Two Cranky Creatives: Real Talk & Practical Advice for Surface Designers and Creative Entrepreneurs
Episodes
Cranky About Taxes: Practical Tax Truths Every Creative Needs to Hear w/Hannah Cole
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is sponsored by the Art Brand Alliance and True Grit Texture Supply. Listeners also get a a 20% discount with the code CRANKY at checko...
Cranky, Creative, & Still Human: AI's Impact on Surface Design & What Creative Entrepreneurs Need to Know w/Ness Stoilova
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is sponsored by Sunlight Tax, The Etsy Mentor, True Grit Texture Supply, Art Licensing Unlocked, Brooke Mackie Designs, and The Print ...
Cranky and Legally Obligated: The Marketing Demands You Didn't See Coming
11 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is sponsored by Sunlight Tax, The Etsy Mentor, True Grit Texture Supply, and The Print Life. Listeners also get a a 20% discount at Tru...
BONUS: Cranky & Informed: The Cranks React to the Surface Design Industry Survey
04 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus episode of Two Cranky Creatives, the Cranks dig into the newly released Surface Design Industry Survey by Shannon McNab. This is the ...
Imperfect and Cranky: Breaking the Perfection Trap w/Cat Coquillette
28 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is sponsored by Surface Design News, The Art of Collections, Illustrators for Hire, The Etsy Mentor, The Creative Mentorship, True Grit ...
Cranky but Creative: Practical Advice About Artist Royalties
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is sponsored by Art Licensing Unlocked and The Art of Collections In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, Toni and Carrie tackle a topic...
REDUX: Pitching Schedules and Seasonal Design w/Mandy Corcoran
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
REDUX: In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Mandy Corcoran of Amanda Grace Design. Together...
BONUS: Cranky and Color-Blind: Why Pantone's "Cloud Dancer" Misses the Mark
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, Carrie and Toni take a hard look at Pantone's 2026 Color of the Year, "Cloud Dancer"—a shade of white that'...
REDUX: Designing for Trends w/Cat Coquillette
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
REDUX: In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Cat Coquillette. Together, they tackle the cont...
REDUX: The "Draw Every Day" Myth
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
REDUX: 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 ha...
REDUX: When Clients Think We Charge Too Much
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
REDUX! While Carrie and I record season 2, we're bringing this much requested episode back...In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Ca...
REDUX: Stolen Art, Copyright Infringement, and more.
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
REDUX! While Carrie and I record season 2, we're bringing this much requested episode back...In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, co-hosts Carrie ...
Cranky and FOMO-Free: Confronting Hustle Culture
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, Carrie and Toni tackle the relentless pressure to always be creating. If you've ever felt like you're fallin...
Chronically Cranky: Managing chronic illness while building a creative career
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, Carrie and Toni get real about what it's like to build a creative business while managing a chronic illness...
Cranky and Contract-Savvy: The hidden gotchas in creative contracts
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 s...
How Cranky Creatives Stay Paid w/Kay Wolfersperger: Multiple Income Streams as a Creative Entrepreneur
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Colorfully Cranky: Using Color in Design w/Ana Bianchi
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Unpacking "Cranky": How to Stay Professional and Calm as a Creative Entrepreneur with Nate Padavik & Salli Swindell
13 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Nate Padavik and Salli Swindell of Illustrators for H...
Cranky About "Bad" Art: Why Patience and Self-Compassion is Critical with Melissa Johnson
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 c...
The Cranky Creatives Talk Cultural Inspiration vs. Appropriation w/Xhico
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Art Is Everywhere, So Why Are We Cranky? How Art is Devalued with Julia Barry
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Julia Barry of UpRoot Design Studio. Together, they d...
Cranky and Ahead of the Curve: Pitching Schedules and Seasonal Design w/Mandy Corcoran
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Mandy Corcoran of Amanda Grace Design. Together, they ...
Cranky, Creative, and Trendy: Designing for Trends w/Cat Coquillette
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Cat Coquillette. Together, they tackle the controversia...
A Cranky Guide to Creative Confidence w/Janine Vangool
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico are joined by Janine Vangool of UPPERCASE Magazine. They tackle the ...
Tariff Tantrums & Cranky Comebacks: How US Tariffs are Affecting Creative Entrepreneurs
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
A Cranky Creatives Guide to Facing Rejection w/Mable Tan
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
Social Media Makes Us Cranky as Hell: Practical Advice for Using Social Media as a Creative
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico tackle creatives' complicated relationship with social media. From it...
Cranky Mythbusting: Confronting the "Draw Every Day" Myth
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Cranky About Unrealistic Expectations: How Creatives Classes often Create Unrealistic Expectations w/Stacie Dale
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Cranky Creatives Don't Work for Exposure: A Chat About Clients who Think We Charge to Much
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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, a...
Ghosted and Cranky: Real Talk About Getting Ghosted by Art Directors and Buyers
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Two Cranky Creatives, hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico explore the frustrating, confusing, and often hurtful experience of ...
The Cranks Dish on OPP (Other People's Platforms): The Reality of Selling Your Work on Third-Party Sites
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 an...
Taxes Make us Cranky AF: Decoding US Taxes for Self-Employed Artists w/Hannah Cole
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Cranky and Copied: What to do when your work is stolen
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ar...
Why We Are Cranky: The Cranks Chat About Why They Made the Show
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this debut episode of Two Cranky Creatives, co-hosts Carrie Cantwell and Toni Federico get real about why they started this podcast. If you've eve...
Teaser
01 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join Two Cranky Creatives, hosted by Carrie Cantwell & Toni Federico. We are two seasoned art entrepreneurs who pull back the curtain on the highs and...