This week, host Karen Han talks to Christina Chang, creative director for the animated series We Baby Bears on Cartoon Network. In the interview, Christina explains what a creative director does and describes the common challenges that animators and storyboard artists face. She also discusses her career journey and the challenges of assuming a leadership role. After the interview, Karen and co-host June Thomas talk about how production budgets can affect animated series. Then they discuss the benefits of studying other people’s work to improve your own. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Karen and Christina chat about burnout and taking breaks. Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus.--Thanks to Avast.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, hosts Isaac Butler and June Thomas answer a question from a physics teacher named Anya, who thinks we should all view teaching as the creative practice that it is. Building a creative atmosphere for students can provide some truly inspired ways of teaching, but it can just as easily wind up going a little overboard… What did a teacher do that you found really creative? Or are there some creative teaching habits that should really be avoided? Share them with us at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com. Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host June Thomas talks to sisters Natalia and Lauren O’Hara, who work as an author/illustrator team to create children’s books like Hortense and the Shadow and Frindleswylde. In the interview, Natalia and Lauren discuss their collaborative relationship, their early exposure to fairy tales, and misconceptions about gender in children’s book publishing. After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler talk about sibling relationships and what it’s like to collaborate with a close friend or family member. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, June asks Natalia and Lauren if they ever include Easter eggs for parents in their books. Then the three of them discuss Northern English accents and rhyming words. Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.Podcast production by Cameron Drews.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to artist and writer Lauren Redniss, whose latest piece of visual nonfiction is Oak Flat: A Fight for Sacred Land in the American West. In the interview, Lauren first explains why she uses both art and text together in her work. Then she shares her reporting process for Oak Flat and describes how she landed on the book’s narrative structure. After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas discuss Lauren’s fluid artistic style and the importance of structure in nonfiction. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Lauren talks about trying her hand at children’s books. Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.Podcast production by Cameron Drews.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus.Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, host Isaac Butler helps co-host June Thomas adjust to life as a freelancer. With boundless free time comes the need for new routines to maintain creative muscles and stay on task.Then the hosts examine routines more broadly. Can lighting a candle set the perfect writing mood? Can a fresh drink and an hour of solitary reflection summon your muse? Joan Didion thought so.Do you have any creative routines or rituals? Do you find them hard to develop? Share your thoughts with us at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com. Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host Karen Han talks to artist and designer Dan-ah Kim, whose work includes the picture book The Grandmasters Daughter and multiple graphic design projects for film and television. In the interview, Dan-ah discusses her traditional style of working and explains how she adapted her work to the picture book form. Then she talks about her graphic design work for the HBO series The Gilded Age.After the interview, Karen and co-host Isaac Butler discuss martial arts and the difficult work of balancing personal projects with a day job.   In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Dan-ah talks about dabbling in the world of fashion design. Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.Podcast production by Cameron Drews.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host June Thomas talks to Julia Cameron, author of the classic book The Artist's Way and dozens of other books about creativity, including her most recent, Seeking Wisdom: A Spiritual Path to Creative Connection. In the interview, Julia discusses the role of spirituality in creativity and argues that her methods are helpful for believers and atheists alike. Then she digs into the benefits of morning pages and helps June overcome her inner perfectionist. After the interview, June and co-host Karen Han discuss their strategies for overcoming creative blocks. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Julia reads two poems. You can find more of her work at juliacameronlive.com. Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.Podcast production by Cameron Drews.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week’s episode of Working Overtime, hosts Isaac Butler and Karen Han answer a question from a listener named Anna, who wants to enliven her nonfiction work. Breaking through creative roadblocks can be challenging, but Isaac and Karen trade tricks, such as diagramming passages of your favorite writing and inventing weird rules to find a voice that fits your work.Have you struggled to find your voice or encountered other creative barricades? Share them with us at (304) 933-9675 or email us at working@slate.com. Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host Karen Han talks to Jeeyon Shim, who designs immersive games that allow players to craft objects and tell stories. In the interview, Jeeyon discusses her career as an outdoor educator and explains how that work prompted her pivot to game design. She also explains what a “keepsake game” is and describes her latest game, called The Snow Queen, which repurposes chess pieces and allows players to craft narratives about them. After the interview, Karen and co-host June Thomas discuss the appeal of solo games. Then they reflect on Jeeyon’s comments about making a living as an artist and treating creative work as work. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Jeeyon lists some of her favorite games to play. Jeeyon’s games can be found at jeeyonshim.games. Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by Cameron Drews.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, writers and creators of the HBO series Somebody, Somewhere. In the interview, Hannah and Paul discuss their close collaborative relationship and share some of the creative practices they developed with their theater company, The Debate Society. Then they talk about the development and writing process behind Somebody, Somewhere, which is set in rural Kansas and stars actor and cabaret singer Bridget Everett, who grew up there. After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas talk about the effectiveness of writing exercises and the difficulty of describing one’s own creative processes. In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Hannah and Paul explain why they chose not to include any details about the pandemic in Somebody, Somewhere. Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices