Two Cranky Creatives: Real Talk & Practical Advice for Surface Designers and Creative Entrepreneurs
Introducing Two Cranky Creatives, the podcast where two seasoned creative entrepreneurs pull back the curtain on the highs and lows of building a creative business. Expect unfiltered, real talk about the challenges, victories, and everything in between that comes with being a creative entrepreneur. Whether you're a fellow creative or just curious about the hustle, join us for candid conversations that go beyond the usual sugar-coated advice.
- Update frequency
- every 12 days
- Average duration
- 51 minutes
- Episodes
- 22
- Years Active
- 2024 - 2025
Cranky and Contract-Savvy: The hidden gotchas in creative contracts
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, Carrie and Toni break down the sneaky language lurking in contracts that could cost you big time. They’ve seen some doozies. Whether you're licensing artwor…
How Cranky Creatives Stay Paid w/Kay Wolfersperger: Multiple Income Streams as a Creative Entrepreneur
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Kay Wolfersperger to tackle a hard truth about making a living in surface design: one income stream jus…
Colorfully Cranky: Using Color in Design w/Ana Bianchi
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, the Cranks are joined by Ana Bianchi—a designer, artist, and color whisperer who says hell no to playing it safe with your palette. Together, they dive deep i…
Unpacking “Cranky”: How to Stay Professional and Calm as a Creative Entrepreneur with Nate Padavik & Salli Swindell
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Nate Padavik and Salli Swindell of Illustrators for Hire. Together, they break down what’s really behin…
Cranky About “Bad” Art: Why Patience and Self-Compassion is Critical with Melissa Johnson
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, Carrie and Toni are joined by Melissa Johnson. Together, they dig into the frustrating yet all-too-familiar challenge of executing the vision you’ve imagined …
The Cranky Creatives Talk Cultural Inspiration vs. Appropriation
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Xhico of Studio Xhico. Together, they tackle a crucial yet often overlooked issue in the surface design …
Art Is Everywhere, So Why Are We Cranky? How Art is Devalued with Julia Barry
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Julia Barry of UpRoot Design Studio. Together, they dive deep into the societal devaluation of art. Fr…
Cranky and Ahead of the Curve: Pitching Schedules and Seasonal Design w/Mandy Corcoran
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Mandy Corcoran of Amanda Grace Design. Together, they unpack the ins and outs of pitching schedules in a…
Cranky, Creative, and Trendy: Designing for Trends w/Cat Coquillette
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Cat Coquillette. Together, they tackle the controversial “T-word” in the creative industry—trends. Is tr…
A Cranky Guide to Creative Confidence w/Janine Vangool
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Janine Vangool of UPPERCASE Magazine. They tackle the myths and realities of creative confidence. Forget…
Tariff Tantrums & Cranky Comebacks: How US Tariffs are Affecting Creative Entrepreneurs
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, Carrie and Toni get (extra) cranky about the new U.S. tariffs—and how they’re shaking up everything from licensing deals to your favorite POD platforms. Spo…
A Cranky Creatives Guide to Facing Rejection w/Mable Tan
NOTE: We had some technical issues near the end of the show with echoes and feedback. Apologies in advance.
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, Mable Tan joins hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Fed…
Social Media Makes Us Cranky as Hell: Practical Advice for Using Social Media as a Creative
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico tackle creatives' complicated relationship with social media. From its highly curated content to the frustration of na…
Cranky Mythbusting: Confronting the "Draw Every Day" Myth
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico take on a popular piece of advice that might be doing more harm than good: the idea that you must draw every day to be…
Cranky About Unrealistic Expectations: How Creatives Classes often Create Unrealistic Expectations w/Stacie Dale
In this episode, Carrie and Toni are joined by Stacie Dale of Surface Design News to dive deep into the world of surface design classes. They explore how these courses can create sky-high expectation…
Cranky Creatives Don’t Work for Exposure: A Chat About Clients who Think We Charge to Much
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico tackle a topic that’s sure to resonate with every artist, designer, and creative entrepreneur: clients who think your …
Ghosted and Cranky: Real Talk About Getting Ghosted by Art Directors and Buyers
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico explore the frustrating, confusing, and often hurtful experience of being ghosted. Whether it’s a client, collaborator…
The Cranks Dish on OPP (Other People's Platforms): The Reality of Selling Your Work on Third-Party Sites
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico dig into the risks of relying on third-party platforms to showcase and sell your art. From sudden algorithm changes to…
Taxes Make us Cranky AF: Decoding US Taxes for Self-Employed Artists w/Hannah Cole
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, Hannah Cole of Sunlight Tax joins hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico to tackle one of the most dreaded topics for creatives: taxes. Taxes can be a minefi…
Cranky and Copied: What to do when your work is stolen
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, co-hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico dive into a topic that makes every artist’s blood boil: stolen artwork. From discovering your designs on unauthoriz…