This episode features artist, illustrator, greeting card designer, and licensing powerhouse Kate Smith on what happens when you stop trying to make work that looks “marketable” and start making work that sounds, feels, and thinks like you. Kate talks about building a creative business from her own weird little ideas, emotional instincts, funny phrases, and need to put more joy into the world. That deeply personal approach has turned into a massive licensing career, with her work selling millions of units at retail across cards, gifts, products, and major collections, including Target. But this conversation is not just about selling a lot of stuff. It’s about how personal work can slowly become financial stability, how licensing can create more freedom, and how building a business around your actual point of view can help you live more of the life you want instead of constantly chasing someone else’s version of success. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why making work that is unmistakably yours is not just a creative luxury. Kate shares how her voice, humor, emotional honesty, and specific way of seeing the world became the foundation of a licensing career that could not have been built by copying what everyone else was doing.How licensing can turn personal work into long-term stability. Kate talks about landing dream retail opportunities, creating collections for major stores, and learning how repeated licensing wins can slowly build the kind of financial foundation that gives artists more room to live, travel, experiment, and choose.Why success still comes with a “what’s next?” problem. Even after major retail wins, Kate explains how easy it is to move the goalpost, judge yourself by today’s results, or forget to enjoy the thing you once desperately wanted.Why joyful art does not always come from a joyful place. Kate’s work often says the thing she needs to hear too, whether that’s “even the sun has its ups and downs” or some tiny phrase that makes life feel a little more survivable.ABOUT KATE SMITH Kate Smith is an artist, illustrator, greeting card designer, and creative entrepreneur known for her funny, bright, emotionally honest work that has been licensed across dozens of product categories and sold millions of units at retail. Her work blends humor, vulnerability, color, and sharply specific phrasing in a way that feels unmistakably her. What started as a small greeting card idea inspired by talking for her dog grew into a creative business spanning stationery, gifts, retail collections, licensing, and art that helps people feel a little more seen. Visit Kate Smith online Follow Kate on Instagram Shop Kate’s work Explore Kate’s greeting cards Join the Creative Slash Newsletter and Get the 5-Part “Off the Record” email series FREE Click here to get the five-part “Off the Record” email series Note: If you're looking for hard-earned advice, resources from top creatives, and the products they can't live without, you're going to love this. Brad Woodard Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books. View Brave the Woods Dustin Lee Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional. View RetroSupply Credits Audio/video editing: Clara Wright Cover art: Brad Woodard Intro animation: Seth Austin Intro music: “Snakes and Fire” (Instrumental) by Pär Hagström
