Taking the Leap Towards Creating with Audrey Havey | Apr 20, 2026

<p>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.</p><p>This episode covers:</p><ul><li><strong>Launching Sword and Shield</strong>: How Audrey and her husband planned a studio launch months in advance.</li><li><strong>Commissioning frame-by-frame animation</strong>: What their process looked like working with an external animator, from brief to final delivery, and how they tried to be the &quot;dream client.&quot;</li><li><strong>YouTube content creation</strong>: How Audrey&#39;s video workflow evolved over time, and why she stepped away from the channel — temporarily.</li><li><strong>Brand deals with Rive and School of Motion</strong>: How those collaborations came about organically, and what she got out of them beyond the paycheck.</li><li><strong>LinkedIn without overthinking it</strong>: Audrey&#39;s low-pressure approach to social media and why personal work has driven most of her client relationships.</li><li><strong>Developing a personal style</strong>: Why it took until after college for Audrey to understand her own visual identity — and how she knows when something is distinctly hers.</li><li><strong>What art school actually teaches you</strong>: The case for soft skills over technical training, and what online learning can and can&#39;t replicate.</li><li><strong>Sword and Shield&#39;s vision</strong>: The studio&#39;s philosophy on craft, client work, and a longer-term project Audrey hints at but doesn&#39;t fully reveal.</li></ul><p><strong>Upcoming Events:</strong></p><ul><li>Game night: Wednesday, April 29th (Discord)</li><li>Next week&#39;s guest: Reece Parker!</li></ul><p>Visit <a href="MondayMeeting.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">MondayMeeting.org</a> for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!</p><p><br></p><p>SHOW NOTES:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/Monday_Meeting">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></li><li><a href="https://discord.com/invite/2zDcj7PyB7">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</a></li><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/monday-meeting-podcast/">⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<