Sticky Notes with CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty
Sticky Notes is a podcast hosted by brand designers CJ Cawley and Jack Chitty. Each week, they discuss the realities of running a creative business, covering topics like finding clients, pricing work, building a brand, and dealing with creative blocks and self-doubt. The show offers an honest look at the ups and downs of freelancing without any fluff or gatekeeping.
Episodes
How to Find Graphic Design Clients | EP 005
This week, CJ and Jack unpack the reality of finding clients as a freelance designer. From saying yes to everything in the early days, to learning how to attract the right opportunities as your career grows. They share stories from their own journeys, including cold emails, awkward client experiences, social media, passion projects, and the uncomfortable truth about what it really takes to get not
I Quit My 9-5… Now I Can’t Stop Working
We quit our 9-5's to work 5-9. This week, CJ and Jack unpack the guilt that comes with being a freelance creative and finally putting your 'out of office' on.We get into:👉 Why freelancers often feel guilty taking time off👉 The pressure of running a business when everything stops if you stop👉 Why rest can feel like something you have to earn👉 The hidden 9–5 mindset many creatives still
How do Freelance Graphic Designers find Motivation? | EP003
What happens when the wins stop coming? When projects drag on, self-doubt creeps in, confidence drops, and you start questioning whether you even know what you’re doing anymore. We get into:👉 Why freelance creatives become dependent on “wins” to keep going👉 What happens when you stop getting sign-offs, leads, or momentum👉 The dangerous spiral of self-doubt, comparison, and “maybe I’m not cut out f
The Skill Gap Is Destroying My Confidence | EP002
You know that feeling where your taste is up here… but your actual ability feels way down there?Well, we unpack the constant battle of knowing what “great” looks like, but struggling to create work that lives up to the vision in your head.EPISODE SPONSORSilverStag Type Foundry | Fonts that feel real, intentional, and full of character. Grab 20% OFF all fonts hereTOOLS FOR BRAND & LOGO DESIGNER
The Dark Side of Social Media | EP001
Well... this week’s episode took a completely unexpected turn.What started as a conversation about social media, sharing your work online, and building a personal brand quickly became a very real discussion about criticism, hate, parody videos, and what happens when putting yourself out there publicly suddenly blows back in your face.CJ opens up about waking up to a viral parody video mocking his
Why Should You Watch This Podcast? | EP000
Welcome to the very first episode of Sticky Notes - the unfiltered podcast for creative professionals, where we ungatekeep the arts of our careers nobody talks about but everyone goes through. In this episode, Jack Chitty and I sit down after a long day of building this podcast from scratch (literally by hand) and talk about why we’re even doing this.We get into:👉 Why running a freelance graphic d
Should Brand Designers Niche Down? | Sticky Notes EP01
Welcome to the first-ever episode of Sticky Notes. The podcast for graphic designers, logo designers, and brand designers who are figuring out how to build a freelance design studio.In this episode, we’re tackling one of the biggest questions in the design industry: To niche or not to niche? Should you specialise in one style, one industry, one type of client? Or should you stay broad, flexible, a
#03 How to Build a Graphic Design Business From Scratch - Abi Connick's Journey to Success
If you’re a freelance graphic designer who’s ever felt lost, stuck, or unsure where to start, this episode might just be what you needed. I have a raw and honest conversation with Abi Connick, a self-taught graphic designer and creative entrepreneur who went from charging £10 for logos and freelancing from her bedroom, to building a thriving online design business, enormous social media audience,
#02 - The Brutal Truth About Being a Graphic Designer on Social Media - Jack Chitty PART 2
Being a graphic designer on social media isn’t as easy as it looks…In Part 2 of my conversation with Jack Chitty (@chittco), we dive deep into the brutal reality of building a freelance graphic design career online—the hate comments, the self-doubt, the validation trap, and how social media can either make or break you as a creative.Jack opens up about:🔥 How going viral almost destroyed his confid
#01 - From ZERO Clients to Designing Logos for Global Brands – Jack Chitty’s INSANE Story
If you're a designer struggling to make it, you need to watch this episode of how Jack Chitty (@chittco) went from having no degree, no job, and nearly no hope to landing one of the biggest branding projects of his career – Six Nations Rugby. But the journey wasn’t as smooth as you think.In this raw and honest conversation, we talk about:🔥 How Jack built his design career from scratch (no qual
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