The Cocktail Napkin

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Some of the greatest ideas begin as scribbles on the back of a cocktail napkin. On this periodical of uncurbed ideas, a wide variety of guests discuss creativity, ideas and inspiration. Hosted by Jeremy Fuksa.


    • Apr 26, 2012 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 24m AVG DURATION
    • 53 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Cocktail Napkin

    70: The Circle Is Complete

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2012 37:57


    This series finale brings the interview journey full circle. Jeremy checks in with Adam Lisagor to see how his initial statements of how "lazy" he is have held up, as well as tearing down ideas to build them back up.

    69: Indefensible Ideas

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2012 26:05


    Jeremy sits down in Austin's Driskill Hotel with Ross Floate to discuss merciless treatment of ideas that solve no problems.

    68: Look Who's Hawking Sugar Frosted Crack!

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2012 31:50


    Take a peek into the beginnings of Jeremy's creative impulses during a discussion with Dave Colin, one of Jeremy's first creative collaborators.

    67: 30 Rooms for Whipple to Squeeze This

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2012 27:02


    Jeremy speaks to advertising icon Luke Sullivan via phone about infinite resignation and slow boiling.

    66: Luckyshirt's Perfect Internet Score

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2012 49:44


    A conversation with Darrin Ross about throwing lots of creative ideas at the wall seems to resonate very well in the twilight of this show's existence. Best show yet.

    65: My Canadian Boyfriend

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2012 47:32


    Twitter jokes aren't all just fun and games. There's a craft to them and, in Jason Sweeney's case, a deeper source of joy and healing.

    64: Geeking in the Rain

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2012 3:37


    The rain at SXSW isn't stopping people from finding interesting things that inspire them. Everyone except for the guy at the end.

    63: The Lamest Nerd in Austin

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2012 3:54


    A bad travel day makes the plans for a dazzling opening SXSW episode fall flat.

    62: Austin Bound

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2012 12:45


    It's Open Topic week yet again. Jeremy lays out his plan for possible self-destruction in Austin, TX.

    61: Bridges Don't Build Themselves

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2012 28:18


    Two Kansas City boys, thrust into Internet renown in part by nods from John Gruber, sit down for coffee and discuss taking big leaps.

    60: In the Halls of the Golden Crown

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 23, 2012 31:55


    Good friend and creative colleague Pat Piper stops by the studio for beer, discussion about packaging, movies and keeping big ideas free of window dressing.

    58: Smells Like Toast

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2012 25:26


    In the first official "Open Topic Tuesday," Jeremy comes clean on being creatively burned out and verbally works through how to fix it. Also, a new programming schedule is revealed.

    57: Revealing Swedish Secrets

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2012 27:35


    A recurring theme for this show is that everything great starts somewhere small. Timmy Fisher and a group of friends built motion graphics studio MK12 from humble beginnings in an apartment above a bar.

    56: Opening the Kimono

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2012 17:55


    I've received a number of questions over the past few weeks regarding different aspects of this show's production. I thought I'd take you through the process of how the show gets produced.

    55: Bikram Creativity

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2012 31:35


    Retreating from the world to do the hard parts of creative work is one way to get the right focus. Toni McLellan wants to help you mentally sweat out those ideas in an inspiring, encouraging environment.

    54: Conversing with the Hexagons

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 5, 2012 36:47


    We've all picked up random hobbies when faced with absolutely nothing to do. But how many of those time passers turn into a true outlet for expression? Bruce Seeds discusses how the control and precision from a life of architecture/CAD translates into the geometric beauty of quilted textile art.

    53: Copying Garfield on the Kitchen Floor

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2011 34:45


    To close out 2011, writer and artist Austin Kleon discusses the myriad of ways he works to end the messy divorce between words and pictures.

    52: Revenge of the Dinosaur Luddite

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2011 25:01


    Jeremy and Ad Contrarian Bob Hoffman discuss that just because technology allows one to do so many things, it's not always the best idea to do them. Especially in marketing. Does your idea really need to be social?

    51: The Nerd Looks Back at 50

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 8, 2011 33:34


    Jeremy and his wife Robin look back at the last 50 episodes and discuss where the show has been and where it may go in 2012.

    50: Flummoxed

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2011 34:31


    A discussion about quirky kids meets a quirky host with a quirky Skype setup.

    49: A Love Affair With Failure

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2011 27:54


    The smart creative person knows that a trophy case full of failures is as important as the successes those failures ultimately produce. Some creative people, like Yuvi Zalkow, have a true affection for failure and wear it like a badge of honor.

    48: Mental Jewelry

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 10, 2011 34:51


    Improv is more than just a comedy form. Good improvisation skills translate into a variety of business skills that help you make better things, and Scott Connerly explains the fundamentals of freeing your mind.

    47: Creative Aversion Therapy

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2011 28:17


    The Industrial and Labor Relations School at Cornell University published a study on human response to creativity. Apparently even though we value creativity and innovation, truly novel and innovative ideas turn our stomach. My friend Jacob Edenfield and I discuss how knowledge work can be aversion therapy against this.

    46: Let's Consume Everything

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2011 25:17


    A well-rounded mind is a hungry mind, and San Francisco journalist Anna Rascouët-Paz tells Jeremy about all the ways she expands her world via unfettered curiosity.

    45: Henry Ford Was A Tinkerer

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2011 27:11


    Ford Motor Company was built by a tinkerer and inventor. In an age when branded social media still errs on the cautious side, Scott Monty takes the attitude of his corporate ancestor to guide communications that surprise and delight.

    44: Post-Apocalyptic Hyperviolence

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2011 33:47


    Brian Winkeler, co-creator of the comic "Bastard Road," visits with Jeremy about comics, characters, dreaming up "they must have been high" kinds of ideas and Kick Buttowski.

    43: Baggage For Your Imagery

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2011 39:48


    Jeremy spends some time with photographer Alistair Tutton about the changing face of the photography business, renovating silent movie theaters, the beauty of Best Buy 0% financing and letting someone else determine your best work that represents you.

    42: Broadcast On Your Own Terms

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2011 25:40


    How can someone make the best podcast they can, no matter the size of the production? Jeremy gives some thoughts during the opening keynote at PodCamp Pittsburgh 6.

    41: Keep the Maker Mind Moving

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2011 11:46


    While he's on the road this week, why not listen to some of Jeremy's thoughts while on the road _last_ week. In this episode, Jeremy begins thinking about the maker mind vs. the manager mind and how the two can work in harmony in the same office.

    40: Ditching The Pith Helmet

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2011 32:42


    Jeremy and Jason Permenter talk about being "too creative" with science. So much so, Jason moved from the world of volcanology to web design. And, for Jason, it's going well.

    39: Dear Abby for the Social Age?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2011 27:47


    Jeremy talks with video producer Michelle Vargas about giving good advice to 15 year-olds, putting good stuff into the world to get good stuff back, mentorship and setting up a video playhouse for the purpose of acting in the moment.

    38: The Kickstarter Napkin?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2011 15:59


    Emails are slowly starting to trickle in with thoughts and questions about the show, and I thought I'd take this episode to answer a couple of the more pressing questions.

    37: Surfing The Flow

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 4, 2011 44:39


    Geoff Barnes discusses radical shifts in career focus from painting instructor to user experience strategist and the fine art of letting go just enough to keep from being a control freak in the things you make with others. We eventually wander into the waters of ADD conversation and we just surf the flow from there.

    36: The Beer Epiphany

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2011 39:45


    If you're like me, you've thought about how great it would be to make your own beer. Hopefully you're not like me in buying a brewing kit from a home furnishing store. Mike Reinhardt, Jr. and Nate Watson are not like me. They brew bold and unique craft beers under the name Wilderness Brewing.

    35: Pecha Kucha

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 21, 2011 27:38


    Pecha Kucha is a Japanese term that translates to “chit-chat” in English. It's also an activity that combines PowerPoint and performance art into a fast-paced, six minute and forty second look into a person's passion.

    34: Who Are You, Anyway?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2011 8:11


    Iterative refinement is the key to making something truly great and versatile. In this episode, Jeremy wants to know a little something about you, the viewer, that might make this show better.

    33: Bucking the Peter Principle

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2011 36:37


    Come hear Collen Wainwright's tales of dancing bears around cereal, commercial acting, content strategy, Battledecks and the awesome feeling one gets when seeing someone's "lights go on."

    32: Famous Last Words

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2011 24:21


    Kansas City filmmaker Brian Boye has been thinking about an idea that's very near to his heart for years. And now, with the help of Kickstarter, he is working toward making his documentary, "Famous Last Words" a reality.

    31: The Being of Non-Being

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2011 23:55


    I discussed the philosophies of design strategy, user experience and -- well -- *philosophy* with Erika Hall, the Director of Strategy at Mule Design in San Francisco. The lesson learned? Don't try to talk deeply about philosophy when you didn't pay that much attention in your philosophy classes, kids.

    30: ADHD + Creativity

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2011 10:43


    After wondering for over a decade, I was finally diagnosed with adult ADHD. In this episode, I wonder how this disorder correlates overall to the creative mind and how it can be harnessed to make great things.

    29: How The Sausage Is Made

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2011 24:25


    Sometimes working from the solitude of home beats collaboration. But what about people who rarely, if ever, work in the same room as their colleagues? Greg Storey of Happy Cog West explains how they approach being in so many locations as well as educating the business world on how digital media can best serve them.

    28: American Drink

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 29, 2010 19:42


    In this episode, Albert McMurry talks about the idea behind American Drink while sharing a couple of drinking-related stories. Also, why not everybody likes folks who need to Always Be Linking and Albert's, um -- *interesting* -- performance at 2010's SXSW Battle Decks.

    27: Responsive Web Design

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 23, 2010 15:32


    Ethan Marcotte and I talk about responsive design, the future of CSS frameworks that might support this notion, speaking at An Event Apart and what it's like for him to strike back on his own after a successful tenure at Happy Cog.

    26: Ad Guys Don't Get It

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2010 8:54


    Chris Riebschlager and I sit outside to discuss our ridiculous desire for Twitter stars, not being 100% comfortable in an "ad guy's" skin and the Zen detachment of Twitter. It's way less important than it sounds.

    25: My Twitter Portfolio

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2010 6:27


    Quinn Katherman, one of 18 funny women that HuffPo thinks you should follow, got her first copywriting job based on her portfolio of tweets. Yes, you read that right.

    24: No F's for Advertising

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2010 3:29


    Even though I'm in advertising, I don't much care for the industry's navel gazing tendencies. Some of us ad folk just want to make cool things that people appreciate and find useful. Increasingly, that's what brands want over the traditional messaging channels.

    23: Journalism as Conversation

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2010 25:25


    Doreen Marchionni explains Journalism As Conversation, a fascinating blend of traditional journalism with the collaborative voice of citizen journalism.

    22: Cooking, Consideration and Caring

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2010 22:13


    Greg Turner of Kitchen Sojourn discusses caring about the end product, whether it's a photo, a novel or a simple meal for your family.

    21: Creative Modality

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2010 34:42


    Merlin Mann and I cover a lot of territory, from creative failure to creative modality and how being in the wrong mode at the wrong time might bring on that failure.

    20: The Brown Note

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 17, 2010 8:12


    Adam Lisagor talks with me before he became the famous auteur that Dan idolizes. In this episode we talk about creative failure and being incredibly lazy.

    19: Making People Smarter

    Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2010 6:47


    I spoke to Merlin Mann on the phone. After a great conversation, he ended it with an interesting question: "How do we make people smarter?" I have a couple of ideas.

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