The Explosive Art of Phil Summers

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: Join Our Patreon: This week we’re sitting down with artist Phillip Summers to take a close-up look at his expertly handcrafted game guides. So join us as we strap on our hiking boots to climb the towering mountain of work it actually takes to make something like this from scratch. We do a proper retrospective on all of Phil’s work, from early projects to more refined guides, and we’re left wondering… where’s the line between fan art and original creation, and when does something like this become entirely new? From there, we dig deep into the nuts and bolts of what it takes to run an operation like Phil’s – things like printing, shipping, damaged copies, replacements, and the many other hurdles Summers had to figure out in real time. What happens when a passion project suddenly scales? And how much of being a creator is actually just logistics? We also talk through hisMetroid Kickstarter that blew up seemingly instantaneously, and shut down just as fast. Hearing it directly from Summers, we ask: what do you do when something clearly resonates with people but legally can’t exist? That takes us straight into a discussion on how Phillip’s canceled kickstarter project led to a direct collaboration with Capcom. We close out with a bird’s eye view on balancing creative work with real life, and what it actually costs to keep making things consistently. If you want to create something like this, what are you willing to sacrifice? Big thanks to our patrons, we’ll see you next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: Buy our T-shirts: Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: discord.gg/vnRnr3rCzt Apple: Spotify: Google Podcasts: CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: Theme by Mega Drive → Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: »

You can listen to The Explosive Art of Phil Summers online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Explosive Art of Phil Summers is an episode from The Create Unknown by Unknown Media & Studio71.

This episode is 84:40 long.

This episode was published on Apr 25, 2026.

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