(Updated on January 29, 2024)

In January 2018, my wife suggested that I create a podcast. I was experiencing severe depression; and she thought that turning my energy and attention to podcasting would help me. She was right.

But, I didn’t know a single thing about podcasts (other than listening to them).

Here are the top 10 lessons I learned while producing, recording, editing, and publishing 85 podcast episodes for The Illustration Department Podcast:

10. DO SOMETHING.

The biggest lesson I learned is a lesson many folks in creative fields have to relearn from time to time—especially when they’re starting a new project: do something.

I place this lesson at #10, because the other nine lessons you’re about to read came from the mistakes I made by doing something.

If you’re interested in making a podcast, start by reading articles (you are!). Listen to podcast episodes. Scribble down a guest list.

If possible, talk to someone who has experience with podcasts. In my case, if it wasn’t for Ânia Marcos—who taught me GarageBand (from her home in Portugal)—starting the podcast would have been far more difficult.

The more you do, the more real it becomes. And, accept that you will make mistakes.

To read the rest of this post, subscribe to The Illustration Department’s “Notes on Illustration” on Substack.