Our 5 Favorite Podcasts on Creative Business and Artistic Life

With our increasingly mobile and flexible lives, it makes sense that many of us are turning away from reading and towards more mobile forms of consuming good content. While we’re avid readers, we’ve been getting tons of inspiration from podcasts recently, and the medium for content sharing is exponentially growing. 

Listening to podcasts has allowed us to soak in super useful content and stay connected to even more people in our space by hearing their stories. That said: there are a LOT of options out there, and while we have subscribed and have listened to over 60 podcasts relevant to makers, there are really only a few that we love and recommend. 

Here are the podcasts we’ve found to be consistently inspirational and on-point: 

1. Creating Your Own Path

In this weekly podcast, Jennifer Snyder interviews creative business owners and makers. She’s got a recent segment on brick & mortar business (super relevant to those growing wholesale) and her interview style is personable and warm. Each episode is titled with it’s big takeaways and we’re impressed with Jen’s selection and range of interviewees (such a huge range of female thought leaders in the creative space). Check out Episode 91 with Tina Essmaker of the Great Discontent. 

2.  Elise Gets Crafty

If you go to the Elise Joy website, Elise’s intro is “I'm Elise and I make stuff. That's who I am and that's my job.” Elise Gets Crafty takes Elise’s experience as a creative business ownerand combines it with informative and fun interviews with other small business makers, writers, and designers. There’s a new episode every couple of weeks. Her episode with Julie Ann Art is great - it tracks how Julie’s system for online sales has evolved from 2014 to 2016.  We’re also fans of Episode 91 (where we talked to her about jumping into wholesale)  :)

3. The Distance

“What’s the hardest thing about business? Not going out of business.” That’s the premise behind The Distance, a podcast by Basecamp. They interview individuals who own companies that have been around for 25 years or more, and their interviews range from people who manufacture guitars to funeral home directors. It’s fascinating to hear from individuals who have a long-term perspective on business ownership and what it takes to sustain a business model. We recommend starting with the Unchanging Gears episode with John Stallworth, where he talks about how to build a business that can anchor a community.

4. How I Built This

How I Built This interviews founders of top brands (think: Patagonia, Warby Parker, Southwest Airlines) and asks not only how they built their companies but also the work culture and movements that made them successful. Guy Raz hosts the podcast and these interviews feed our aspirations on business ownership. The very first episode features Sara Blakely of Spanx, and we highly, highly recommend listening to that one!

5.  Death Sex & Money 

While this one might not be so directly linked to makers and creative business, we find that artists and creatives are often some of the most willing to engage in difficult, thought provoking conversations. Many of us are sparked by the big questions, and we find Anna Sale, the host of Death Sex & Money, to be refreshing, inspirational, and original. This podcast will help you feel less crazy and more connected.

Need even more? Check out Raise Your Hand Say Yes, Tara Swiger, and Dear Handmade Life. 

Happy listening!