All Episodes
Displaying episodes 31 - 60 of 82 in total
How Do You Find the Right Stories for Clients?
Finding just the right story to encapsulate a client's brand and mission can be a challenge. From understanding your central themes to knowing the story's purpose to d...
What Do You Do When Business Slows Down?
Some seasons are slower that others… And sometimes seasons are impacted by recession and plague. Whatever is happening to make business slow down, you have to be prepa...
What is it like to be the First Employee at a Company? (w/ Colin van't Veld)
When you’re just starting out and you finally hire your first employee, it can be daunting. But what does that look like for the person you’re actually hiring? This we...
How Do You Establish Your Worth as a Creative?
In the current age (at the time of this episode's posting) of the writers strike and understanding how we can define the value of the creative services we provide, She...
How Do You Foster a Creative Community?
Getting creatives together in one space where they can learn and grow together has always been a challenge, especially once you’re working outside the realm of academi...
How Do Creatives Effectively Self-Promote While Remaining True to Their Brand?
The term “self-promotion” can really make a creative cringe. It’s uncomfortable to just put yourself out there, whether that be on social media, through phone calls an...
How Do You Find Your Personal Style? (w/ Melissa Lee Johnson)
Finding and developing a personal art style is a process every artist goes through. While that process may look a little different for everyone, artists all face the s...
How Do You Manage the Financial Side of a Creative Project?
Which came first? The money or the artist? We’ve worked on projects with a wide range of budgets, but it can still be challenging to know when it’s time to get scrappy...
How Do You Change Career Paths? (w/ Nils Root)
You've been on the same track for a long time and it's time for a change. But how? How can you alter the path you’ve been on this whole time? That’s what we asked Nils...
How Was Your First Year Back Being Full Time? (w/ Dylan Menges)
Matt and Shelby chat with Dylan Menges about his first year back working full-time (as opposed to freelancing).
How Do You Overcome Imposter Syndrome?
Imposter syndrome looks different for everyone, especially those working within the creative field. From being a perfectionist to doing everything yourself to becoming...
How Do You Actually Finish a Side Project?
Finding time to have a side project can be challenging, let alone really finishing one. From budget constraints to time commitments to losing steam midway, there can b...
What is the Role of Technology in the Future of Creativity? (w/ CJ Casciotta)
At the heart of creativity sits the human urge to make things and tell stories in ways only we as individual creatives can. But, with the rise of Artificial Intelligen...
How was Your Second Year of Freelance? (w/ Audrey Stemen)
Matt and Shelby catch up with Audrey Stemen to discuss her second year of freelancing. Check out last year's episode to hear more from Audrey!
How Do You Give Effective Feedback to Help Your Employees Grow?
Matt and Shelby discuss what goes into effective feedback and how reviews should be constructed to help your team grow.
How to Handle A Project After Saying "Yes," When You Should Have Said "No"?
Matt and Shelby discuss setting boundaries with projects, understanding red and green flags, and how to handle projects you've said "yes" to, when you probably should ...
End of Year Review: What Were Your Goals and Where are You Now?
Matt and Shelby discuss the goals Made By Things had for this year and where we are now. This is a great episode for anyone looking to reflect on their past year and l...
What Does Being a "Creative Director" Mean?
Matt and Shelby discuss the meaning behind being a creative director and how one can effectively lead a creative team.
Rapid Fire Questions - Business and Budgeting
Matt and Shelby answer questions about business and budgeting from young creatives, covering everything from social media, distributing work, buying and renting equipm...
How Can Creatives Start a Business on a Budget?
Matt and Shelby discuss what goes into starting a business from scratch and how to accomplish your goals on a tight budget.
How Can Small Creative Business Owners Create Better Financial Strategies?
Matt and Shelby discuss tax strategies for small creative businesses with accountant and tax advisor Eric Thiergartner.
Does Creative Block Exist and Where Can You Find Inspiration?
Matt and Shelby discuss the existence of creative block, how creatives can break it, and how to find inspiration.
How Do You Handle "Bad" Clients?
Matt and Shelby discuss how to handle "bad" clients.... and if bad clients even truly exist.
How Do Creatives Handle Bad Days? (w/ Jeromy Laux)(Part 2)
Matt and Shelby discuss how to handle the bad (and good) days (or months) with Jeromy Laux from Laux Creative. This is a follow up to when Jeromy appeared on The CMD-Z...
How Can Young and New Creatives Stand Out? (Part Two)
Matt and Shelby discuss how creatives can get into the industry. This is part two of our last discussion.
How Can Young and New Creatives Stand Out?
Matt and Shelby discuss how to stand out as a young or new creative just entering the industry as a freelancer or full-time artist.
How Do You Build a Creative Team? (w/ Lacey Picazo)
Matt and Shelby discuss how to build a creative team and maintain a healthy workplace with Lacey Picazo of ZoCo Design.
Is 10-Year-Old You Proud of You Now?
To celebrate Matt's birthday, Matt and Shelby discuss whether their ten-year-old selves would be proud of themselves now and the importance of self-reflection.
How Can You Build a Creative Community?
Matt and Shelby discuss how to find and build creative communities and discuss their value.
