The CMD-Z Show: Recent Episodes
Matt Vojacek & Shelby Hagerdon
Ever wish life had an undo button?
The CMD-Z Show, hosted by Matt Vojacek and Shelby Hagerdon, seeks to provide answers to the big questions that hound creative minds at night. With a new guest each week, hear unique perspectives from creatives on running a business, maintaining your mental health, finding your voice, and more. Presented by Made By Things — this is the CMD-Z Show.
Have a question you want us to discuss? Send us a message at question@cmdz.show
Learn more about Matt and Shelby at madebythings.com
Pitching can be hard and timeconsuming for both sides of a project. With a lot of unspoken and unwritten rules, we dive deeper into the world of pitching and how we can make the industry better by finding a new alternative.
Get ready for a special episode of The CMD-Z Show! We invited members of the Make Create Club to ask questions LIVE in the “studio.” ;) We cover everything from developing your skillset to understanding software to getting started in the creative industry.
And don't forget to join the Make Create Club at makecreateclub.com.
“Art for art’s sake…” or so the old French slogan goes. A topic that’s been debated for centuries, Shelby and I ask the question, “Does art require meaning?” Philosphical and relatable, we dive deeper into what really makes art art and how we can define it in order to find its truth.
As creatives, we’ve all heard the phrase, “We’re not curing cancer.” We’re told that what we do doesn’t really make a difference in the grand scheme of things. But how can we change that? How can we use our skills to change the world around us?
That’s the question we decided to tackle in this week’s episode of The CMD-Z Show. From finding organizations that speak to you to getting involved in communities you care about, there are plenty of ways to use your skills.
Matt and Shelby answer questions about business and budgeting from young creatives, covering everything from social media, distributing work, buying and renting equipment and software, and handling financial emergencies in a business.
Matt and Shelby discuss what goes into starting a business from scratch and how to accomplish your goals on a tight budget.
Matt and Shelby discuss tax strategies for small creative businesses with accountant and tax advisor Eric Thiergartner.
Matt and Shelby discuss the existence of creative block, how creatives can break it, and how to find inspiration.
Matt and Shelby discuss how to handle "bad" clients.... and if bad clients even truly exist.
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 Show in July 2022.
Matt and Shelby discuss how creatives can get into the industry. This is part two of our last discussion.
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.
Matt and Shelby discuss how to build a creative team and maintain a healthy workplace with Lacey Picazo of ZoCo Design.
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.
Matt and Shelby discuss how to find and build creative communities and discuss their value.
Matt and Shelby discuss how creatives can live their most authentic, fulfilling lives with Jay Clouse from Creator Science.
Matt and Shelby discuss how creatives can become better business developers with Kelly Sells.
Matt and Shelby discuss how to handle bad days (or seasons) as a creative leader with Jeromy Laux from Laux Creative!
Matt and Shelby discuss how to balance mental health and one's creativity with Andrew Embury from Yellow Lab.
Matt and Shelby are joined by Jeremy Slagle from Slagle Design to discuss how one can maintain a healthy work-life balance while in the creative business.
Matt and Shelby discuss how to stay true to yourself while working in the business of creativity.
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things. You can learn more about Made By Things at madebythings.com.
Matt asks Taylor about how we can maintain our mental health.
You can learn more about Taylor at https://taylorcashdan.com
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design
In this episode, Matt asks Dylan how you know when it's time to make a big change?
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design
In this episode, Dylan asks Matt about some of the tools, software, and subscriptions he uses for his business.
More info on Kat at http://www.katharringtonvoice.com/
More info on notion at https://www.notion.so/
More into on Quickbooks at https://quickbooks.intuit.com/
More info on Craft at https://craft.io/
More info on Everhour at https://everhour.com/
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design
In this episode, Matt and Dylan ask Charles Hairston how background affects creativity.
You can learn more about Charles and his work at http://faseis.com
You can learn more about Amina Robinson at https://www.columbusmuseum.org/aminah-robinson-legacy-project
You can learn more about Making Midwest at https://www.makingmidwest.com
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design
In this episode, Matt asks Dylan how he prices his creative projects.
More info on David C. Baker and Blair Enns at https://2bobs.com
More info on Chris Do at https://thefutur.com
More info on Matt's Content Marketing Skillshare course at https://skl.sh/3k4MHy0
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design
Deborah Rycus asks Matt and Dylan a series of questions about the nitty-gritty of creative business ownership, starting with... How do you do contracts?
You can learn more about Deb at www.spiralboundcreative.com
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design
Matt and Dylan ask Audrey about wrapping up her first year of freelance.
You can learn more about Audrey at https://www.audreystemen.com/
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design
Dylan asks Matt if feelings matter in creative work.
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design
Matt asks Dylan about where good ideas come from and how to determine if it IS good.
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design
Audrey asks Matt asks Dylan about little victories that are the best as a creative business owner.
You can learn more about Audrey at https://www.audreystemen.com/
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design
Matt asks Dylan about leaving the full-time world to pursue running a business.
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design
Matt and Dylan try to answer the question of how to deal with failure.
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design
Matt and Dylan try to answer the question of what our BIG goal is when it comes to our business, creativity, and spirituality.
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design
Matt and Dylan try to answer the question of what we wish we could do all day if money didn't exist.
CMD+Z is presented by Made By Things and Menges Design. You can learn more about Made By Things and Matt Vojacek at madebythings.com. You can learn more about Dylan Menges at menges.design