Podcast Awesome

• Andy Maier on Curiosity, Creativity, and the Force That Binds It All

  🎬 What do Star Wars, oil painting, and storytelling have in common? Turns out: everything. In this curiosity-fueled episode, filmmaker and multi-hyphenate creative Andy Maier (Soon Agency) joins host Matt Johnson to talk about building a life powered by relentless learning, visual storytelling, and the kind of curiosity that launches careers 🚀.From working with Apple, SpaceX, and Microsoft to touring in his metal band Opponent and picking up oil painting during a creative pivot — Andy is the living embodiment of “just figure it out.” 💥🎨🧠If you've ever felt like the underdog creative, this one’s for you. Andy drops storytelling gems faster than Yoda lifts an X-Wing.🎸 Fun fact: Andy composed the metal version of the Font Awesome theme song in a single day. That’s some serious Jedi speed 🤘.🎙️ What We Cover in This Episode🤖 Why being curious is better than being talented🎥 How oil painting made Andy a better compositor🧱 The concept of “armature” and why your story collapses without one🌱 Why telling the truth is the best brand strategy🤝 The power of surrounding yourself with curious people✨ Building "wells, not fences" in your creative career⚔️ Star Wars, Iron Giant, and the real meaning of “The Force”⏱️ Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome to Podcast Awesome 01:00 – Meet Andy Maier: Creative Jedi & Founder of Soon 02:30 – Early creative career and figuring it out on the fly 05:15 – The underestimated power of curiosity 08:20 – From DIY music videos to working with Apple and SpaceX 10:45 – Why storytelling is better than trends 13:30 – Building a creative life around community and friendships 16:00 – How oil painting made Andy better at... everything 19:00 – The merch moment: painting turned t-shirt design 22:00 – What’s real? How to build grounded storytelling 26:30 – Invisible Ink, Brian McDonald, and story armature 101 32:00 – Why Marvel’s Phase 4 struggles (and what X-Men got right) 34:00 – Star Wars, Joseph Campbell, and unlocking “the Force” 37:45 – Where to find Andy and his work 38:30 – Bonus: The origin of the metal FA theme song 🤘🔗 Links & Resources 🔥 Andy’s work – https://www.soon.agency 🎶 Andy’s band Opponent – https://www.solidstaterecords.com/opponent 📖 Invisible Ink by Brian McDonald – https://shorturl.at/E9101 🖖 Font Awesome’s Heavy Metal Icon Episode – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FlsrtKCI1Y 🎧 More Podcast Awesome episodes – https://podcastawesome.com #PodcastAwesome #StorytellingMatters #CreativeJedi #VisualStorytelling #FilmmakerLife #MotionGraphicsArtist #DesignNerds #FontAwesome #CuriosityWins #InvisibleInk #CreativeProcess #OilPaintingForDesigners #BuildWellsNotFences #NerdCulture #MetalVibesOnly #StarWarsStorytelling #MakeSomethingAwesomeStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

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• Web Awesome Has Landed: Here’s How to Stop Starting From Scratch

  Episode SummaryWhat does it really take to ship something as powerful, polished, and downright magical as Web Awesome? In this episode of Podcast Awesome, Matt sits down with Lindsay and Cory, the dynamic duo behind the official launch of Web Awesome. Together, they peel back the curtain on how the team brought a customizable design system to life (without summoning any cursed CSS incantations).From the slick Theme Builder to the deeply thoughtful Figma integration, from production-ready patterns to future-forward prototyping dreams, this convo is packed with insights for devs, designers, and nerds of all kinds. Get the scoop on stretch goals, community feedback, and why starting with a “sh*tty first draft” is actually a power move.Oh! And they may or may not be plotting a future where we don’t even need Figma anymore. Gasp!What We Cover in This Episode:🛠 The design magic behind the Theme Builder🎨 Patterns and why you shouldn’t reinvent the checkout form🧩 The current state of Figma files — and where they’re headed🧪 Bridging the gap between prototyping and real code🔮 A sneak peek at future stretch goal components (hello, toasts and video!)⚡ How Web Awesome + Eleventy = your new dream dev stack🗣 Why your newbie feedback matters more than you thinkTimestamps00:00 – Welcome & introductions01:45 – Life after launch: relief or revving up?03:30 – Making the Theme Builder powerful and friendly05:40 – Patterns that just work (and why that's a good thing)07:30 – Balancing usability and delightful surprises08:15 – Figma files, MVP vibes, and real feedback10:20 – The future of theming via Figma plugins12:00 – Stretch goal components: what’s shipped and what’s next14:30 – Why prototyping with code might replace Figma16:45 – Web Awesome meets Eleventy: the ultimate team-up19:00 – Templates, page builders, and lowering the barrier to entry20:30 – Why new users’ feedback is gold22:00 – How to connect with the team & share your experienceLinks & Resources🌐 [Web Awesome](https://webawesome.com)📣 [Join the Community](https://webawesome.com/community)🧵 [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/webawesome/webawesome/discussions)📬 Email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) / [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])💬 Join us on Discord – link on the community page!🧠 Learn more about [Jacob’s Law](https://lawsofux.com/jakobs-law/)🎁 Don’t forget: 20% off Web Awesome Pro until Nov 19th!Stay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

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• WordPress Just Got Awesome (Again) – Font Awesome Plugin v5 Deep Dive with Mike Wilkerson

  Episode Summary:We're heading back to the basement — (sort of). In this episode, Matt catches up with Mike Wilkerson, the OG guest of Podcast Awesome, to unveil the biggest update yet to the official Font Awesome WordPress plugin. From block editor visual support to full-on SVG injection wizardry (yes, that’s a thing), this version is all about giving developers and designers more power, more precision, and fewer plugin conflicts.Whether you’re a WordPress purist or a page builder rebel, you’ll walk away knowing how to get your icons looking sharp, staying pro, and loading like a dream.🧠 What We Cover in This Episode:🔌 The origin story of the plugin (and the furnace that helped launch it)🧱 Full block editor visual editing support (finally WYSIWYG!)🛠️ SVG injection + self-hosting benefits🛡️ How to squash plugin conflicts like a pro🔍 Page builder struggles—and what might be coming next🤝 How to send feedback to actual humans™ at Font Awesome⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 – Basement beginnings & podcast nostalgia 02:00 – WordPress + Font Awesome: how widespread is it? 04:00 – Why Version 5 is a game-changer 06:00 – How inline SVGs improve performance and reduce conflict 08:00 – Self-hosting benefits & advanced options 10:00 – When to load (or not load) your kit 12:00 – Compatibility tips for older content 14:00 – What’s next for FA + WordPress 16:00 – How to give feedback to actual humans™🔗 Links & Resources:Official Font Awesome WordPress PluginUsing Kits with WordPressConflict Detection & TroubleshootingEmail us: [email protected] up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

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• Living the Dream: Dan Cederholm's Creative Journey [Part 2] | Podcast Awesome

  🧠 What do LEGO logos, hand-puppet dreams, citrus gadgets, and naming things "Turbo" have in common? They're all part of Dan Cederholm’s design universe — and part of this wide-ranging, joy-filled second half of our conversation.In this episode, Dan returns to talk about: • Embracing constraints as a creative fuel source• Naming fonts after misspelled words (because ... domains)• The delightful hellscape of naming anything in tech• Why imposter syndrome might actually be useful• And how a puppet changed everything at Font Awesome 🧡🎧 It’s a show-and-tell episode full of unexpected design wisdom, warm fuzzies, and orange peelers.What We Cover in This Episode:• 🧠 Dan’s creative process: one font at a time• 🚫 Naming things is still the hardest problem in tech• 🐀 The birth of the Font Possum Puppet• 🧃 The power of a really good citrus squeezer• 🤖 Why AI can’t fake taste (yet)• 💌 Why Dan's newsletter works (and yours could too)• 😵‍💫 Making peace with imposter syndrome• 🧩 Why being weird is a superpower⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Intro01:15 – The creative process of typeface design04:04 – Naming fonts is a nightmare06:05 – The importance of naming & branding12:25 – Imposter syndrome in the creative industry18:15 – A puppet changed everything22:31 – Why a newsletter is like old-school blogging29:03 – Orange peelers, joy, and the power of small specificity37:17 – The impact of creativity38:14 – Building community through creativity41:16 – Wrap up with Dan Cederholm42:24 – Final Thoughts & Credits📌 Links & Resources• Dan Cederholm → https://simplebits.com• Dan's newsletter → https://simplebits.com/newsletter• Turbo Typeface → https://simplebits.com/fonts• Font Possum cameo → [FontAwesome YouTube Channel]• BrickLink Studio (Lego design app) → https://www.bricklink.com/v3/studioStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

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• Living the Dream: Dan Cederholm's Creative Journey (Part 1)

  SummaryDesigner, author, and co-founder of Dribbble, Dan Cederholm joins Podcast Awesome to chat with Matt Johnson and Jory Raphael about finding joy in creativity later in life, making fonts just for fun, and the art of embracing imperfection. From typefaces and merch to dice games and design detours, Dan shares how side projects, constraints, and a healthy dose of curiosity keep the creative spark alive.This two-part conversation is full of laughter, nostalgia, and lessons about learning new things just because they’re fun. You’ll walk away inspired to make something— anything — awesome.Key TakeawaysCreativity thrives in curiosity: Dan reminds us that learning new things (even outside your job) can reignite your creative energy.Constraints fuel originality: Sometimes not knowing everything — or having limited tools — can sometimes help create the most human, interesting work.Merch can tell a story: From fonts to dice games, playful side projects become part of a designer’s personal brand.Imperfection = personality: The best designs often come with flaws that make them real, memorable, and relatable.Spend time not doing your job: Font Awesome’s team philosophy — creativity grows when you step outside your usual sandbox.Timestamps00:00 — Introduction and catching up with Dan Cederholm02:00 — Typefaces as creative puzzles06:00 — The joy of passion projects10:00 — The first font and lessons from “Chameleon”18:00 — The lineage of icon design and learning from imperfection26:00 — Failures, Field Notes, and finding the next fun thing30:00 — Creative constraints and the beauty of not knowing everything36:00 — Humor, joy, and “making stuff that makes you laugh”38:00 — The icons that exist just because they’re funny42:00 — Hidden glyphs, zombie hands, and bonus icons in fonts44:00 — Wrap-up and where to find Dan onlineRelated LinksSimpleBits.com — Dan’s home for fonts, merch, and creative experimentsDan’s Newsletter — The one Font Awesome staffers never skipDribbble — Co-founded by Dan, still inspiring designers everywhereCreditsProduced and edited by Matt Johnson Video editing by Isaac Chase Theme music by Ronnie Martin Interstitial music by Zach MalmStay up to date on all the Font Awesomeness!

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