how to overcome fear and an overactive inner critic/editor to get back into playful creativity, plus how to “make before thinking,” schedule playtime, and handle the…10 Jun 2026 · 1 h 11 min · 23 chapters

558 - Start, Do, Finish: Get Around What's Blocking You from Doing StuffCreative block isn’t one problem; it’s many obstacles (inner resistance, lack of resources/opportunity, imposter syndrome, analysis paralysis, executive dysfunction/ADHD).3 Jun 2026 · 24 min · 8 chapters

557 - Finding Your Scene, IRL Creativity, the Hopeful Return of Indie / DIY with Hanif AbdurraqibFinding “your scene” and how local place shapes creativity. The episode argues that genius is often collective and rooted in geography, not a lone, rare individual.27 May 2026 · 1 h 4 min · 21 chapters

*FIXED SEE SHOW NOTES* 556 - Make This Shift to Reclaim Your Creative Spirit from Your PhoneThe host argues that smartphones (especially via follower-count validation) can hijack artists’ identities and attention, replacing real-life connection and creative vulnerability.20 May 2026 · 29 min · 8 chapters

555 - Overcome Dead Ends & Open Up to New Directions with Hrishikesh HirwayHow to escape creative dead ends and ruts by opening up to new directions—through coaching, deconstruction, collaboration, and rejecting “right way” achievement thinking.13 May 2026 · 1 h · 21 chapters

554 - Get Back to Creativity that Actually Helps Your Mental Health with Gemma CorrellCreativity and mental health—how making art (especially autobiographical comics/graphic memoir) can be cathartic, but also become pressured/identity-driven; plus how to share personal work and keep…6 May 2026 · 50 min · 16 chapters

553 - Recover Sense of Self & Creative Voice with These 6 Juicy PromptsHow to recover sense of self and creative voice using six “juicy prompts” drawn from the host’s neurodivergent audio memoir series Right Side Out; emphasizes unmasking, self-kindness, and using art…29 Apr 2026 · 46 min · 17 chapters

552 - Listen to This if You Need Help Remembering Who You Are (Right Side Out 1 of 6) *RE-AIR*Re-air of Creative Pep Talk episode 552, launching Right Side Out (audio memoir/pep talk).22 Apr 2026 · 48 min · 15 chapters