Monday Meeting

In this open discussion episode, the Monday Meeting team leads a conversation about the emotional side of creative work—processing projects that get canceled, separating your identity from your output, and leaning on community through the freelance feast-or-famine cycle.
This episode covers:
When a project gets shelved at the 11th hour: Why it stings more when you've poured yourself in—and how to tell over-investment from imposter syndrome.
Separating yourself from your work: How to keep your work from becoming your identity—plus a book recommendation that helps.
"The client is not your friend": How to stay emotionally distant while still doing your best work.
Reframing canceled work: How a shelved project can still earn its keep—and why the ownership outlasts the client's approval.
Coping strategies that actually help: The small daily habit that brings back a sense of control when everything else feels out of your hands.
Soft skills over creative: Why how you handle a project going sideways can matter more than the final result.
The feast-or-famine booking cycle: Saying "no," the "full restaurant" effect, and the booking pattern every freelancer keeps running into.
Community as a lifeline: How these calls and the Discord help carry people through rough seasons.
Upcoming Events/Schedule:
Game Night: Wednesday, June 24th (now every last Wednesday of the month), ~6/6:30 PM Pacific—playing Gartic Phone
Next Open Discussion: Monday, July 13th (now monthly, every second Monday)
Off-Monday "Open Office Hours" voice channel on Discord for portfolio/reel reviews—not recorded, so good for NDA-sensitive work
Open to guest hosts and topic requests; new social media memes and challenges rolling out
Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!

SHOW NOTES:
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The Good Enough Job
Scott Pelley Fired from 60mins
Do What You Can’t by Casey Neistat
Business Model Generation written by Alexander Osterwalder & Eves Pigneur

In this open discussion episode, host Jen Van Horn leads a conversation about unplugging from screens, summer hobbies, and creative projects that get you off the computer.
This episode covers:
Boulder Startup Week recap: Highlights from the AI-heavy conference, an unexpected standout workshop using LEGO to surface abstract ideas, and why networking leads from startup events tend to pay off on a longer timeline than you'd expect.
Explaining motion design to non-designers: Why pitching at conferences and local meetups sharpens how you describe your work in ways your website never will.
Automation as a way off the screen: How vibe coding and AI tools can actually free up time for hiking and other things—and the trap of getting pulled back in to build "just one more" automation.
Tactile creative projects for summer: Laser cutters, zoetropes, flip books, stop-motion experiments, and physical design work that keeps the creative muscles moving without a monitor.
In-camera experimentation over Photoshop: Playing with prisms, plexiglass, LED wands, and actual cameras to make weird abstract imagery and try unfamiliar genres.
Rituals that reset the brain: A grab bag of what the team actually does to unplug—biking, hammocks, gardening, running programs, and small bookend habits that separate work from life.
Visiting Colorado pre-camp: Recommendations for anyone arriving early for Camp Mograph, plus a heads-up about altitude.
Upcoming Events/Schedule:
**Monday Meeting is moving to a monthly format—every second Monday going forward!
Next podcast: Open Discussion on June 8th
Game Night: Wednesday, May 27th
Join the Discord for announcements, office hours, and topic suggestions
Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!
SHOW NOTES:
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In this open discussion episode, host Jen Van Horn facilitates a conversation about AI systems, workflow automation, and the evolving role of motion designers as creative technologists.

**ATTN! Show Format Update: Monday Meeting is moving to once-a-month scheduled open discussions (second Monday of each month), with additional guest episodes announced as they come together. Off-Mondays will feature open office hours on the Discord, with more focus on game nights, workshops, and community engagement across Discord and social media. A new topics channel is live on the Discord server for episode ideas and guest suggestions.

This episode covers:
AI as operations supercharger, not generative art: The most valuable AI use cases for small studios and freelancers aren't generative imagery—they're automating the operational tasks that drain mental load and free up creative energy.
Building agents like employees: Framing each automation as a specific role (producer, biz dev, social media manager) keeps things tactical and prevents the "system after system" trap that plagues early adopters.
Motion designers are uniquely positioned: Sitting at the intersection of creative and technical, motion designers are well-suited to ride the current automation wave across industries—reminiscent of the pre-standardized motion design era.
Vibe coding as a legitimate skill: Real examples shared of building MVPs, custom plugins, and proprietary tools (cloud generators via GLSL, render queues) born from specific production needs that became sellable products.
The democratization opportunity: If artists don't inject their voices and processes into the AI ecosystem, the path of least resistance for the next generation will shape tools and recommendations away from craft.
Energy, ethics, and legitimate concerns: Discussion of environmental impact, IP/rights issues, and the optimization pressure driving genuine efficiency gains—though guardrails and legislation remain urgent.
Choosing your lane: Participation isn't mandatory. Artists keeping traditional workflows become the specialists others hire—collaboration across approaches is the path forward, not forced adoption.
Upcoming Schedule:
Next week: Another open discussion episode (hosts TBD)
Going forward: Open Discussion episodes scheduled for the second Monday of each month
Off-Mondays: Open office hours on the Discord
Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!

SHOW NOTES:
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Mark Cernosia's Systems PDF

In this episode, host Kendall Hotchkiss interviews motion designer and illustrator Reece Parker on intuitive creativity, building a personal brand, and thriving as a human artist in the AI era after a decade of solo freelancing.

This episode covers:
The eras of a freelance career: Reece breaks down ten years of solo work into distinct growth phases—learning the tools, shaping market perception, figuring out business, and the current era of resilience and "art over commerce." Each era required a different mindset shift.
Working intuitively as a creative identity: Practical tips for recognizing intuitive moments and protecting time for them.
Showing up authentically on social media: Why offering vulnerability outward is what brings community back in.
Positioning a portfolio site to speak past peers: Why he invested a year and serious money into a developer-built site with capability decks and process decks designed to win direct clients—and how it changed his business overnight.
Mantras for dry spells: "It's not personal, it's business." Manifesting positive energy instead of waking up scared. Why packing your schedule to feel valuable eventually catches up with you.
Freelance platforms vs. networking: When platforms actually work versus the slow-game alternative of networking.
The human option in the AI era: Why being clearly the craft-forward, human choice is now an easier and more meaningful position to occupy, and why the clients chasing the cheapest AI option were never the ones you wanted anyway.

Upcoming Events:
Game Night: Wednesday, April 29th
Next Monday (May 4th): Open discussion hosted by Jen Van Horn
Looking for community members interested in hosting!

Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!
SHOW NOTES:
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Reece’s Instagram
Reece’s Website

In this guest episode, host Kendall Hotchkiss chats with Audrey Havey — graphic designer, art director, motion designer, illustrator, YouTuber, and co-founder of the newly launched creative studio Sword and Shield — covering studio launches, content creation, personal style, and the value of art school.
This episode covers:
Launching Sword and Shield: How Audrey and her husband planned a studio launch months in advance.
Commissioning frame-by-frame animation: What their process looked like working with an external animator, from brief to final delivery, and how they tried to be the "dream client."
YouTube content creation: How Audrey's video workflow evolved over time, and why she stepped away from the channel — temporarily.
Brand deals with Rive and School of Motion: How those collaborations came about organically, and what she got out of them beyond the paycheck.
LinkedIn without overthinking it: Audrey's low-pressure approach to social media and why personal work has driven most of her client relationships.
Developing a personal style: Why it took until after college for Audrey to understand her own visual identity — and how she knows when something is distinctly hers.
What art school actually teaches you: The case for soft skills over technical training, and what online learning can and can't replicate.
Sword and Shield's vision: The studio's philosophy on craft, client work, and a longer-term project Audrey hints at but doesn't fully reveal.
Upcoming Events:
Game night: Wednesday, April 29th (Discord)
Next week's guest: Reece Parker!
Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!

SHOW NOTES:
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Audrey's YouTube Channel
Audrey's Website
Sword and Shield Studio