Is the thing you think you're trying to do with your work really what you're doing? What if the entire system is set up to get you to do something else, but you don't even realize it? On today's episode, I explain why pop radio is so bad, how artists end up as willing accomplices in mediocrity, and how your team might be doing the same thing (and not even know it).
It's such a joy to have Seth Godin back on the podcast. In this conversation, Seth shares insights about the nature of doing creative work in the face of uncertainty, and how to succeed with the smallest possible market instead of aiming for big.
He also shared a bit about his altMBA program, an intensive, 4-week online workshop for high-performing individuals who want to level up and lead.
Ever feel like you have too many interests and curiosities to choose just one? For some people, this attribute makes them feel a little out of place in a world of specialists. However, today's guest says there's nothing wrong with you, and that in fact, you might just be a multipotentialite. Emilie Wapnick will tell you what that means with insights from her new book How To Be Everything.
Your career is going really well, and you're knocking it out of the park with your projects. Then suddenly, one day you realize that your work just isn't quite giving you the same spark or gratification that it once did. Everyone around you is happy with what you're producing, but deep inside you know that you're kind of phoning it in. Why does this happen to even the best and brightest people in the workplace? On today's episode I share the two places where creative pros get stuck, and what you can do about it.
When you're stuck on a project and need an idea, what do you do? Do you stare at it, beating your head against the desk and straining for insight? There's a better way. Today's guest, Nick Tasler, shares a phenomenon called The Kafka Effect and how it can help us generate creative ideas and make valuable new connections.
Does your current job have you dreaming of greener pastures, and longing to make a leap to a new one? Wait! Before you do, I have an exercise for you. You should write a resignation letter, but not send it.
One three letter word might be killing your creative output. Worse, it's the reason your team doesn't want to collaborate with you, and it's the thing that's preventing you from doing the best work of your life. On today's episode, I share what this three letter word is and some ways you can spot it before it derails you.
Your human instincts are fine-tuned for survival, not innovation. This is handy when you're escaping a lion in the wild, but not so great when you need to come up with an amazing new idea for that client project you're working on. On today's episode, Adam Hansen shares a few insights for how to overcome those baked-in instincts with tips from his book Outsmart Your Instincts.
Where do great ideas come from? More importantly, how do you put them out into the world where they can actually impact people and change the world? Today's guest, Scott Berkun, has spent many years studying these topics, and he's just released a (great) new book called The Dance Of The Possible. On today's episode, we discuss the nature of creativity, how to get unstuck, and how to embrace the dance that is the creative process.
On today's episode, I show you how to run your life from the back of an index card. (Yes, really.) You'll learn how to hone in on your mission for the day, how to bring your best to the people around you, and how to create unique and powerful value for your clients and organization by spending five minutes in preparation each morning.
There are two parts of the creative process that live in constant tension with one another: the spark, which is the exciting idea, and the grind, which is the process of bringing that idea into the world. Today's guest, Erik Wahl, is the author of a new book called The Spark and The Grind, and we have a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, grit, success vs. failure, expectations, and more.
When you create art for a living, it can sometimes be difficult to talk to others about what you do. That's especially true when others don't have a grid for your core area of passion. In this episode, I have a fun and wide-ranging conversation with Mike Quackenbush, who is the founder of Chikara Wrestling, about how he developed his love for the art of professional wrestling, and how he shares that love and passion for his craft with others.
So many creative pros spend their entire life exchanging their time and skills for money, but never gain an ownership stake in the work they do. However, some have discovered how to build a portfolio of assets that appreciates over time and gives them more freedom to pursue the work they love.
On today's show, Patrick McGinnis discusses the concept of a 10% Entrepreneur, and how to begin making small side bets that could lead to financial and creative freedom.
There are three common assassins that can easily slip into your life and work and begin to rob you of your motivation, your focus, and your creative drive. You may not even notice them until you're already on the path to burnout. In this episode, I share the three assassins and how to spot them before they take you out of the game.
You're running from meeting to meeting. You have four new major priorities due this week. On top of that, traffic is getting worse and you haven't had a vacation in what seems like a decade. Today's guest Rohan Gunatillake is here to help you find a bit of peace and presence in the midst of your sometimes chaotic work life. His latest book is called Modern Mindfulness, and it is a toolkit for helping you develop mindfulness in a world where attention is scarce.
Ever tried to get your manager to go along with a great idea, but faced resistance on every front? You're not alone. In fact, today's guest Jennifer Mueller argues that most of us are actually resistant to creative change, regardless of what we say. However, she also says that there are some things we can do about our bias against creativity, and they can also help us be more effective in leading change within our workplace. In this episode, she shares insights from her new book Creative Change.
Leading a team of creative people, especially in times of change and uncertainty, means constantly striking a balance between strategy and creativity. In today's episode, Freshbooks' Creative Director Jeremy Bailey shares insights about how he helps his team stay connected to client needs, how he helps them share their specialized skills throughout the organization, and how the team stays aligned during times of transition.
Julien Smith is the co-founder and CEO of Breather, a company that allows anyone to book beautiful, private, professional spaces whenever they need them. However, it's an idea that almost didn't happen. In this interview, Julien shares why he felt the need to launch something, why it's important to be an "operator", and why you need to focus on building something a few people will love rather than something a lot of people will like.
It’s the start of a new year, and of course that means that many people are beginning to think about where they’d like their life and work to go over the coming months. It’s easy to use this season to set big goals and make big plans, but I often find that even my best plans are thrown by unexpected opportunities and obstacles. Yes, it’s important to have objectives and a strategy for executing them, but I want to challenge you to consider a roundabout way of getting to them. Instead of simply writing a list of goals, begin with a set of questions that might help you think about the upcoming year in a new way.
What you put in your head often determines the quality of your ideas. However, many creative pros are less than purposeful about the kinds of stimuli they allow into their mind, and are not intentionally seeking new ideas by playing with ideas and trying to conenct dots. In this episode, I share three steps to putting together a study plan, and using it to help you generate great ideas for your business and clients.