Monicka asks, “Hibernation vs Drifting. How do you tell them apart, and do you know where you stand?” On this episode, I share some differences between incubation phase and just bouncing from thing to thing. Download the...
What do you do when you’re burned out? How do you recover? On this episode, I share a few ideas. Download the...
Juli asks about the concept of a body of work and how she should think about building her own. Download the...
What exactly does a great leader do? There are three key things that an effective leader of creative people provides for the team consistently and well. On this episode, I share the importance of focus, function, and fire to the creative process.
Stan asks how I use note cards and notebooks to capture thoughts and ideas. Download the...
David says, “I would love to hear more about time blocking daily and weekly so one can focus on what matters.” Download the...
Eric says, “I’d love to hear about balancing operations work with design. As a creative leader I naturally want to spend as much time as possible helping my team make their work. However i spend a lot of time helping operations folks.” Download...
Those who ask the best questions ultimately win. There are some questions that are obvious. These are the ones that directly affect our work and its outcomes. Then, there are questions that hover just beneath the surface of our work, and rarely get asked. On this episode, we share three questions that you’re probably not asking, but definitely should be.
Mahin asks “I’d like to hear more about developing the discipline to keep my day balanced. My current struggle is not giving in to the pressure to get more planning/promo/desk work done and sacrifice other things like sleep and getting to the gym....
Terri asks about ways to change perceptions that others might have about your design team to help them understand where designers can have real value on a project, as opposed to just making it look like a nice product. Download the...
Jonathan asks how to share and defend a contrary point of view without being unkind to the other person. On this episode I share a few tips. Download the...
Timothy wants to know when it’s time to pivot a project or quit it altogether. On this episode, I share one of my favorite resources to help you make that decision. Download the...
Jenny asks how to identify your craft. How do you begin to build a body of work that’s unique to you? On this episode, I share a few thoughts about how to get started. Download the...
Dave asks about whether open office seating really helps with the creativity of the organization, especially when people are tasked with doing deep creative work. On this episode, I share my thoughts. Download the...
The two most precious resources you have as a creative pro are your time and attention. They are under a constant onslaught from organizational needs, client demands, and personal anxieties. As a manager, you must commit to protecting these finite resources at all costs. On this episode, we share three principles for doing so from Todd Henry’s book Herding Tigers.
Jia Jiang was paralyzed by a fear of rejection, so he decided to do something about it. On this episode, I share what Jia did to make himself “rejection proof”. Download the...
On this episode, I share a few pieces of “extra baggage” that we carry with us as creative pros, and how to shed them so that we are lighter, more nimble, and better able to attach our work.
Who are the first people you call when something great happens, or when something bad happens? Who helps you think through opportunities? On this episode, I share an example of how my “core team” helped me through a decision. Download the...