Leveling Up Your Passion Projects with Paul Pape

Paul Pape is a creative problem navigator, TEDx speaker, and author known as “Santa for Nerds.” Over the past 20 years, he has built a reputation as the specialty artist companies like Disney, Universal, and Nickelodeon call when they need something that doesn’t exist or their internal teams can’t build. Working from his Nebraska studio, Paul creates custom collectibles, props, and prototypes with tight deadlines and exacting standards. Paul is the creator of Gamify Business and author of The Creative Player’s Handbook to Business, which translates intimidating business concepts into gaming language that creative minds actually understand. Through his books, workshops, and coaching, he helps entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses without sacrificing their creative souls, proving that the “starving artist” stereotype is outdated and unnecessary. Paul first appeared on Follow Your Curiosity in September 2024, and I invited him to come back to tell us about his new Gamify Business program. Paul talks with me about how he recognized the need for a more creative metaphor for entrepreneurship; the danger of losing touch with your passion as your creative business grows; how the focus on what’s NOT possible, plus the constant need to ask permission—even as a adults—can get in our way, and a whole lot more. If you’ve ever been intimidated by the idea of starting a business, especially as a creative, this episode is for you.   Episode breakdown: 00:00 Introduction. 04:10 Using Dungeons and Dragons to explain creative business roles. 08:18 Leveling up business skills with gaming metaphors. 12:00 Business isn’t selling out; creatives deserve a livable wage. 16:05 Building the book through stories and personal experience. 20:13 Learning entrepreneurship by adapting methods to suit yourself. 24:10 Gatekeeping of business concepts and simplifying with new language. 28:47 Kids embrace entrepreneurship because they haven’t been told no. 32:27 Making a fool of yourself helps growth and confidence. 37:08 Confidence from passion attracts opportunities and like-minded people. 41:57 The tipping point: when passion becomes a draining job. 46:53 Failing is natural; our schooling overemphasizes perfection. 51:25 Coaching, permission, and feeling proud support creative entrepreneurship. 56:29 Rediscovering fun and permission helps creativity thrive.   Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in entrepreneurship. Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and join us for the Follow Your Curiosity Creativity Circle. Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks! If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.