The Creative Muscle

Together with cofounder Polina Veksler, Alexandra Waldman created Universal Standard in 2015 to obliterate the dividing line of size—a style barrier which often determines who has the privilege and freedom to dress with quality and style. Starting with the premise that clothes should look and feel good on everyone, Alex and Polina set out to design a line of contemporary, elevated essentials for all women and allow a size 2 and a size 32 to shop in the same way – using style as the only filter. Available in sizes 00 to 40, Universal Standard is currently the most inclusive brand in the entire world. This week Alexandra Waldman sits down with The Creative Muscle Podcast to discuss the meaning of clothes, who pays the price for fast fashion, and the role of fearlessness in generous creativity.

Imagine you co-found something enormous and culture-shaping like, say, Kickstarter. Where do you go from there? How do you decide what to do next? Charles Adler is a designer and technologist who has dedicated his life to accelerating the creative work of others. In 2009, he co-founded Kickstarter, which has been catalyst to Academy Award-winning films, National Design Award-winning products, launched a satellite, created over 300,000 jobs, and distributed over $3.0 billion to creators across every continent. On this week's episode of The Creative Muscle Podcast, Charles Adler discusses his process for determining what to create next, how to test your ideas, and the definition of terms you may not have heard before: “the ugly baby moment” and “flaneur.” You don't want to miss this insightful interview! Note: Be sure to listen all the way to the end of the episode for an important announcement.

As we prepare to enter the third decade of the 21st century, fewer people than ever are working in traditional offices. Many of us do our work in coffee shops, airports, hotel rooms, on-location with clients, in co-working spaces, on trains and everywhere in between. We need to be able to fit our entire office into a bag. Peter Dunn spotted this trend from a mile away and created Topdrawer, a store that offers quality “Tools for Nomads” so people can do their best work wherever they are, using sustainably-made products that reduce landfill waste. Peter joined the Creative Muscle podcast to talk about the analog revolution, what our consumption habits are doing to the planet, and why gratitude is the key to everything. You don't want to miss it!

Six years ago Sarah Azzouzi and Kyla Embrey started a locally-owned, woman-owned and minority-owned small business called Lost Girls Vintage, a pop-up shop operating out of a 1976 Dodge RV Camper (and now a brick-and-mortar store in West Town), selling vintage clothing they source themselves. Their collection runs the gamut from Victorian garments to pieces any Spice Girl would be proud of, and everything in between. And the thing that ties it together is that they only sell what they love. They joined The Creative Muscle Podcast to talk about owning your identity, giving others permission to express themselves, and the importance of starting before you know what you're doing. Added bonus: take a listen to find out which Spice Girl Nathan Michael dressed up as in high school. :)

So many people go into creative work because they want to make something that will be noticed or make an impression. But what about the kind of creativity that's meant to blend in with our everyday life? Industrial and product design is usually a success when we barely notice the way it seamlessly flows into our lifestyle. Providing alternatives to single-use plastic, Ello creates eco-friendly glassware products that are affordable, accessible and beautiful. They partner with a non-profit called H2OpenDoors, selling their products to raise money for a solar-powered water system in Kenya that will become the foundation for a women-run social enterprise. Director of Design Glen Gilmore and Director of Social Impact/Senior Industrial Designer Micaela McCabe joined The Creative Muscle Podcast to talk about channeling your passion for social impact into meaningful work, how to vet partners, and why you should run your ideas by non-experts.

Do all craft brewery taprooms have to be industrial spaces with loud music blasting over guys drinking hoppy beers at tables made of reclaimed wood? Samantha Lee thinks not. She is the co-founder of Hopewell Brewing, a remarkable craft brewery in Logan Square, Chicago, known not only for its accessible beers, but also for the bright, welcoming design of its taproom, and generous, hospitable presence in the community. She joined The Creative Muscle Podcast to talk about pink beer, living wages, and why your business plan doesn't need to be 30 pages long.

In many operas and plays you see characters get stabbed, shot or killed in a fight. Or course, no one's really dying or getting hurt, but it has to look like they are. That's where Nick Sandys comes in. Nick is a certified Fight Director with the Society of American Fight Directors. His award-winning choreographed violence has been seen on Broadway in Steppenwolf's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", at The Metropolitan Opera in New York, and all over Chicago, including 25 productions at Goodman Theatre and over 50 operas at Lyric Opera of Chicago. He gave The Creative Muscle Podcast a powerful masterclass on being a polymath, how to network through generosity, how to fund your creative habit, and the unexpected ways in which thoughtful, well-staged violence can save the human race.

It's no secret that there are astonishingly high levels of gun violence in Chicago, particularly among young people. Could creativity be part of the solution? Project Fire is an artist development employment program that offers healing through glassblowing. They're a dauntless band of therapists, social workers and artists who combine glass arts education, mentoring, and psychoeducation to support trauma recovery and create jobs for youth injured by gun violence in Chicago. Psychologist Bradley Stolbach, PhD, glass artist Pearl Dick and trauma specialist Brittney Autry joined us in the studio to talk about processing emotions through art, failing safely, and the importance of adaptability.

If you want to learn and grow, do you have to go back to school and get a Master's Degree? Victor Saad designed his own Master's by completing 12 projects in 12 months. He called it The Leap Year Project and his experiences culminated with staging his own graduation at a local TEDx and publishing a book of stories focused on the power of learning through risk. He later launched Experience Institute, a program for college students and career professionals to learn and grow through short-term, real-world experiences. In 2015, he was inducted into Forbes' 30 Under 30 in the field of education. In 2017 he joined the team at Stanford's School of Engineering as a Lecturer in Design. This week he joins The Creative Muscle to talk about how to expand your comfort zone, how to keep a learner's mindset, and how to decide what to do next.

If you're freaked out by a recipe with more than ten ingredients, if you don't know what to make for dinner tomorrow, if you're ready to take your cooking game to the next level, Teri Turner is here for you. She is a master collaborator, blogger, food columnist, regular contributor to Whole30 and editor @thefeedfeed. In anticipation of her new cookbook No Crumbs Left (coming out May 21st!), she joined The Creative Muscle Podcast to talk about the trouble with truffles, the importance of exploration, generosity, moxie, marinated onions, and not diluting yourself to become palatable to others.

Why does it seem like art is so expensive? How much money goes to the artist and how much goes to the middle man? Where can people turn if they value quality art but can't afford the price point of traditional galleries? The Other Art Fair was born from a realization of the gap between an audience eager to discover meaningful pieces for their walls and talented artists hoping to share their work. This week the fair's director Sophie Lucas sits down with The Creative Muscle to help us understand the ins and outs of the wild world of art. As a bonus, you'll get to hear from three emerging talents featured at the fair: architect and painter Nathan Casteel, printmaker Emily Shopp, and craftivist Shannon Downey (Badass Cross Stitch). Take a listen and be sure to stop by The Creative Muscle booth at The Other Art Fair at Mana Contemporary May 16-19.

From collaborations with Feist, Drake and Daft Punk to breaking the Guinness World Record for Longest Solo Piano Performance in history (27 hours), Grammy-winning musician Chilly Gonzales is one of the world's most interesting musical scientists, a purveyor of the mischievous and sardonic, a revivor of Romantic-era chamber music, a revelator of the deep joys of solo piano, and the founder of his very own music school, The Gonzervatory. In this insightful and thought-provoking episode, Gonzo shares with the Creative Muscle his beliefs about the power of being an outsider, the difference between success and money, and why it's healthy to express your fantasies through art.

Growing up, Erika Sánchez did not see anyone who looked like her represented in the books she was reading. So she decided to solve the problem herself by putting her own authentic Mexican-American voice into the world through writing. Her novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is a New York Times-bestseller and a finalist for the National Book Award. She is a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry, and has written for Rolling Stone, The Guardian, TIME, Cosmopolitan, Jezebel, and many other publications. She talked to the Creative Muscle about identity, truth, judgment, and the importance of serving the work instead of the ego. As an added bonus, listen to this episode to find out which of the hosts is Not Your Perfect Mexican Son. :)

Ok, we can't avoid it any longer. It's time to talk about the F word. Probably not the one you're thinking of. We're finally broaching the dreaded topic of...finances. Specifically, the Top 5 Financial Mistakes Freelancers Make. Why is it so taboo to talk about money? Why is there so much shame around what is or isn't in our bank accounts, especially for people in creative fields? This week the Creative Muscle hosts get vulnerable and open up about their failures and mistakes, tips and tricks, and things they wish they'd known when they first went freelance. Don't bury your head in the sand! Instead, listen to this episode to wise up about zero-sum budgets, tax write-offs, pricing yourself accurately, subscription audits, saving for retirement, and why it's never too early to start being generous.

Today is International Women's Day, and we are featuring one of our favorite female artists in town: celebrated muralist Lauren Asta, whose public art has become recognizable from the Bay Area all the way to NYC. In Chicago's West Loop her playful and iconic murals have been the backdrop for thousands of selfies, engagement photos, graduation photos and even baby announcements. Our city is truly a more beautiful and interesting place because of Lauren. This week she dropped by the studio to talk about how taking a random job at a distillery led to the opportunity that launched her career, why you should make art for yourself that no one sees, the upsides and downsides of social media for creatives, and what every person starting out in their career needs to know. Take a listen for some important advice and real talk from a smart, scrappy woman whose work makes the world a more abundant place.

Jahmal Cole thought his only career options were to be a basketball player or a rapper because that's all he could see in the neighborhood where he grew up. It wasn't until a Greyhound bus trip to Texas took him outside the city that he realized there was a great big world out there waiting to be discovered. Decades later, Cole is a multiple award-winning youth mentor, author and community organizer who has been named “Chicagoan of the Year” and one of the “20 Most Inspiring Chicagoans.” His organization My Block, My Hood, My City takes youth from under-resourced Chicago schools on field trips around the city in order to overcome isolation, boost educational attainment, and open them up to new possibilities for their lives. In one of our most inspiring interviews to date, Jahmal Cole tells the Creative Muscle his harrowing story of overcoming obstacles, using creativity to beat seemingly insurmountable odds, the importance of mentors, the need for the long game, and power of goals.

What should you do when no one's hiring you to do the kind of work you want to do? How do you find the balance between creating things that make money vs. the things you personally love and want to see? This week the co-hosts of the Creative Muscle sort through interesting and important questions about navigating passion projects, how to be present to your “yes” when accepting an opportunity, knowing when it's time to make a change, and thinking intentionally about the three forms of payment: money, experience, and influence.

A lot of people have developed their skills and passions into successful careers that bring satisfaction and profit. But what if businesses could be more than just profitable? What if they could play a bigger and more meaningful role in the world? Flowers for Dreams CEO Steven Dyme has built a socially conscious company that not only brings smiles to the faces of people receiving flowers delivered by bicycle, but also contributes to the greater good by donating a quarter of their profits to amazing local charities. With hand-written notes accompanying the bouquets, blooms sustainably sourced from local farmers, and the all-around good vibes that come from working hard at something that benefits the community, Steven's story is a case study in profit and purpose working together. He sat down with the Creative Muscle team to discuss the value of starting out with no money, the importance of tackling one thing at a time, and why some businesses choose to be great instead of big.

When you find a problem in the world that needs to be confronted but it falls outside your area of expertise, what should you do? Start over? Go back to school and get a whole new degree? Born in Naples and raised in Milan, Chef Bruno Abate spent several successful decades in the food business before finding in himself a passion to reform the American prison system. But how? His solution was to utilize his existing skill set to create Recipe for Change, a culinary arts training program inside Cook County Jail, providing a solution to the problem of inmates released without job skills or self-confidence. We couldn't be more excited or honored to feature Chef Bruno on our first episode of 2019, a year we hope will be marked by many more conversations with and about using creativity to change the world for good.

It's been a year full of ups and downs, surprising turns and new revelations. Events in the news like soccer players trapped in a cave, the royal wedding, Senate Judiciary hearings and the March for Our Lives proved that everyone must use creativity- from rescue divers to wedding planners to government leaders and high school protest organizers. Creativity and empathy have been in high demand in 2018, and they will be even more in 2019. This week, in what our co-host Jon Guerra calls a dose of "extra-high-octane-super-charged-inspiration," we bring you some of our favorite moments from interviews this past year, and fill up on gratitude, courage and enthusiasm for the year ahead. Take a listen to get refreshed on the best and brightest nuggets of wisdom from 2018 and get calibrated for 2019. Take a listen!

WARNING: Do not go home for the holidays without first listening to this episode! We're in a season of joy, celebration and twinkly lights, but sometimes there are hard things hidden beneath the all those gingerbread houses and decorations. The Holidays can be a difficult time for people who have lost a loved one, or are navigating tricky relationships with family, or maybe find themselves expected to play a former role they've moved on from. It's a time of stressful travel, financial burdens, and reflection on another year gone by that may have been great, or not so great. But never fear, the Creative Muscle has got you covered! Featuring fantastic performances by Praytell, funny stories, and rock solid mental health advice from our very own clinical social worker Valerie Guerra, this is a must-listen for anyone who wants to be emotionally safe, manage their expectations, and be themselves at Christmas.

As a young person, Jay Goltz tested well in math, so people said he should become an accountant. But after earning an accounting degree Jay decided what he really wanted to do was start a framing business, which went on to become the largest in the nation before before expanding into the home decor scene with Chicago's legendary store Jayson Home, which he co-founded with creative director Caroline Scheeler. Together they have the professional acumen and artistic taste to operate at least 20 stores, but they have chosen instead to maintain one brilliant store with the utmost care, precision and love. This week Jay and Caroline dropped by the studio to talk with the Creative Muscle hosts about Russian TVs, heavy stoves, "selling out," why creatives should respect math, the one place you can count on people to tell the truth, and why co-workers are NOT the same thing as family. Take a listen and be inspired!

Creativity doesn't happen in a vacuum. From the conception of an idea to planning to production to editing and finally delivery, there are a number of voices that speak into the process of creation, and it can be hard to know which ones to listen to. But we all need feedback in order to grow, so how can we move toward a place of seeing and utilizing feedback as a gift instead of something to be feared, resented and frustrated by? On this week's group discussion episode, the hosts dig into the do's and don'ts of both giving and receiving feedback, the importance of evaluating the evaluator vs. evaluating the evaluation, how to preserve your distinct voice while taking input from others, and how to create an environment where feedback is welcomed and normalized. Check it out!

When asked about the difficulties he must have encountered when sculpting a black of marble into his masterpiece David, Michelangelo famously replied, "It was easy. I just chipped away everything that didn't look like David." But it is that easy? How do you get from the nebulous block of marble to the pristine male figure without cutting away too much, or not enough? What's the difference between editing and polishing? How do you know when something is ready to ship? On this week's Creative Muscle round table discussion, the hosts discuss how to edit your work to make it stand out from the rest. Take a listen to learn how to evaluate your work (and how to evaluate feedback from others), how to find the core message of what you're trying to say, and how to grow in your clarity of vision.

Whether coiffed or disheveled, sleek or tousled, thick or thin, hair tells a story about our personality, our history, our demeanor, even our beliefs. Shani Crowe is an interdisciplinary artist whose work centers on cultural coiffure, adornment and beauty ritual as they relate to the diasporic African, and how these practices function as tools to foster connectivity. She  is most known for creating intricate corn-rowed hairstyles, then capturing them as large photographic portraits. Her work was selected to represent the US in the Venice Architecture Biennale, and has been featured Saturday Night Live in collaboration with Solange Knowles. This week she sits down live in studio with the Creative Muscle hosts to talk about hair as a form of both self-care and resistance, how to incorporate the cycles of nature and life into your attitude towards art, the value of patience, getting out of your head (so to speak ;)), and making a plan while also leaving space for things to happen organically. Take a listen!

As we all know, the creative life is just one long unending stream of successes and prosperity and bliss and fame and gain and triumphs. Right? Oh wait, it isn't? So then what? How do we grapple with and manage the highs and lows of creativity?How do we navigate the peaks and valleys of a career dedicated to making new things from nothing? This week the hosts discuss healthy perspectives on successes and losses, how to keep your chin up through thick and thin, and living fully through the seasons of sowing and harvesting. Take a listen!

You've heard all the entrepreneurial axioms and tropes before: "Do what you know," "It takes money to make money." Mike Michalowicz has made a career out of turning those ideas on their head and approaching business from revolutionary angles. The award winning author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, Profit First, and Clockwork, Mike launched three multi-million dollar companies before his 35th birthday, has had his books translated into 10 languages, is the former small business columnist for The Wall Street Journal, and regularly travels the world as an entrepreneurial advocate. He sat down to talk with The Creative Muscle about why your friends are not your friends when it comes to business, how to understand sustainability and viability, balance, and why everyone (even artists and creatives!) needs to think about profit first. Get ready for a helpful and energizing kick in the pants! You'll thank us later

We all want the flashy gig, the high profile project, the notable client, the award-winning work. But what about the unsexy business that fills most our time and lives? Jack Berdan came from a tribe of highly artistic friends and associates and through a series of twists and turns found himself applying the principles of creativity to jobs and spheres not traditionally thought of as glamorous or creative. Like, say, owning a chain of carwashes. This week Jack sits down with the Creative Muscle crew for a live discussion on how to show love to people through business, how to change the way you think, how to listen, and prioritizing practicing good customer service instead of just talking about it. Take a listen!

Studs Terkel called Kevin Coval's voice “our hope for a new world of peace, grace and beauty.” The co-founder of /Louder Than a Bomb,/the country's largest youth poetry slam, and Artistic Director of Young Chicago Authors, Kevin Coval's life is an embodiment of the Creative Muscle's fourth element: You Are What You Give. He is a poet, educator and activist who has empowered thousands of young people to use their voices and talents to organize, engage and express. He is the poet-in-residence at the Jane Addams' Hull House and serves as faculty at the School of the Art Institute and University of Illinois-Chicago. He is the author of several award-winning books of poetry including /A People's History of Chicago,/forward written by Chance the Rapper, whom he also mentored. He sat down with the Creative Muscle to discuss standing up for what you believe in, hope for young people, and how to sustain a body of work over time.

“Oh you're an artist? That must be so inspiring.“ Is it? This week we take a look at one of the most talked about and frequently misunderstood aspects of the creative life: inspiration. What is it? How do we find it? How do we use it? What's it for? Can you just “turn it on?” The hosts discuss different ways to cultivate inspiration, how to make space for it, and how to turn it into something tangible. As a bonus, we get to hear the hosts' top “unspirations” and this is the first episode of the Creative Muscle to feature input on creativity from not one but TWO of America's Founding Fathers (surprisingly, neither one is Hamilton). Take a listen to find out who!

If you want to learn to play the piano you can't just read books about it. At some point you're going to have to sit down and touch the keys. People do not change by thinking, they change by doing. John Berardi, PhD, CSCS, has devoted his entire career to helping people make positive change. He is the cofounder of Precision Nutrition, an organization that has mentored over 200,000 people worldwide in health and fitness. He joins the Creative Muscle this week to discuss the process for personal growth, barriers that keep people from change, ambivalence, goal attainment, making the implicit explicit, and how to become a better listener.

Kate Spade. Anthony Bourdain. Robin Williams. Kurt Cobain. Why have so many creative, prolific, talented artists over the years struggled with depression and mental health? How can artists and creative people confront and manage their inner turmoil in ways that help them grow, thrive, produce meaningful work and flourish? In light of recent events, the hosts sat down this week to discuss ways to move toward a safe place in confronting these struggles, listening to our bodies, facing difficult emotions, dealing with anxiety, and the importance of de-stigmatizing this very conversation in community. Take a listen to hear voices of solidarity, be encouraged, and remember to "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." -Plato

Who is the girl and who is the goat in The Girl and the Goat restaurant? On this week's special LIVE episode of the Creative Muscle, we sit down with chef and entrepreneur Stephanie Izard, the Top Chef, Iron Chef and James Beard award-winning force of nature who has stolen the hearts (and appetites) of Chicago's West Loop with nationally-celebrated restaurants The Girl & the Goat, Little Goat, and Duck Duck Goat. Take a listen to find out what Stephanie has learned about failure, delegation, protecting your creative time, and the biggest question of all: DOES she feed her toddler son duck tongue, pig face, and goat? There's only one way to find out.

James McLaughlin didn't happen upon a job posting on CareerBuilder.com or wait around for a position to open up at the coffee company he admired most. He made the first move, cold-sent an email to Intelligentsia explaining why he wanted to work for them, got hired, and eventually became the CEO. He sat down to talk with the Creative Muscle about finding a company whose mission you believe in, why prioritizing quality over quantity pays off, and how coffee is a seasonal product. Who knew? Prepare to get a caffeine buzz just by listening...

Creative people are not forged in a vacuum. All of us have been shaped by important relationships that set us on a course for the creative life or tried to steer us in another direction or maybe even some alchemy of the two. Debuting an exciting new occasional format for the show, the hosts discuss the interplay and influence of relationships on creativity from parents to significant others to friends. We all need relationships in order to thrive and be healthy, and this episode offers some tips on how to harmonize the important people in your life with your mission as a creative person.

Every day, Jonathan Neman and his friends asked themselves the same question: "What are we going to eat?" They felt limited by the options available, so they took things into their own hands and started Sweetgreen, a fast casual phenomenon that has received accolades from The Washington Post, USA Today, Food & Wine, Forbes, Bloomberg, CBS, and more. Jonathan sat down with the Creative Muscle to discuss the restaurant's humble beginnings, how to choose partners, how to not mess up what nature got right, where the most food waste happens (and what to do about it), the battle for real food and sustainability, and the key components of what they call "The Sweet Life."

Most designers go to art school. But should they go to business school instead? On the one year anniversary of the Creative Muscle we interview award-winning author Marty Neumeier, whose books Zag, The Brand Gap, and The Brand Flip have shaped the ethos of companies around the world, including our very own Low Res Studio. Take a listen to hear about the time the president of Apple hated all of Marty's design ideas, why he bought a 400 year-old stone cottage in France, how a person can go from customer of a company to CEO of that same company, and why people buy products in tribes. 

Emily Fiffer and Heather Sperling saw something missing in food culture, so they decided to roll up their sleeves and do something about it. They opened their own restaurant, Botanica, featured in Los Angeles Magazine's 10 Best New Restaurants of 2017. It's a lush paradise of all-local vegetables, fruits and dairy, a rainbow of grains and legumes, wild Pacific seafood, and spices from around the world. Take a listen to hear their energetic stories about problem-solving, passion, attention to detail, generosity, hospitality, and health. Also - find out which of our hosts went to Botanica and ordered the entire menu! Nom nom!

Signed to a label just few weeks before her 16th birthday, iconic pop legend Amy Grant has sold 30 million albums worldwide, earned 6 Grammy Awards, 22 Dove Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Even after all that, she tells the Creative Muscle that she thinks her talents are only average. Take a listen as Amy unpacks the power of a curious mind, the interconnectedness of all things, the importance of playfulness in making art, and why you should do the thing you're most afraid of.

Have the words "connection" and "engagement" been hijacked by social media? How can we be responsible, discerning citizens of a connected world? What questions should we ask about the media we consume? For answers we turned to Alicia Haywood -- an award winning producer, writer, and speaker who has worked in the professional media industry for 23 years. She is also a media literacy educator who helps adolescents better understand their relationship with the media. She spoke to The Creative Muscle about establishing calm environments for creative work, the danger of over-producing your life, and how to identify bias in media content. Her message is more urgent, important, and needed than ever.

Jordan Critz is an award-winning composer and producer whose work has been featured on film and television including National Geographic, Disney, Apple and so much more. His uncompromised sincerity as an artist has Critz often taking time from writing commercial so he can self-release more personal projects. This interview cuts deep with The Creative Muscle co-hosts as Critz talks about seasons of creativity, how life outside of work should be a catalyst for art, and the deep hole of judging your life by everyone else's highlight reel. Song Excerpt: Jordan Critz "Polaris" from 2016 album "Parcel & Sky"

When Gregg Latterman was 10 years old, his father came home one day to find him on the phone with a famous Green Bay Packer whom he had cold called. Thus began Latterman's career of fearlessly reaching out to people who inspired him, eventually signing to his own joint Columbia Records label the likes of John Mayer, Train, Five for Fighting, and Mat Kearney. He has directed the careers of artists such as Brandi Carlile, The Fray, Michelle Branch, Liz Phair, and Jack's Mannequin. He spoke to The Creative Muscle about the value of hard work, talent, and character. Take a listen to learn about the importance of social media, the requirement of a local following before global recognition, and why Mayer's "Daughters" was never supposed to be a single.

It's 2018, and we're back with a special episode on New Beginnings! Featuring three mini-interviews with people who are using creativity to move forward through grief and turn their trauma into something beautiful. You'll hear from a former Bhutanese refugee, an 18-year-old who started his own non-profit, and a young widow using art to process her tragedy. Take a listen to start your year off right with stories of forging ahead, making a difference, and choosing gratitude.

To close out 2017, we take a look back at some of the best moments, most insightful quotes, and favorite lessons learned throughout this exciting year of interviewing a diverse array of creative professionals across multiple disciplines and platforms. Jeni Britton Bauer reveals the surprising power of in-the-box thinking, Seth Godin tells us that reassurance is futile, Ainsley Arment reminds us to keep our sense of wonder alive, Heather Headley emphasizes the importance of love, and so much more! Featuring a full length, Creative Muscle-inspired song by Praytell. 2017, you've been a stunner! [heart eyes emoji]

Pull up a chair at the Creative Muscle holiday table to get your yuletide fill of stories, laughter, live performances, and cookies! Well, you might be on your own for the cookies, but we've got the rest covered. You won't want to miss the hosts recalling old traditions, revealing holiday fails, recounting Christmas creativity, and reflecting on our fourth element of the creative life: You Are What You Give.  

Audrey Assad is the daughter of a Syrian refugee, an author, speaker, producer, and critically lauded songwriter and musician. She releases music she calls "soundtracks for prayer" on the label Fortunate Fall Records, which she co-owns with her husband. She is also one half of the pop duo LEVV, whose debut EP peaked at #17 on the iTunes Alternative chart. In her interview with The Creative Muscle, she discusses the relationship between art and commerce, faith and doubt, trauma and the body, sexism in the music industry, catharsis, and the discipline of stillness.

How do you take something old and update it, re-frame and re-present it to a new audience in a fresh and engaging way? What if the thing in question is considered sacred? Should you even touch it? For the past 20 years, this week's guest, JQ, and his brother, GQ, have been translating classic plays into modern contexts while staying true to the original stories. The Q Brothers' hip hop "ad-RAP-tations" of Shakespeare have played all over the world -- from the Globe Theatre in London to the United Arab Emirates to Cook County Jail. We can't wait for you to hear JQ's reflections on working with institutions, side hustles, and the power of generosity. Take a listen!

Marc Malnati is the son of Chicago pizza legend Lou Malnati and the current chairman of the board of the Malnati Organization. When his father passed away in 1978, Marc stepped into a leading role in the family business, growing the operation from 3 stores to 45. But there were some difficult choices to make along the way. Marc shares stories of failure and recovery, the importance of always learning, resilience, and adapting to change in America's food culture. He also shares an interpersonal conflict-management strategy we think everyone should adopt in their own lives: "The 24-Hour Rule." Take a listen to learn more!

This week we bring you a special live episode recorded at Soho House and broadcasted on Chicago 105.5 FM as part of their Pop-Up Radio program. The Creative Muscle Crew returns to the very place where the dream for this podcast was born, reviewing the four creative elements, recalling lessons learned along the way, and highlighting our favorite moments from guest interviews so far. It's a great opportunity to brush up your knowledge of the four main principles that frame all our discussions and interviews. Check it out!

What do Backstreet Boys, Martina McBride, The Jonas Brothers, LeAnn Rimes, Nick Lachey and Clay Aiken have in common? They have all recorded songs written by this week's guest, Jess Cates. He tells us about managing inputs and outputs, self-care, quantity vs. quality, and why you should have a graveyard of completed work. If you want to know what that means, take a listen!

This week we pause our usual programming to consider the events of the world around us. In light of recent events in Charlottesville, the hosts discuss ways the creative community can respond to rage culture, racism, and ignorance. What happens when your perspective is suddenly no longer your greatest asset, but rather your biggest blind spot? How can we grow the muscle of empathy? Where do we even start? Featuring a special performance by Praytell and a bonus feature with Shakirah Simley, a food activist, educator, and co-founder of the multi-racial organizing collaborative Nourish|Resist.