Cold Email

Cold Email
  • 4.7 (3)
  • ARTS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Cold Email is a podcast by Basia & Olive (graphic designer-illustrator BFF combo) about navigating early creative careers & the non-linear path of “professional development.” By interviewing our peers and chronicling our own experiences, we hope to demystify some of the most opaque parts of the commercial art world for people starting out in design & illustration, as well as share some of the embarrassing but retrospectively-hilarious missteps that happen along the way.

  1. Haters Make Me Famous

    01/21/2025

    Haters Make Me Famous

    Hey again from Cold Email!!!!!!! In this episode, we discuss the JUICIEST HATE we've received, the nature of online haters vs. IRL haters, Olive's fear of reading comments, and more! NYC influencer Codey James (instagram.com/codey___/) joins us to chat about the tension between video art and social content, his filmmaking practice, and how he deals with the bizarre, rude things people say anonymously. Also, hear Basia challenge Pitchfork to throw hands. Listen now! P.S. We took a (much-needed and arguably well-deserved) break from cranking out the eps in our post-lockdown world. We're happy to be back today bringing you this unreleased one from 2022 & are stoked to bring you net-new shows soon.

    48 min
  2. Welcome Back! + Mailbag Episode

    04/23/2023

    Welcome Back! + Mailbag Episode

    Welcome back to Cold Email! After a much-needed break, we're here, and we’re answering YOUR questions. Basia and Olive discuss burnout, the useless things we learned in art school, ideal workspaces, and of course, the importance of taking breaks.

    35 min
  3. How to: Make a Cold Email Podcast Episode

    07/24/2022

    How to: Make a Cold Email Podcast Episode

    In this rather unusual episode, Olive and Basia take you behind the velvet rope and onto a production phone call of Cold Email. No edits, no cuts!!! We reveal the secrets of writing and producing an episode of Cold Email. We also answer everyone’s burning question: through weddings, funerals, Covid cases, etc., & plagued by supply chain shortages, how and why do you continue making this podcast?

    31 min
  4. Getting 10 Likes 3 (The Myth of Overnight Success)

    05/22/2022

    Getting 10 Likes 3 (The Myth of Overnight Success)

    Is success as an artist determined by the number of likes you get on Instagram? Spoiler: NO!!!!!!! ❌ So, why does it feel that way? In this episode, we discuss the long-simmering trend of social companies pivoting from photo to video, debate if Instagram is dead, and attempt to figure out how to have fun online again. Amy Bravo @_amybravo_ & Bettina Makalintal @buttina speak to us about their relationships with social media and being “online,” comparing yourself to others, and the trap of reading your post metrics as successes and failures. Bettina Makalintal: makalintal.com + @buttina on instagram + @bettinamak on twitter Amy Bravo: amybravo.com + @_amybravo_ on instagram Articles: Did I do something to anger the Instagram algorithm?  The Instagram We Loved Is Dead Why Instagram’s Creatives are Angry About Its Move to Video * briefly mentioned: On The Internet, We’re Always Famous

    1h 38m
  5. “The Spiral” AKA Dealing with Creative Anxiety

    03/13/2022

    “The Spiral” AKA Dealing with Creative Anxiety

    Have you ever felt debilitatingly anxious about the success your creative practice? If so, you are not alone!!! AND WE CAN HELP!!!!!!!! In this special “Basia & Olive” episode, we take you through “The Spiral,” otherwise known as the phenomenon in which creative people suddenly find themselves feeling burnt out, afraid, unsuccessful, unskilled, etc. We’ll talk about The Spiral’s causes and symptoms, as well as how to prepare for a spiral and how to actually manage it when it inevitably happens.

    33 min
  6. HOW 2 GET FREELANCE JOBS & FIND TRUE LOVE!!! Not Clickbait

    02/14/2022

    HOW 2 GET FREELANCE JOBS & FIND TRUE LOVE!!! Not Clickbait

    In this very special Valentine’s Day episode, we’ll reveal how to get freelance jobs and find true love!!!!! Yes, we are in fact, giving away the secrets. Later on, we get a chance to catch up with our former roommate & every pop punk band’s favorite illustrator, Stephanie O’Byrne, & chat about about full-time freelance, working in the music industry, and the value of being brave enough to say your dreams out loud.

    1h 34m
  7. Studio vs. Personal Practice

    01/16/2022

    Studio vs. Personal Practice

    Maintaining a work/life balance is wildly difficult, in no small part due to contemporary expectations of “the workplace,” as  well as largely-held societal ideals about how, when, & how often work happens. In the pandemic, the expectations and definitions of labor have become even more fraught. In this episode, we out ourselves as cultural Marxists (lol) and take a deep dive into the ethical rights and legal protections workers (including freelancers) are entitled to. We also remind ourselves why we shouldn’t take these rights for granted (see: “Ya gotta be alive in order to make work!”). Later, we get to speak with two incredibly insightful illustrators — Jamiel Law (jamiellaw.com / @jamiellaw_art) and Xia Gordon (xiagordon.com / @carefulblackgirl) — about maintaining the balance between working a full-time design job at the same time as freelancing for major publications and publishing companies.

    56 min
  8. Live from The American Illustration Party!

    11/19/2021

    Live from The American Illustration Party!

    We went to the American Illustration Party!!!!! & we got to talk to some insightful people while we were there. Interviews in order of appearance: Julia Feingold: @j_feingold / juliafeingold.com Griffin Reynolds: @griffinreynoldsart / griffinreynolds.art Jane Demarest: @little.boy.blueeee / janedemarest.com Maddy Price @coolfriendlyman / maddyprice.com Joy Velasco: @joyfreudeart / joyvelasco.com Robyn Phelps: @robyn_makes / robynphelps.com Janelly Rodriguez: @jellyjanelly_ / janelly.myportfolio.com/ *** Huge thanks to Ella Lupo of Purple Rain Illustrators & Cold Email Alumni Alex Citrin for making it all possible.

    36 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Cold Email is a podcast by Basia & Olive (graphic designer-illustrator BFF combo) about navigating early creative careers & the non-linear path of “professional development.” By interviewing our peers and chronicling our own experiences, we hope to demystify some of the most opaque parts of the commercial art world for people starting out in design & illustration, as well as share some of the embarrassing but retrospectively-hilarious missteps that happen along the way.

Information

  • Creator
    Cold Email
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Cold Email
  • Show Website
    Cold Email