The Honest Designers Show

The name is not just marketing -- this show really does try to be honest about what creative life looks like behind the Instagram highlights. Hosted by Tom Ross, Ian Barnard, Dustin Lee, and Lisa Glanz, all four hosts come from different creative backgrounds (lettering, illustration, branding, digital products), and each has built a real business from their design work through Design Cuts. New episodes drop every Wednesday, and the format mixes roundtable discussions among the hosts with guest interviews featuring people like Jessica Hische and Austin Kleon. The roundtable episodes are where the show really shines. The hosts talk openly about pricing mistakes, creative blocks, imposter syndrome, dealing with difficult clients, and the unglamorous grind of freelancing. They give actionable tips, but they also admit when they do not have all the answers, which is refreshing. Guest episodes tend to go deeper into specific topics like hand-lettering technique, building an illustration career, or launching digital products. The tone is encouraging without being saccharine -- think supportive peers, not motivational speakers. Episodes run about 30 to 45 minutes and the production is clean and straightforward. There is no over-the-top sound design here, just good conversation. If you are a graphic designer, illustrator, or lettering artist trying to figure out how to make your creative work pay the bills, this show speaks directly to that daily reality.