Accidental Creative

The Power of Magic and Story (with Harris III)

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Why does story have such a powerful hold on us? How do the stories we believe influence the way we behave each day? Perhaps more importantly, how do we leverage the power of story to get our work into the world in a more meaningful way? These are the questions I discuss with Harris III. He’s a performing magician, and also the driving force behind STORY, an organization that helps people tell better stories and change the world.

Three Career Investments Creative Pros Should Make

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I am frequently asked for career advice, and I very, very rarely offer it. Why? First, because I only intimately know my own path and those of a few others. Second, because all advice is local. What works for one person will be misery for another. With that in mind, this episode features three career investments that I think every single creative should be making now, and should continue to make consistently. These are the three aspirations that you should be chasing in order to ensure that you are positioning yourself to do increasingly meaningful and valuable work.

Getting Things Done (with David Allen)

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If you do complex creative work for a living, you probably have some kind of system you use to help you organize your work and ensure that nothing is slipping through the cracks. But how reliable is that system? If you can’t rely on it completely, then it’s not really working for you. On this episode, David Allen is back to share some additional insights about Getting Things Done, and to discuss his new book (along with Mike Williams and Mark Wallace) Getting Things Done For Teens. 

The Gift of Gratitude: Take Time to Say Thank You

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As you reflect on the year’s accomplishments and undertake your planning for the coming year, I’d like to suggest a powerful tool for focusing in on your priorities: the thank you note.

We know that relationships are a key element to establishing our creative rhythm, but when faced with the blank page or buried deep in the code of our latest design, it’s easy to feel alone.

The truth, though, is that many people influence our creative process, from the initial design spark, through each iteration, to the final presentation. Taking the time to recognize and express our gratitude for these people is important to cultivating healthy relationships. That should be reason enough to indulge in ample giving.

There is, however, a wonderful reciprocal effect: clarity on who to turn to for help when we get stuck.

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Re-Factoring: A Smart Way to Refine and Conquer Whitespace

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Whitespace, the empty space at the beginning of a project, is blank and barren. It possess no borders. Left unchecked, such a shapeless environment can be disorienting. It’s a total whiteout for your mind.

Fortunately, this very feature of whitespace yields a massive clue to how and conquer it: re-factor it into a unit with borders.

Think of it like a puzzle. A puzzle can have 10 pieces or a million, but they all have borders. Smart puzzle masters start conquering a puzzle by structuring the border. They work from the outside in. Why is this helpful? Because it quarantines off a manageable piece of the whitespace universe. Then, within that defined space, you can begin to carve out your focused idea.

Let’s explore how you might proceed from the edges on in.

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Paying Attention To Life Clues

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Editor’s Note: Today’s feature is a guest article from Bryn Mooth of Writes4Food.

About four months ago, I left a longtime (long, as in 20 years) job in publishing to pursue a second career as an independent journalist and writer under the banner of Writes4Food.com. In many ways, this was an immensely difficult decision: I loved my job as editor and brand steward for HOW, a multiplatform publishing brand serving creative professionals. I worked with an amazing team of talented women, we got along well, and collectively produced work I was proud of.

But in other ways, it was an easy decision. The turning point came when my thinking 180-ed from “How can I do this?” to “How can I not?” That shift happened because I started paying attention.

Let me backtrack a little bit…

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5 Timeless Productivity Habits Worth Reviewing and Remembering

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Editor’s Note: Today’s feature is a guest article from Jenny Blake, author of Life After College.

If you earn a living from creating — thinking, speaking, writing, coaching, or other — then you owe it to yourself (and your audience) to structure your time in a way that facilitates your best work.

But for some creatives, particularly those without traditional jobs, the freedom of unstructured days can simultaneously serve as our most welcomed blessing and formidable challenge.

I experienced this firsthand when I left my job at Google to pursue life as a solopreneur. While working at Google, my schedule was always the same: wake up, work out, eat breakfast, go to work, take a yoga class, eat dinner, go home, and unwind by watching TV while working on my blog and book. Although I was quite busy, life was predictable and plannable.

After my exit, I floundered within my new-found freedom. I woke up every day without a plan and without the familiarity of my daily routines. Such independence was exhilarating at first, but it soon became overwhelming. I found myself stuck in the same habits that drained my energy at my corporate gig — reacting all day long to emails and requests instead of creating habits that enabled me to do my best work.

I had allowed myself to become distracted. The only remedy was to re-learn some of the timeless productivity habits that all creatives know, love, and should use.

My focus was upon the following five tips from some of my favorite productivity thought-leaders. I’ve re-applied their message to be relevant to those whose primary job it is to create. Odds are you’ve heard these before. But if you struggle with structuring your day effectively, consider what suggestions might be worth revisiting.

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Being “Accidentally” Creative

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Over the years, we’ve had more than a few questions about the name  Accidental Creative. Usually the responses go one of two ways: “What do you mean accidental? I’m very purposeful about what I do. I’m insulted and I shun anything else you have to say”…or “Hmm. Accidental, huh? That seems right. Please tell me more.”

So what does it mean to be an accidental creative?

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