Craft and Chaos cover art

Craft and Chaos

Craft and Chaos

Written by: TruStory FM
Listen for free

About this listen

 A Weird Show for Weirdos Who Make Things How do you make art when the world feels like it’s on fire? Welcome to Craft and Chaos, the podcast for creative minds trying to thrive in the madness. Whether you write, paint, build, perform, or daydream ideas that keep you up at night, this show is your companion through the wild ride of making something out of nothing. Join Misty, Pete, Kyle, and Ryan — a ragtag team of creative types — as they dive into the joy, frustration, and beautiful mess of the artistic process. From the spark of inspiration to the reality of “I actually made this,” they’ll share honest stories, epic wins, total flops, and the weird, wonderful chaos that comes with being possessed by a new idea. This isn’t just about craft. It’s about surviving the noise, embracing your weird, and making cool stuff anyway. Wherever the strangest podcasts are found.©TruStory FM Art Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Poser Syndrome, Chinchilla Fights, and the Art of Saying Yes Before You're Ready

    Poser Syndrome, Chinchilla Fights, and the Art of Saying Yes Before You're Ready
    Feb 19 2026
    Here's something nobody warns you about being a creative person: at some point, you will have to decide how much of your actual life you're willing to shove into your work and then show to the people you stole it from.Mandy's writing a book for her teenage daughters and discovering that words, frustratingly, do not arrive pre-edited. Ryan's twelve thousand words into a thriller and has realized he is constitutionally incapable of writing a scene without at least one silly billy. And Kyle just got tracked down through Instagram by someone who wants to produce one of his plays — which is both a beautiful story about good work finding its audience and a cautionary tale about maybe putting your contact information on things. We're all works in progress. Some of us more literally than others.This week we're talking about truth — where it shows up in creative work, how much of it you actually need, and whether "based on a true story" is a promise or a threat. Pete's deep in a film series about fraud and discovers that the best true stories are the ones about liars. Kyle argues — compellingly — that he doesn't want historical accuracy at all, he wants you to lie to him beautifully, and cites Better Man (the Robbie Williams movie where Robbie Williams is a CGI chimpanzee) as possibly the most emotionally honest biopic ever made. Mandy confesses she once showed her mom a deeply autobiographical short film and offered to never screen it publicly, which was, and she will admit this, an absolute lie.The takeaway is something like: the facts don't have to be true as long as the feeling is in creative works. Which is either profound or the motto of every con artist in history.We also dig into fake it till you make it — that specific flavor of creative terror where you say "yes" to something you cannot yet do and then sprint toward competence before anyone notices. Ryan's been calling himself a writer since he was a kid, years before he was actually doing it professionally, which turned out to be less of a lie and more of a very patient prophecy. Pete walked into rooms full of people asking "what is a podcast" and answered "I'll tell you tomorrow," which is apparently a viable business model. And Kyle talks about the moment Mandy told him he was actually good at interviewing — after he'd spent an entire podcast series convinced he was faking it. Turns out most of us are faking it. The ones who make it are just the ones who kept showing up anyway.Plus: the crew breaks down what makes them laugh — from the Zucker Brothers hiding A-list jokes in the background of hospital scenes, to Rose Matafeo's Horndog, to a comedian named Kurt Braunohler doing five minutes on 120,000 bees that plays like Shakespeare wrote a set at The Comedy Store. And our beloved fake sponsors return: The Other Orange wants your gambling money (they might train owls), and The Last Apple would like to buy everything you own and rent it back to you at a reasonable, eternal monthly rate. We remain the only podcast either of them sponsors. Probably for good reason.Films & Shows Discussed:Better Man (2024) — Robbie Williams biopic with CGI chimp, dir. Michael GraceyCan You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) — Lee Israel forgery storyThe Hoax (2006) — Richard Gere as fake Howard Hughes biographerShattered Glass (2003) — Stephen Glass / New Republic fabrication scandalQuiz Show (1994) — Charles Van Doren quiz show scandal, dir. Robert RedfordBig Eyes (2014) — Margaret Keane painting credit story, dir. Tim BurtonRocketman (2019) — Elton John biopicBohemian Rhapsody (2018) — Queen / Freddie Mercury biopicBaby Reindeer (2024) — Netflix limited series (NOT Baby Driver)Baby Driver (2017) — Edgar Wright film (NOT Baby Reindeer)The Orville (2017–2022) — Seth MacFarlane sci-fi comedy seriesShrinking — Apple TV+ comedy series (current season at time of recording)Will & Grace (1998–2006, 2017–2020) — NBC sitcomSaturday Night (2024) — SNL origin story filmThe Theranos Movie:The Dropout (2022) — Elizabeth Holmes tries to be Steve Jobs and goes to jail.Press Your Luck Documentary:The Luckiest Man in America (2024) — about Michael Larson breaking Press Your Luck (verify exact title)Comedy Specials & Clips Referenced:Rose Matafeo: Horndog (2020) — stand-up specialKurt Braunohler — "120,000 Bees" bitAlex Edelman: Just for Us (2023) — HBO stand-up specialDemi Adejuyigbe Is Going to Do One Backflip — Dropout specialJohn Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in L.A. (2024) — Netflix live talk showBob Reese — "AI Videos Are Getting Too Good" YouTube parkour seriesThe Naked Gun (1988) — Zucker Brothers; "Mrs. Nordberg" hospital jokeBo Burnham — Oh you know... just a pioneer of multimedia/tech-forward comedy specialsComedians & Writers Mentioned:Patton OswaltSean HayesMegan MullallyMax Mutchnick — Will & Grace creator/showrunnerMike Birbiglia — Referenced as storytelling comedy style influenceMonty PythonJack Benny — ...
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 10 mins
  • How to Survive Being Quote-Tweeted by Strangers

    How to Survive Being Quote-Tweeted by Strangers
    Feb 5 2026

    When your work gets traction, people don’t just consume it—they build a little civilization around it. In this episode, Pete Wright, Mandy Fabian, Kyle Olson, and Ryan Dalton talk about the first time strangers made their work feel real (and slightly terrifying), from festival reviews and elevator recognition to fan-made dioramas and grandparents reading novels aloud together.

    They dig into what creators owe their communities, how to set boundaries without killing the joy, what “seeding” iconic objects really means, and what music helps them write without their brains wandering off to watch Star Wars in their head. Also: an unexpectedly sincere love letter to pencils, France’s finest export (ennui), and a rapid-fire fandom game that proves no one should be trusted with a t-shirt press.

    Links & Notes

    • Kyle's Twenty Twenty Mix Playlist



    • (01:11) - The Moment You are the Center of the Fandom
    • (34:25) - "Sponsor" • Ennui
    • (36:30) - Music
    • (46:56) - Kyle's 202Mix
    • (49:01) - "Sponsor"• It Starts with Trees
    • (50:59) - Who is YOUR Favorite Creator?
    • (54:32) - Tell me you're a fan!
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 1 min
  • Permission Granted: Skip the Hard Part and Come Back Later

    Permission Granted: Skip the Hard Part and Come Back Later
    Jan 22 2026
    Look. We're back. New year. New host. And we opened the show with Ryan reading the dictionary definition of the word "we," which is either a bit or a cry for help — the line is thin and we're not here to judge. The point is: Mandy Fabian is here now, Misty is off surviving life at full speed, and we're all still pretending we know what we're doing creatively. (We don't. That's the show.)Here's the thing about creative work that nobody tells you until you've already panicked about it seventeen times: you don't actually have to know what happens next. The writers of Star Trek: The Next Generation — a show that ran for seven seasons and won actual awards — would literally write "tech the tech" in the script when they didn't have the specific quantum warp polaron nonsense figured out yet. Grey's Anatomy? "Medical, medical, medical." These are real strategies used by professionals who got paid. The details came later. The momentum mattered now. This is permission. Take it.We also answer a listener question that hits painfully close to home: what happens when you suddenly have all the time in the world to be creative and your brain immediately responds by doing absolutely nothing? Turns out "I can do anything" metabolizes into "I can't do anything" faster than you'd think.We talk egg timers, scheduled creativity, and why imposing fake limitations on yourself might be the only way to survive unlimited freedom. And then, because we are who we are, we spend the last chunk of the episode pitching wildly different plays based on the same prompt — a veterinarian's office, three actors, and the opening line "Do you want the honest version or the one that'll let you sleep tonight?" Somehow we ended up with alien kittens, a ketamine heist, and a sentient skin rash that makes people act out telenovelas. This is the show. We're so glad you're here.Smart People Who Said Smart Things:Ronald D. Moore — The "tech the tech" guyShonda Rhimes — The "medical, medical, medical" queenMadeleine L'Engle — "Inspiration more often comes during the work than before it." Correct.Don Roos — Screenwriter behind the one-hour egg timer method: commit to one focused hour, let it grow if it wants toSteven Pressfield — Author of The War of Art, originator of "the resistance" as a concept for that voice in your head that tells you you're garbagePlaces That Let Creatives Do Weird Things on Deadlines:Muse Fest at Space 55 (Phoenix) — Nine muses, nine responses, one week, no stakes, maximum creativityPhoenix Theater's 24-Hour Theater Project — Kyle wrote a 15-page script overnight and it was about a sentient skin rash. We'll explain.Series Fest / Tribeca / Frameline — Festivals Mandy is submitting her pilot toProjects You Should Know About:StorySprawl — Pete's invite-only collaborative writing project where you never write what comes next, someone else does, and it's apparently liberating as hellYou Are Here — Mandy's indie TV pilot, shot micro-budget over three days. Coming soon?The Black Cape Saga — Ryan's upcoming words! Mark your Goodreads!Go Help Yourself — Misty's podcast. Still running. Go listen if you miss her. We do.Tools for People Who Need Structure:Obsidian — Kyle is migrating his notes here from Zoho Notebook and found a file from eight years ago that just said "This is where the good ideas go." Still waiting.The One-Hour Egg Timer Method — One hour. No phone. No errands. If it turns into three hours, great. If not, you did the hour. That's the whole thing. Sean Carlin has a good write-up here.Public Domain Watch (From the Fake Sponsor):Nancy Drew, Miss Marple, Sam Spade — All entered public domain January 2026. Do something interesting with them. Please. No more horror movies. (00:00) - Welcome to Craft and Chaos(02:45) - Creative Hijinks(23:00) - Sponsor: Jess Plus None • A Film by Mandy Fabian(27:03) - You Don't Have to Have All The Answers Right Now(44:12) - Listener Question(57:23) - "Sponsor:" Nancy Drew & The Public Domain(58:58) - When You Have No Time At All
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 12 mins
No reviews yet