Shows
The Mindful Marketing Podcast (Formerly Known As The Savvy Social Podcast)Why Relationship-Based Marketing Works with Jessica AbelMy favorite way to get new clients? It’s not social media or email. It’s referrals from friends. And that kind of trust doesn’t just show up. It’s built. In this episode, I’m joined by Jessica Abel, an artist-turned-business coach, to talk about relationship-based marketing—what it looks like, how it works, and why so many creatives struggle to sell their work. We also dig into business models, service-based offers, and how to rethink “sustainable” growth in your business. If you’re tired of trying to scale like an influencer and ready for something...2025-07-2249 min
Grief & PizzaEnabling Autonomous Creatives with Jessica AbelJessica Abel shares her extensive journey as a creative, starting as a cartoonist and evolving into a business coach for creatives. She discusses her experiences in the comics industry, the challenges of making a living as an artist, and the importance of teaching business fundamentals to aspiring artists. The conversation highlights the need for creatives to adapt their business models and find ways to support their artistic practices while navigating the complexities of the art market.LinksWebsiteAutonomous Creative ConferenceCreators & Guests
Marie Poulin - Host
Benjamin Borowski - Host
Jessica Abel - Guest
2025-05-061h 06
Bowling With The Fef!Pod #4/Ep. 186: Help for Heroes (with Jessica Abel)In July of this year, a new Executive Director came on board to lead one of the most well-known charitable organizations in the bowling community.
Jessica Abel of Broadalbin, NY started in the role at Bowlers to Veterans Link (https://bvl.org/) after two years of work at the International Bowling Campus and a successful run as a competitor at Wichita State University that included a national championship.
"She taught me how to turn my computer on, she'll tell you that!" Luis Benavides said while challenging Abel to appear on the show in Ep. 180.
2024-12-0552 min
90s Mini-Comics Oral History ArchivesJessica Abel - 90s Mini Comics Oral History ArchivesJessica Abel is cartoonist, author, and creative coach known for her extensive contributions to the comics world. From mini-comics such as Art Babe, to longer format comics such as La Perdida, as well as two textbooks about making comics, Abel has been a notable name in the comics community since the 90s when she began making minis.
The 90s Mini Comics Oral History aims to collect the stories of ANYONE who made self-published mini-comics in the roughly 10 years before the broad acceptance of the internet (the 90’s, give or take.)2024-09-121h 07
The Autonomous CreativeHow to quit undercharging for your work, with Rauni HigsonDo you struggle to figure out how to price your work so that it’s actually profitable for you…and then to actually say that price out loud, without mumbling or undercutting yourself?
Do you find yourself rushing to offer a discount BEFORE anyone even asks?
On this episode, I’m joined by Rauni Higson, one of Britain’s leading silversmiths. When I first met Rauni, she was chronically undercharging for her work, experiencing major feast or famine cycles, and generally running herself ragged teaching and taking on low-end work.
...2023-12-0857 min
Social Slowdown: sustainable digital marketing for entrepreneursChoose a Business Model That Is Set Up to Pay Your Bills With Jessica AbelJessica Abel's background as an author led her to assume that mass marketing and a large audience was the ONLY way to succeed as a business owner; Thankfully, she finally figured out that her business models needed to first pay her bills, and THEN she could make decisions about audience and marketing style.In this week's episode, Jessica (she/her) and I discuss:How to think about choosing a business model, and why/when you may choose one over anotherChoosing a business model that allows you to make more money in less timeWorking with fewer clients f...2023-09-1936 min
Franklin Taggart's Virtual Coffee BreakImprove Creative Focus - Jessica Abel▼▼▼▼▼
Time-sensitive announcement: Jessica Abel will be offering the Prioritize Like a Pro workshop live online at 1 pm on June 13. Registration information is here: https://jessicaabel.com/prioritize-like-a-pro/
Great, free opportunity to learn about the Weighted Decision Matrix we talked about in the interview!
The evergreen version of the Prioritize Like a Pro workshop is here: https://jessicaabel.com/notion-mastery/
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One of my biggest challenges as a creator is having more ideas than I have time to see them through. It's easy to get distracted, and I often get started on projects when the...2023-06-0944 min
Free Time with Jenny BlakeTraversing the Dark Forests of Creativity and Business with Jessica AbelDoes the world really need this? This is one of the inevitable existential dilemmas of creative work. You have to decide that your work is worth your time and energy, because no one is asking you for it. Today’s guest, Jessica Abel, is someone whose work I have long admired for its richness and depth.In this conversation, we talk about navigating the “Dark Forests” of creativity; go behind-the-business when one of her most successful books, Out on the Wire, was taking off; the causes behind cyclical burnout; three revenue-generating paths that she’s seen work best; an...2023-06-0654 min
Brand Your Passion62: Jessica Abel on standing out, staying punk, and being bold about sharing your workThis week on the Brand Your Passion Podcast, I talk to author and indie cartoonist-turned-creative business strategist, Jessica Abel.Jessica is the founder of Autonomous Creative and an accomplished author who’s published a number of comics and prose books, including Growing Gills: How to Find Creative Focus When You're Drowning in Your Daily Life and Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio. She specializes in helping mid-career creatives build businesses designed from the ground up to meet their financial needs without burning themselves out or sacrificing their creative integrity. She’s al...2023-03-1446 minThe Autonomous CreativeEmbracing your limits in order to find creative freedom and fulfillment, with Oliver BurkemanNYT bestselling author Oliver Burkeman has more than a decade of experience discussing topics like productivity, procrastination, and anxiety in his column for The Guardian newspaper, This Column Will Change Your Life. On this episode, Oliver talks about his game-changing new book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management For Mortals, his career path, how he came into the role of productivity expert, and the freedom of what he calls “a limit-embracing attitude.”
More from the episode
What are the added challenges of doing what you love professionally, in terms of productivity?
The importance of stop...2022-12-291h 09
Camera Ready & AbelFollow Your Intuition with Jessica CordingDo you ever have a gut instinct about something but are too nervous to act on it? Or find yourself pulled between trusting your feelings vs accepting the facts?
This episode is a permission slip to lean into your inner guidance system.
Joining me on this episode of Camera Ready & Abel to generously and candidly share how following her intuition has always served her - and in turn served others - is multi-hyphenate powerhouse, Jessica Cording.
Jess is a registered dietitian, health coach, in-demaind public speaker, host of the Drama-Free Healthy Living Podcast a...2022-12-1330 minThe Autonomous CreativePushing the limits of the possible with Josh O'Neill of Beehive BooksJosh O’Neill is a comics writer and editor, and co-owner of the Philadelphia-based publishing company, Beehive Books. Using Kickstarter, Josh and his business partner Maëlle Doliveux, publish books and literary objects too risky for traditional publishers. Josh shares what inspired him to pursue publishing, and how crowdfunding allows Beehive to create art that’s for and by their community.
More from the episode
Josh explains how he went from working in a local video store to running a publishing company.
The pros and cons of crowdfunding, and why traditional publishers are risk...2022-08-031h 03The Autonomous CreativeChallenging the dominant culture: intent vs. interpretation with Ronald WimberlyOn this episode of The Autonomous Creative, I sit down for a super fun conversation with Ronald Wimberly. Ronald is best known for his graphic novel Prince of Cats, which is currently being developed as a film by Legendary Entertainment. His other works include a giant tabloid journal and art magazine on identity and visual culture, LAAB, Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm, Black History In Its Own Words, and his critically acclaimed webcomic, Gratuitous Ninja (which is currently being Kickstarted and published by Beehive Books as a 600-page accordion-folded concertina!).I first met Ronald Wimberly in 2007...2022-03-241h 23The Autonomous CreativeBuilding a healthy relationship with your creative work, with Nicole Lewis-KeeberAre you in a healthy relationship with your business? With your creative practice?Or is it unrequited love?On this episode of The Autonomous Creative, I talk to psychologist, author and business therapist, Nicole Lewis-Keeber.As a business therapist, Nicole uses her eighteen years of experience as a clinical social worker to help small businesses owners and entrepreneurs break the cycles of abuse they’ve established in their working lives.It’s not only about running a business — or doing the creative work! — you love, but setting it up to love you back...2022-03-1559 minThe Autonomous CreativeWhen it's time to walk away from a creative career (and why that's totally OK), with Julia DeWittJulia DeWitt spent most of 2020 at a Zen Buddhist monastery and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work.So...why is she on the Autonomous Creative?Because for the prior eight years, she had an incredibly successful career in podcasting.I met Julia in 2012, while she was l interning at “Snap Judgement,” and I was working on my book, Out on the Wire.In this episode, Julia walks me through the last eight years, filling in the blanks on how she rocketed from intern to senior producer.And m...2022-02-281h 00
Abel James ShowJessica Viker: Why Prevention is Better Than a CureWhat's it like to be on the front lines as a nurse these days? Today, we're here with Jessica Viker, a Registered Nurse and certified health and wellness coach who has been working with patients and clients for nearly a decade. In this very special conversation, Jessica is sharing some of the specifics on.. • How to wade through all the hype around keto • Why prevention is better than a cure • What it's like being on the front lines of nursing • How she healed her own thyroid issues • Problems with for-profit medicine • And a whole lot mo...2022-02-1854 minAbel James ShowJessica Viker: Why Prevention is Better Than a CureWhat's it like to be on the front lines as a nurse these days? Today, we're here with Jessica Viker, a Registered Nurse and certified health and wellness coach who has been working with patients and clients for nearly a decade. In this very special conversation, Jessica is sharing some of the specifics on.. • How to wade through all the hype around keto • Why prevention is better than a cure • What it's like being on the front lines of nursing • How she healed her own thyroid issues • Problems with for-profit medicine • And a whole lot mo...2022-02-1854 minThe Autonomous CreativeWhat does it actually take to find 1,000 True Fans? with Matt MaddenWhat does it actually take to find 1000 True Fans?Seriously, where are they hiding?Your work is amazing.You’re constantly promoting on social media.You already know that your creative business isn’t bringing in the kind of money you need...especially in a reasonable time frame.So, why is that?Finding a thousand people willing to spend $100 on your one-of-a-kind work should be easy. I mean, you probably have more followers than that on Instagram, or at least it’s easy...2022-02-0347 minThe Autonomous CreativeHow to go from making some money to making a living as a creative, with Matt MaddenI’ve been thinking and talking a lot with creative people about how they make a living, how they struggle with money, and what they might do differently to bring in a reasonable income.
It comes up in virtually every coaching call.
I talk about it with friends.
I ask people rude questions about it on this podcast!
...and it’s a subject of conversation around the dinner table pretty often—my husband, Matt Madden, is ALSO a cartoonist, so yeah. We talk about it a lot!
So I invite...2022-01-2046 min
Out on the WireThe Episode 7: Dark Forest archive: The Edit with Robert Smith and Jess Jiang2022-01-191h 02The Autonomous CreativeKickstarting strange and amazing comics (and making a living!), with C. Spike TrotmanCartoonist and publisher Spike Trotman publishes books she considers “strange and amazing.” Her company Iron Circus specializes in “underrepresented voices, underrepresented themes, stuff that has not got a big audience quite frankly or a lot of people catering to it right now.”Sounds like a recipe for struggle.Yet they’re KILLING it. “For the first time in my career, it feels limitless. It feels like I have so many possibilities.”Spike is a Kickstarter All-Star champ, and Iron Circus has gone from self-publishing her webcomic collection to putting out up to 15 books a year, riding...2022-01-061h 14The Autonomous CreativeEnvy as a virtue: How to turn your greenest eyed demon into a tool for success, with Lisa FrühbeisCartoonist and graphic recorder Lisa Frühbeis has made bold moves that have led to an incredibly rapid career trajectory in the last few years, starting with pitching a comic strip to a newspaper straight out of school...and then parlaying the end of that strip into a book deal, and then much more.But Lisa isn't bold because she's free from fear. Far from it. Although she long felt a strong pull to become a professional artist, she was held back by an intense fear of the financial instability that comes along with that path.2021-12-1645 minThe Autonomous CreativeNavigating the midlife pivot to a creative career, with Martha RichMartha Rich is commercial and fine artist who took a long and circuitous route through many day jobs (Workman's comp insurance. Hotel front desk clerk. Repo woman?) to pivot to an art career at the age of 37.
Now Martha makes a full-time living as an artist making work that brings her joy.
Her secret to building an absolutely custom autonomous creative life?
When bad things happened in her life (and they did, with regularity) instead of curling into a defensive crouch, she saw opportunities to rethink her assumptions about how her life "should"...2021-12-0258 minThe Autonomous CreativeWhy being multi-passionate is your strength, with Sarah Firth"What theories about myself and my creativity am I willing to test? Am I willing to fail?"Sarah Firth is an awesome cartoonist and graphic recorder, among many other things.Sarah takes a bit of a mad scientist approach to her creative life. She embraces experimentation and testing to try to discover new ways to organize her life around her creative interests, always looking to answer the question: "How much value can I bring to something? And then also how much time can I buy back?"This openness to experimentation has helped Sarah...2021-11-1148 minThe Autonomous CreativeHow to start a school and still find time for art, with Tom HartTom Hart is a cartoonist, and he’s the founder and executive director of a comics school, The Sequential Artists Workshop. His 2016 memoir, Rosalie Lightning, debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list.Tom offers amazing, valuable insights about the path to creative career success—and that what “success” looks like must be self-defined, always. For Tom, that means freedom is number one. When he has creative autonomy, he’s happy.Tom spoke about the invisible bargains we make to have a life lived in alignment with our ideals and creative goals. He asked...2021-10-2849 minThe Autonomous CreativeWhen to quit your day job (or when not to!), with Robbi Behr and Matthew SwansonThe only thing more challenging than using frenetic DIY self-publishing to springboard a career in children's books might be running a commercial salmon fishery on the Alaskan tundra from a cabin with no electricity, no toilet, and four kids. That's why I was so excited to talk to Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson, the illustrator-author-married-with-4-kids duo.Robbi illustrates, Matthew writes, and together they make picture books for kids and adults.Robbi and Matthew are a whirlwind of creative action, and their story is just a crazy tale of inventing a creative...2021-10-1456 minThe Autonomous CreativeHow to finish writing your novel: don't write for free, with Alexander CheeIn this interview, Alexander and I talk a lot about money, and specifically, about how asking for money and negotiating for what you want and need is a key piece of building a healthy relationship with your work and career.
We also talked about the myth of the solitary artist, and the reality: that community and relationships are key to not just success, but survival.
Finally, Alexander is the source of an incredibly pivotal insight for me: that caring for your creative process IS self-care, and when you allow yourself the margin to take care of your...2021-09-3057 min
2 Pages with MBS49. How to Survive Being Creative: Jessica Abel, author of ‘Out on the Wire’, [reads] ‘How to Write an Autobiographical Novel’Shell ran their first scenario planning session in 1971, and they’ve been sharing some of their insights since then. In their new LENS report from 2013, they talk about three central paradoxes to our world: the prosperity paradox, the leadership paradox, and the connectivity paradox. Here’s the connectivity paradox. On one hand, we’ve never been more connected, and that has, in an extraordinary way, unleashed the ability to connect. And in the same moment, that same connectivity has destroyed the value of IP. While it’s easy to be a creative, it’s hard to fund a life as one. Ho...2021-09-2836 min
Late Bloomer Living PodcastEP 59: Jessica Abel - The Dark ForestJessica Abel is an award-winning cartoonist, illustrator, and writer, and is the chair of the Illustration program at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. In the past few years, she has evolved to become founder of the Autonomous Creative where she works with ambitious mid-career creative pros and businesses to help them stop grinding and carve out the deep focus needed to finish—and launch—the game-changing work they want to be known for. In this episode we explore the messy middle of the creative process and how that relates to the messiness of a midlife reinvention.
2021-07-211h 00
What WorksEP 347: Carving Out Space For Creative Work With The Autonomous Creative Founder Jessica Abel
In This Episode:
* Why Jessica Abel believes carving out space to work on experimental and creative projects is key* The strategy she recommends for buying the time you need to do creative work* How she measures creative projects in “developmental markers” and “success markers”* And why she’s committed to building a team that helps her make room for big picture thinking and creative projects
It’s one thing to get your business to a point that’s stable and sustainable.
It’s another t...2021-07-2057 minOut on the WireRough mix: Episode 7: Dark ForestIn Episode 8: Your Baby's Ugly we talk a lot about how we edited Episode 7: Dark Forest into into its final form with the help of Jess Jiang and Robert Smith of Planet Money. We wanted to share that process, so here's our original mix of episode 7, which we sent to Jess and Robert, their edit meeting with us, and the final version of episode 7. Enjoy!2020-06-1700 minOut on the WireRough mix: Episode 7: Dark ForestIn Episode 8: Your Baby's Ugly we talk a lot about how we edited Episode 7: Dark Forest into into its final form with the help of Jess Jiang and Robert Smith of Planet Money. We wanted to share that process, so here's our original mix of episode 7, which we sent to Jess and Robert, their edit meeting with us, and the final version of episode 7. Enjoy!2020-06-1730 min
Notes on Your NotesJessica AbelEducator, cartoonist and writer Jessica Abel talks to us about creative focus, self-compassion and making strong decisions about what you're committing to. She also talks about the time Ira Glass called her in Mexico City!
* Free Online Writing Class This Thursday with Joshua & Adam, April 2nd, 5pm-630pm Pacific TIme. Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/560763578
* Jessica Abel website https://bit.ly/notes-ja-com
* Jessica Abel Creative Engine workshop: https://bit.ly/notes-engine
* Jessica Abel One Goal to Rule Them All worksheet https://bit.ly/notes-og
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* L...2020-04-011h 10
High-Income Business Writing Podcast#209: Jessica Abel on How to Find Creative Focus When Youre Drowning in Your Daily LifeIn this podcast episode, Jessica Abel addresses how to create the freedom you need to work on non-urgent endeavors and overcome procrastination and self-doubt.2020-03-1037 min
UnstructuredJessica Abel Drew the Books on StorytellingJessica Abel is the founder of the Creative Focus Workshop and Autonomous Creative Collective, and author of "Growing Gills: How to Find Creative Focus When You're Drowning in Your Daily Life," the graphic novel "La Perdida," and two textbooks about making comics, "Drawing Words & Writing Pictures" and "Mastering Comics." Her book "Out on the Wire" is about how the best radio and podcast producers in the world use story to keep us listening. Jessica’s latest work of fiction is the Eisner-nominated "Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars." She is chair of the illustration program at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fi...2020-02-2346 min
DIY MFA Radio293: Find Your Creative Focus - Interview with Jessica AbelHey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Jessica Abel. Cartoonist and coach Jessica is the founder of the Creative Focus Workshop, and author of Growing Gills: How to Find Creative Focus When You're Drowning in Your Daily Life, the graphic novel La Perdida, and two textbooks about making comics, Drawing Words & Writing Pictures and Mastering Comics. Her book Out on the Wire is about how the best radio and podcast producers in the world use story to keep us listening. Jessica’s latest work of fiction is the Eisner-nominated Tr...2020-02-1943 min
One Year From Now#27: Practical Visioning & Goal Setting with Jessica AbelThis week, we're talking to cartoonist and creative mentor, Jessica Abel - founder of the Creative Focus Workshop. She works with ambitious mid-career creative pros and businesses to escape the hamster wheel of busyness and carve out the deep focus needed to finish—and launch—the game-changing work they want to be known for. Jessica is the author of Growing Gills: How to Find Creative Focus When You're Drowning in Your Daily Life, the graphic novel La Perdida, and two textbooks about making comics, Drawing Words & Writing Pictures and Mastering Comics. Her book Out on the Wire is a...2019-10-2243 min
The Self-Employed Life526: Jessica Abel- Find Your Creative FocusProcrastination gets in the way of creative professionals in different ways. We can have too many projects that we’re working on, jobs that don’t feed our bigger goals, and even too many tabs open on our computer. But you’re able to get further if you can focus on one goal. If you have to think about what to work on, you’ll suffer from decision fatigue which leads to procrastination. I tackle this feeling by “environment shifting.” When I was writing my book, for example, I would go to the rooftop pool of my building. By...2019-09-2548 min
WVYC-FM The Voice of York CollegeWVYC Perspectives 19-8 with YCP Writer in Residence Jessica AbelDiscussion with YCP Writer in Residence Jessica Abel about her career and work and her Residency at York College.
2019-04-0416 min
The Entrepreneurship Elevated PodcastEpisode 244: Art as a Business with Jessica Abel There is a common narrative that artists tell themselves: they cannot truly be artists if they treat their careers as businesses. The truth is, you need to embrace your financials and step into your role as a business owner to be able to continue to create your art. Our guest, Jessica Abel, will share her story and how she was able to overcome her limiting mindset and become profitable.
2019-03-1852 min
Chasing CreativeS5 E7: Jessica Abel on Integrating Creativity into Your LifeJessica Abel is cartoonist and author who is demystifying the creative process. Join us as we talk about her philosophy that the creative life is just . . . life. You’ll gain practical strategies for integrating creativity into your everyday life with systems and routines that work for you.
Books and Links We Talked About
Growing Gills: How to Find Creative Focus When You’re Drowning in Your Daily Life by Jessica Abel
The Creative Focus Workshop
Article on the scarcity mindset: If Creativity Is So Freeing, Why Do I Feel Like I'm Trap...2019-03-0455 min
Tom Ray's Art PodcastS04 Episode 1: Jessica AbelWhat cool way to start off the new season of the show, I got the opportunity to meet Jessica Abel!! Listen: Apple Podcasts | RadioPublic | Google Podcasts | YouTube She is the comic book writer and artist who has made so many books, ranging from stories to instructional including the books Life Sucks, Drawing Words & Writing Pictures, La Perdida, Growing Gills and Radio: An Illustrated Guide (with collaborator Ira Glass) just to name a few. You can check out her latest graphic novel Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars on Amazon. https://amzn.to/2Szq1pP
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Send in a voice me...2019-01-0630 min
sharppodcastJessica Abel – STP042Episode 42 - I claim that we cover the meaning of life, the universe, and everything - in episode 42. It's possible I claimed it incorrectly, but we had a great chat about how YOU can finally free time up to get that creative project up and running - or in fact, do anything which has been burning a hole in the back of your mind for the last few years.Some of the USEFUL stuff in there is:Jessica's first piece of work that I discovered...2018-07-0142 min
Think Again - a Big Think PodcastJessica Abel (cartoonist, creative coach) – Practical MagicOn an earlier episode of this show the Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk said something that I’ve never forgotten. He said that writing programs shouldn’t teach about plots or characters or how to structure a story. Instead, they should teach writers to manage their own psyches. To be the captains of their own creative ships across the rough daily waters of fluctuating emotions and energies. This kind of self-management, he suggested, is what makes the difference between people who keep producing art and those who don’t.
My guest today is Jessica Abel. She’s an accomplished artist herself—a graphic nov...2018-06-091h 04
Podcast – ILLUSTRATION AGECreative Playdate Episode 15: Interview with Jessica AbelI can’t believe I’ve done 15 episodes of Creative Playdate! This episode is the last one for Season One and I will be back with Season Two in a couple of months. This week’s episode features the incredibly talented Jessica Abel. Her list of accomplishments is far too long for these show notes but you […]2018-02-0100 min
Creative PlaydateEpisode 15: Interview with Jessica Abel Photo by Lauréne DuCrocq I can't believe I've done 15 episodes of Creative Playdate! This episode is the last one for Season One and I will be back with Season Two in a couple of months. This week's episode features the incredibly talented Jessica Abel. Her list of accomplishments is far too long for these show notes but you may know her from her graphic novels, like La Perdida or Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars, her textbook Drawing Words & Writing Pictures (written with husband, Matt Madden) or she may even be your teacher. Some...2018-02-0147 min
Productive Flourishing PodcastJessica Abel: What Productivity & Creativity Teachers Do When They Get Stuck (Episode 161)Jessica Abel is the author of La Perdida, and the Chair of the illustration program at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Both within and outside the academy, she helps creative people with big ideas get past procrastination and anxiety, and get on to do their best work. In today’s episode, Jessica and Charlie talk about what happens when creativity and productivity teachers get stuck, and how they go about getting unstuck.Key Takeaways:[2:47] - This is Jessica’s second year as a full time professor and department head. She is currently jugg...2017-09-2857 min
Make Marketing Suck Less for Expertise-Driven Solo BusinessesCreating Time & Focus for Your Speaking with Jessica AbelTo make speaking work for your business, you’ve got to dedicate one very limited resource to it. TIME! With all of your millions of things to do, how do you fit speaking into the mix? How do you create time & focus to get the pitching, the writing and the practicing done? You start by listening to my guest, Jessica Abel, the author of the book Growing Gills: How to Find Creative Focus When You’re Drowning in Your Daily Life. Jessica’s mission is to help creatives get the wo...2017-09-2624 min
Make Marketing Suck Less for Expertise-Driven Solo BusinessesCreating Time & Focus for Your Speaking with Jessica AbelTo make speaking work for your business, you’ve got to dedicate one very limited resource to it. TIME! With all of your millions of things to do, how do you fit speaking into the mix? How do you create time & focus to get the pitching, the writing and the practicing done? You start by listening to my guest, Jessica Abel, the author of the book Growing Gills: How to Find Creative Focus When You’re Drowning in Your Daily Life. Jessica’s mission is to help creatives get the wo...2017-09-2624 min
Comics Manifest112: Shouldering the Weight of Your Projects with Jessica AbelJessica Abel (Drawing Words and Writing Pictures, Mastering Comics, La Perdida) joins me to discuss a question that many creators new and old face. How can we get better at getting things done? Cartoonists have so many stories they want to tell and the thought of completing a whole body of work can be daunting to say the least, so I bring in the expert to talk all about what we can do to get better at managing our time, stress, and productivity.2017-09-0524 min
MakingComics.com Gutter Talk Podcast106: Jessica Abel – MakingComics.com Gutter Talk PodcastChaos. What is it good for? Absolutely nothin’.
Well, now that we successfully planted that ear worm, today’s Making Comics Gutter Talk episode with Jessica Abel deals a lot with chaos and the things creative folk like us can do to not only minimize the chaos but (*GULP*) even get things accomplished, too. You know, like that comic you’ve been sitting on and tinkering away at here and there for the last seven years. Or one of the many short-lived attempts at something cool that you think you’ll eventually get back to… even though deep down...2017-09-011h 13
Podcasting Experiments4.19: Jessica Abel on Narrative PodcastingToday’s guest is Jessica Abel, author of the book Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio and the Out on the Wire Podcast. Reasons to do a narrative style podcast Jessica suggests doing a narrative podcast because narrative journalism is an extremely powerful way to convey ideas. You can pack so much into so little time and with so many layers of meaning by carefully editing, layering in sound and thinking really carefully about your scripting and narration. Although you could listen to five episodes of a good in...2017-06-1900 min
The Creative Nonfiction Podcast with Brendan O'MearaEpisode 53—Jessica Abel and the Power of Creative Focus Jessica Abel is a cartoonist, a teacher, a writer, and a podcaster and her latest book, Growing Gills: How to Find Creative Focus When You're Drowning in Your Daily Life, is her latest project. I came across her kick-ass, 200-page, black-and-white graphic book Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio and reached out to her. So in this episode we talk a lot about what makes for great radio/podcasting, how to obtain creative focus, the power of reviewing your projects and processes, and much, much more. If you dig the show, share it w...2017-06-1659 min
Ink in Your VeinsEp. 050: Jessica Abel on Working on One Project At a TimeCartoonist and writer Jessica Abel is the author of Growing Gills, Out on the Wire, La Perdida, and two textbooks about making comics, Drawing Words & Writing Pictures and Mastering Comics. Abel’s new new science fiction comics series, Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars debuted in November 2016. She is Chair of the Illustration Program at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and lives with her family in Philadelphia. How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to write the book you long to finish? Here you'll ga...2017-06-1536 min
15 Minutes: a podcast about fame, with Jamie BergerEpisode 36 - Jessica Abel, A 15 Minutes MiniHere's Jessica Abel, whom we last spoke to back in Episode 16, reading from her new book "Growing GIlls: How to Find Creative Focus When You're Drowning in Your Daily LIfe," based on her wicked awesome Creative Focus Workshop.Find her at: http://jessicaabel.comNext week: a year-anniversary check-in session with Dr. Lois Parkison, resident shrink.After that, on June 8th, will be a conversation with ...--- David Sedaris! ---Stay tuned!-Jamiehttp://15minutesjamieberger.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2017-05-2812 min
Above 180.com Bowling PodcastStorm Collegiate Spotlight Jessica AbelThis week we catch up for form WSU Shocker Jessica Abel. Jess shares her advice for folks looking to bowl in college and talks about her 2009 championship team. We also talk about why she is not surprised at all with all the international players doing so well on the […]
2017-03-0113 min
Your Creative Push179: The only way OUT is THROUGH (w/ Jessica Abel)Jessica is an author and cartoonist with a head for organization and systems, abilities she’s put to very good use as she has explored how to make creative work with less anxiety and more ease. She works with creative professionals (and serious non-professionals) to get a clear, strategic view of their ambitious projects, and help them get through the woods and that creative transformation that comes on the other side of finishing. Full shownotes: http://yourcreativepush.com/jessicaabel In this episode, Jessica discusses: -How the only way out is through....2016-12-1543 min
Michigan State University Comic Art and Graphic Novel PodcastEpisode 004 - Jessica AbelWelcome to the fourth episode of the Michigan State University Comic Art and Graphic Novel Podcast. Below you'll find show notes and links mentioned in this episode. MSU Comics Forum website: comicsforum.msu.edu James Sturm: www.cartoonstudies.org/index.php/james-sturm Center for Cartoon Studies: www.cartoonstudies.org Charles Hatfield: https://www.amazon.com/Charles-Hatfield/e/B001K8FN9Y/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1 MSU Comics Forum direct link to the 2017 Artist Alley Submission: comicsforum.msu.edu/?p=611 MSU Comics Forum direct link to the 2017 Academi...2016-12-011h 0215 Minutes: a podcast about fame, with Jamie BergerEpisode 16 - Jessica AbelJessica Abel is known to some for her comics/graphic novels such asLa Perdida, ArtBabe, Life Sucks, or Trish Trash. A new, teen-to-adult audience are about to know her from her coming November new release Trish Trash, Roller Girl of Mars. Still others know her for a skinny little handbook she and Ira Glass of this American Life put together in 1999 called Radio: An Illustrated GuideI only knew Jessica Abel's name as the editor of the annual Best American Comics anthologies I loved, until last spring, when, in a mix of preparation/procrastination for beginning this podcast, I was reading...2016-10-1348 min
taperadio30: Jessica AbelJessica Abel is the author of Out on the Wire.
"The group edit format, while emotionally difficult, actually is an incredibly efficient tool. In an hour, two hours, you can get the intellectual work done on a piece that could take weeks without it.”2016-03-0130 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 9: Make It WorkIt’s one thing to finish a story, it’s another to make stories your career. In our final episode of season one of Out on the Wire we talk to three creative professionals, Jakob Lewis of the podcast Neighbors, Dave Kellett of the comics Sheldon and Drive and the documentary Stripped, and Kelly Sue DeConnick, writer of the comics Bitch Planet and Pretty Deadly, about how they create their work, put food on the table, and make a life in the constantly shifting creative landscape.2016-01-2042 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 9: Make It WorkIt’s one thing to finish a story, it’s another to make stories your career. In our final episode of season one of Out on the Wire we talk to three creative professionals, Jakob Lewis of the podcast Neighbors, Dave Kellett of the comics Sheldon and Drive and the documentary Stripped, and Kelly Sue DeConnick, writer of the comics Bitch Planet and Pretty Deadly, about how they create their work, put food on the table, and make a life in the constantly shifting creative landscape.2016-01-2000 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 8.5: Workshop
Dan Waldschmidt and Matthew Williamson just produced the pilot episode of a podcast called "Ordinary Heroes," but they know they need a new point of view on it — time for an edit! Dan and Matthew bravely volunteered to go through an edit on the air with Ben, Matt, and me. We dig into who should narrate the story and how, the role of music in the show, whether we should explicitly lay out the message of the show, and more.2016-01-121h 08Out on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 8.5: Workshop
Dan Waldschmidt and Matthew Williamson just produced the pilot episode of a podcast called "Ordinary Heroes," but they know they need a new point of view on it — time for an edit! Dan and Matthew bravely volunteered to go through an edit on the air with Ben, Matt, and me. We dig into who should narrate the story and how, the role of music in the show, whether we should explicitly lay out the message of the show, and more.2016-01-1200 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 8: Your Baby's UglyOur stories are our babies, but not all babies are cute. This week, we figure out just how far we’ve still got to go when we take a finished draft of our own show and subject it to the cold scrutiny of an edit by Robert Smith and Jess Jiang of Planet Money. Our baby was kinda messed up, but he’s much prettier now. Also: learn what makes Ira Glass mad, find out how editing is like biofeedback, and hear how Rob Rosenthal of the Transom Story Workshop and the HowSound podcast trains the next genera...2016-01-0500 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 8: Your Baby's UglyOur stories are our babies, but not all babies are cute. This week, we figure out just how far we’ve still got to go when we take a finished draft of our own show and subject it to the cold scrutiny of an edit by Robert Smith and Jess Jiang of Planet Money. Our baby was kinda messed up, but he’s much prettier now. Also: learn what makes Ira Glass mad, find out how editing is like biofeedback, and hear how Rob Rosenthal of the Transom Story Workshop and the HowSound podcast trains the next genera...2016-01-0532 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 7.5: WorkshopCéline Keller is making an autobiographical audio story about how she turned her life upside-down in order to raise two wild baby boars on her father’s remote farm in Germany. It sounded good on paper, but now she’s stuck in the dark, German forest, literally!
So for our 7th workshop episode we’re actually DOING this week’s challenge with Céline, one of our Working Group participants. The challenge was to collaborate in a focus session to try to move your story forward. We workshop her story together to try and help her find her wa...2015-12-1400 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 7.5: WorkshopCéline Keller is making an autobiographical audio story about how she turned her life upside-down in order to raise two wild baby boars on her father’s remote farm in Germany. It sounded good on paper, but now she’s stuck in the dark, German forest, literally!
So for our 7th workshop episode we’re actually DOING this week’s challenge with Céline, one of our Working Group participants. The challenge was to collaborate in a focus session to try to move your story forward. We workshop her story together to try and help her find her wa...2015-12-1436 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 7: Dark ForestThe Dark Forest is where we go when we're deep in the writing process and lose our way. Overwhelming feelings of self-doubt, confusion, and inadequacy threaten to halt our stories’ progress. Sometimes, we forget why we started on the path in the first place. Luckily, many people have been here before, and they can help us find a way out. This week, we get very lost, and find our way back out again, thanks to Jad Abumrad, Jay Allison, Ira Glass, and more. Plus an interview with Kazu Kibuishi, creator of the graphic novel series Amulet.2015-12-0700 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 7: Dark ForestThe Dark Forest is where we go when we're deep in the writing process and lose our way. Overwhelming feelings of self-doubt, confusion, and inadequacy threaten to halt our stories’ progress. Sometimes, we forget why we started on the path in the first place. Luckily, many people have been here before, and they can help us find a way out. This week, we get very lost, and find our way back out again, thanks to Jad Abumrad, Jay Allison, Ira Glass, and more. Plus an interview with Kazu Kibuishi, creator of the graphic novel series Amulet.2015-12-0735 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 6.5: WorkshopThis week, Matt and Ben and Jessica critiquing scenes written by members of the Out on the Wire working group. An ethnographic memoir about marrying into a new culture, a literary biography of a dancer who found success copying the competition, and in their stunning debut, the Out on the Wire Players perform a scene from a short radio play about an orange.2015-12-0100 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 6.5: WorkshopThis week, Matt and Ben and Jessica critiquing scenes written by members of the Out on the Wire working group. An ethnographic memoir about marrying into a new culture, a literary biography of a dancer who found success copying the competition, and in their stunning debut, the Out on the Wire Players perform a scene from a short radio play about an orange.2015-12-0134 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 6: Proof of ConceptIt’s time to get some ink on that page. We’re in the lab, testing our story hypotheses in the crucible of the writing process. We put things in order, break them down, build them with little blocks, iterate, signpost, and answer the question, “what does Buffy feel?” With the help of Ira Glass, Joe Richman, Soren Wheeler, Glynn Washington, Sean Cole and more.2015-11-2333 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 6: Proof of ConceptIt’s time to get some ink on that page. We’re in the lab, testing our story hypotheses in the crucible of the writing process. We put things in order, break them down, build them with little blocks, iterate, signpost, and answer the question, “what does Buffy feel?” With the help of Ira Glass, Joe Richman, Soren Wheeler, Glynn Washington, Sean Cole and more.2015-11-2300 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 5.5: WorkshopThis is our 5th workshop episode, where we discuss work posted the Out on the Wire working group. This week, interviewing—we talk about space monks, schadenfreude, the value of interviewing vs. reading for research, and how to feel confident as you’re starting out doing interviews. Plus a report from group member Dean Johnson about his recent interview with a man who was begging for money at a gas station when they met.2015-11-1635 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 5.5: WorkshopThis is our 5th workshop episode, where we discuss work posted the Out on the Wire working group. This week, interviewing—we talk about space monks, schadenfreude, the value of interviewing vs. reading for research, and how to feel confident as you’re starting out doing interviews. Plus a report from group member Dean Johnson about his recent interview with a man who was begging for money at a gas station when they met.2015-11-1600 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 5: You're Not Lucky, You're Just GoodDon’t be lucky. Be good. Manufacture your own luck with the right kind of preparation for an interview. We hear from Zoe Chace, Robert Smith, Ira Glass and Jenna Weiss-Berman on how to research, prepare, and execute an interview that will provide exactly what you need. Plus we talk to New Yorker staff writer Larissa MacFarquhar about her interviewing technique and her new book.2015-11-0946 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 5: You're Not Lucky, You're Just GoodDon’t be lucky. Be good. Manufacture your own luck with the right kind of preparation for an interview. We hear from Zoe Chace, Robert Smith, Ira Glass and Jenna Weiss-Berman on how to research, prepare, and execute an interview that will provide exactly what you need. Plus we talk to New Yorker staff writer Larissa MacFarquhar about her interviewing technique and her new book.2015-11-0900 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire: InterimYoung Ira Glass learns a lesson about how to make his own luck in this story that appears in Out on the Wire (the book), but didn’t fit in episode 5, about interviewing. Enjoy!2015-11-0203 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire: InterimYoung Ira Glass learns a lesson about how to make his own luck in this story that appears in Out on the Wire (the book), but didn’t fit in episode 5, about interviewing. Enjoy!2015-11-0200 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 4.5: WorkshopIn this week’s workshop, we’re critiquing work from the Episode 4: Bare Bones challenge: stories of a modern cinderella, a veteran seeking justice, and an antique dealer with attachment issues. Plus we riff on the idea of theme and how to do advocacy storytelling without preaching to the choir.2015-10-2739 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 4.5: WorkshopIn this week’s workshop, we’re critiquing work from the Episode 4: Bare Bones challenge: stories of a modern cinderella, a veteran seeking justice, and an antique dealer with attachment issues. Plus we riff on the idea of theme and how to do advocacy storytelling without preaching to the choir.2015-10-2700 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 4: Bare BonesThis episode is a flight check: We’re making sure the underpinnings of our stories are tight and structured by utilising the narrative arc, chronology, and framing. You'll hear from Ira Glass, Chana Joffe-Walt, Sean Cole, and in a brand new interview, from Jonathan Mitchell of the radio-drama podcast The Truth. Jonathan explains his storytelling philosophy and breaks down the creation of one of his stories, Naughty Or Nice. 2015-10-1945 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 4: Bare BonesThis episode is a flight check: We’re making sure the underpinnings of our stories are tight and structured by utilising the narrative arc, chronology, and framing. You'll hear from Ira Glass, Chana Joffe-Walt, Sean Cole, and in a brand new interview, from Jonathan Mitchell of the radio-drama podcast The Truth. Jonathan explains his storytelling philosophy and breaks down the creation of one of his stories, Naughty Or Nice. 2015-10-1900 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 3.5: WorkshopIn our third workshop episode we critique a few of the character profiles posted in the Out on the Wire Working group. This week: stories about Lithium mixers, a future detective noir, a sci-fi allegory about identity, and the true story of a transgender woman's journey at an Orthodox Jewish university. 2015-10-1245 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 3.5: WorkshopIn our third workshop episode we critique a few of the character profiles posted in the Out on the Wire Working group. This week: stories about Lithium mixers, a future detective noir, a sci-fi allegory about identity, and the true story of a transgender woman's journey at an Orthodox Jewish university. 2015-10-1200 min
The Comics AlternativeInterviews - Jessica AbelOn this episode of the interview series, Andy W. and Derek have as their guest Jessica Abel, whose latest book, Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio, was recently released by Broadway Books. In her conversation with the guys, Jessica discusses her history with narrative-based radio and how her earlier work, Radio: An Illustrated Guide (cowritten with Ira Glass), helped to open the door for her exploration of the medium. Out on the Wire is based on over three years of research and hours of interviews she conducted with the creators behind programs...2015-10-1200 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 3: Walk In My ShoesToday we dive deep into character, characters that let us walk in the shoes of someone else. But how can we create characters that feel genuine while also functioning to move the story? Glynn Washington, Joe Richman, Ira Glass, Jay Allison and more are here to help us figure out how to make characters that connect with an audience.2015-10-0500 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 3: Walk In My ShoesToday we dive deep into character, characters that let us walk in the shoes of someone else. But how can we create characters that feel genuine while also functioning to move the story? Glynn Washington, Joe Richman, Ira Glass, Jay Allison and more are here to help us figure out how to make characters that connect with an audience.2015-10-0541 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 2.5: WorkshopIn our second workshop episode we're talking about some of the focus sentences and XY story formulae posted in the Out on the Wire working group. This week: stories about going over Niagara Falls in a barrel, self-help, comedy and PTSD, entrepreneurship, and a lot more. 2015-09-2900 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 2.5: WorkshopIn our second workshop episode we're talking about some of the focus sentences and XY story formulae posted in the Out on the Wire working group. This week: stories about going over Niagara Falls in a barrel, self-help, comedy and PTSD, entrepreneurship, and a lot more. 2015-09-2942 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 2: FocusHow can we know if an idea is a good one? This time on Out on the Wire, we investigate how to refine story ideas using the focus sentence and the X/Y story formula. Plus, Ira Glass recounts a reporting trip gone sideways and Jay Allison's takedown of formulaic storytelling. 2015-09-2100 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 2: FocusHow can we know if an idea is a good one? This time on Out on the Wire, we investigate how to refine story ideas using the focus sentence and the X/Y story formula. Plus, Ira Glass recounts a reporting trip gone sideways and Jay Allison's takedown of formulaic storytelling. 2015-09-2140 min
PW Comics World: More To ComeMore To Come 171: Jessica Abel interviewCalvin talks to comics creator Jessica Abel about comics, working in France, and her new book on a new generation of radio and podcast storytellers.2015-09-1857 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 1.5: WorkshopIn our first workshop episode, we take a crack at some of the great ideas popping up on the Out on the Wire Working Group. Join Jessica, Ben, and Matt as we dig into how to make your story ideas stronger. 2015-09-1500 minOut on the WireOut on the Wire Episode 1.5: WorkshopIn our first workshop episode, we take a crack at some of the great ideas popping up on the Out on the Wire Working Group. Join Jessica, Ben, and Matt as we dig into how to make your story ideas stronger. 2015-09-1544 min