Andy J. Miller is an American full time freelance illustrator with a background in graphic design, currently living and working in Columbus, OH. Andy was born in Indiana, went to middle school in Western New York, to high school in Indiana, and to the University of Huddersfield in the United Kingdom. He teaches a self promotion for illustrators class to senior level students at the Columbus College of Art & Design. He is most known for his side projects and books; The Indie Rock Coloring Book, the collaborative Color Me _____ exhibit with Andrew Neyer, the daily drawing project NOD and his Creative Pep Talk Podcast. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/andyjpizza In this episode, Andy discusses: -Where the “pizza” part of his name came from and how he has embraced it as a part of his identity. -His history as an illustrator and how the Creative Pep Talk Podcast started. -The value of teaching and mentorship, no matter how much experience you have. -The importance of thinking! -Dealing with critics. -The purpose of his recent “Creative Destiny” series on Creative Pep Talk. -The hero’s journey and the role that it can play in any type of creative career that you have. -Finding your gift and then giving it away. -How, like in Harry Potter, sometimes our own worst enemy is living inside of ourselves. -How political correctness sometimes holds people back from creating because they don’t want to make a mistake and then get attacked for it. -Thinking about 11 dimensions and how our intuition might be tuned into a higher frequency that our animal instincts might be trying to protect us from. -The idea of “gut churn” and forcing yourself to sit in the uncomfortable unknown. Andy's Final Push will encourage you to stop looking for shortcuts and start looking for “sure-cuts.”   Quotes: “You can reinvent yourself, and you don’t have to be owned by the person that you used to be.” “I got obsessed with this idea of drawing invisible things.” “I found teaching to be the ultimate growth hack because when you have to systematically boil down your truths, all the sudden they become so much more potent in your own life.” “What is the true, unique cocktail that you have going on inside of you?  What is that work that just explodes and radiates from your very being?” “All I’m looking for in my creative career is to find my gift and to find who needs it.” “You need to be willing to make mistakes.  Always have the best intentions but don’t stop yourself before you get started.” “In my own experience, the biggest breakthroughs come from sitting in that uncomfortable place.” “Quit trying to go viral.  Quit trying to have overnight success.  Quit looking for shortcuts.  And just get on the journey.” Links mentioned: Jad Abumrad: Embrace the "Gut Churn" of the Creative Process Deep Work: Rules for Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport Connect with Andy: Website / Instagram / Twitter Creative Pep Talk: Website / Soundcloud / iTunes On the next episode: Matthew Quick : Website / Instagram Join the discussion in the Facebook group!