Podcasts about Creative work

Most marketers think great creative comes from better talent. Karen Pearce made a different case.In this Post Pod discussion, Marc and Vassilis reflect on their conversation with Karen Pearce, Partner at Rethink and one of the leaders behind some of the most awarded creative work in the world.The discussion explores why creativity often dies inside organizations before it ever reaches the market, how criticism can become a cultural trap, and why the best creative teams focus on finding sparks rather than flaws.They unpack Rethink's CRAFTS framework, the importance of psychological safety, the role of strong client-agency relationships, and why great ideas should start with human truths rather than channels.If you've ever wondered why some organizations consistently produce breakthrough work while others struggle to move beyond safe ideas, this conversation is for you.In this episode:Why creativity shouldn't feel scaryThe danger of rewarding criticism over contributionHow Rethink's CRAFTS framework shapes better ideasWhy relationships matter more than process aloneThe importance of psychological safety in creative teamsWhy ideas should come before channelsThe hidden systems behind award-winning creative workChapters00:00 - Introduction01:42 - Rethinking Marketing Culture04:21 - The Role of Creativity in Marketing06:58 - The Importance of Effective Creative09:53 - Expanding Creative Horizons11:33 - The Value of Independence in Agencies13:39 - Building Strong Client Relationships16:40 - Harnessing Human Truths for Creativity19:24 - Frameworks for Creative Success22:30 The Significance of Briefs in Marketing24:46 Consistency and Success in Creative Work

In this inspiring episode of The Greatness Machine, host Darius Mirshahzadeh sits down with legendary author Steven Pressfield to discuss his newest novel "The Arcadian" and dive deep into the creative process. Pressfield, author of over 20 books including "The War of Art," "The Legend of Bagger Vance," and "Gates of Fire," shares his journey from a 30-year struggle to published success at age 52. The conversation explores the spiritual and practical aspects of creativity, the concept of resistance, and the warrior mindset needed for artistic achievement. In this episode, Darius and Steven will discuss: (00:00) Introduction to Steven Pressfield (01:05) Steven's Origin Story and Journey to Writing (04:02) Reflections on Past Struggles and Regrets (06:57) The Creative Process and the Role of the Muse (10:02) Uncovering Ideas: The Artist's Journey (12:08) The Impact of 'The War of Art' and Resistance (15:01) Understanding Self-Sabotage and Resistance (18:00) The Spirituality of Creativity vs. Blue Collar Work (21:06) The Importance of Grit and Hard Work (23:54) Expectations vs. Reality in Creative Work (27:05) The Process of Writing and Overcoming Perfectionism (29:54) The Long View: Building a Body of Work (33:02) Channeling Creativity and Letting Go of Outcomes (34:21) The Power of Surrender and Channeling Creativity (37:34) Warrior vs. Mother: The Duality of Creative Virtues (41:58) The Arcadian: A Journey Through Time and Identity (46:31) Striving for Agency: The Artist's Quest (49:41) Making the Unconscious Conscious: The Role of Art (53:10) Reincarnation and Relationships: A Storytelling Device (55:05) Mortality and Legacy: Reflections on the Creative Journey (57:50) AI and Authenticity: The Future of Creativity (59:26) The Grind: Overcoming Barriers to Greatness Steven Pressfield is the bestselling author of The War of Art, with over a million copies sold worldwide. His historical novel Gates of Fire is required reading at West Point and on the recommended reading list of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The author of more than 18 books, Pressfield lives and writes in California. Connect with Steven: Website: https://stevenpressfield.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steven_pressfield/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StevePressfield/  Connect with Darius: Website: https://therealdarius.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Thegreatnessmachine  Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708 Write a review for The Greatness Machine using this link: https://ratethispodcast.com/spreadinggreatness.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This past month we've covered: 1. Identifying what you really want. 2. Harnessing Your Attention Span 3. Navigating Limiting Beliefs 4. Why it's important to take time for yourself and 5. Today, we're talking about how to get into action, one small step at a time. I share a few examples from my life. Let's move towards what matters together. If you enjoy the episode, share it a with a friend.   KEY TOPICS Intro + Series Context (0:00:07) Why 15 Minutes of Daily Self-Connection Matters (0:02:45) Identifying the Area of Life Calling for Attention (0:04:30) Daily Micro-Actions Toward Your Chosen Goal (0:04:59) Journaling to Process Feelings and Get Clarity (0:09:13) Career Pivot Story: From Head-Hunting to Marketing (0:11:15) Midlife Pivots, Informational Conversations & Trying Things (0:13:17) Nutrition School, Self-Publishing & Following Dead Ends that Open Doors (0:13:17) Podcasting & Taking Action in Creative Work (0:15:45) Health & Body-Image Example (Menopause / Perimenopause Weight) (0:15:45) Accountability, Support & Choosing the Right People (0:17:39) Closing: It's Not a Race, It's Your Life (0:19:00)   RESOURCES MENTIONED Join The Newsletter Subscribe on YouTube Follow on APPLE PODCASTS Follow on SPOTIFY PODCASTS Book: Design a Life You Love Recent Episodes This Month: Harness Your Attention Span Interview with Guest Fred Marshall Main Character Energy Episode with Michele Don't Let Limiting Beliefs Stop You with Michele Take Time For Yourself     *The Good Life with Michele Lamoureux podcast and content provided by Michele Lamoureux is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It does NOT constitute medical, mental health, professional, personal, or any kind of advice or serve as a substitute for such advice. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user's own risk. Always consult a qualified healthcare or trusted provider for any decisions regarding your health and wellbeing. This episode may contain affiliate links.

On this episode of the Awaken Your Wise Woman podcast, host Elizabeth Cush welcomes Annaliese Oatman, a multi-disciplinary artist and psychedelic somatic therapist, for a conversation about psychedelic-assisted therapy.“I like the idea that self-regulation is not one little practice that we engage in the moment that we're dysregulated, but it's a lifestyle.”  — Annalise OatmanYou're doing the work. You're moving forward, but you feel like something is standing in the way of your progress. You're reaching for something but feel like it's out of your grasp. Your energy feels stuck. Maybe you could benefit by shaking up your nervous system. Throughout the ages, in cultures around the world, spiritual seekers have used psychedelics to enhance their exploration and attain new insights. In this episode of Awaken Your Wise Woman, host Elizabeth “Biz” Cush, LCPC, a licensed professional therapist, founder of Progression Counseling in Maryland and Delaware, and a soul support for highly sensitive women, welcomes Annalise Oatman, LCSW, a multi-disciplinary artist and a psychedelic-somatic therapist, for a discussion of amplifying the therapeutic process through the use of psychedelics. They talk about psychedelic-assisted therapy and how it is best used, and how highly sensitive women might find it to be a useful tool. You can find the full show notes and resources for all the episodes here.Support the showI hope you enjoyed the show!You can also follow me here:InstagramYouTubeFacebook

Kiwi singer-songwriter Georgia Lines has returned for her yearly interview on the Sunday Session, and she's got some big news. She's relocated to Nashville, but she's been working hard on her creative projects. Her new album, Live At The Civic, is out on June 5th, and she says it captures a unique performance and experience. "It was one of those things that was like - let's just record it and let's capture it anyway, and then we can make a decision later on. And I'm so grateful that we did...it just makes me so emotional - look what I got to do." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's episode, we talk about the importance of rituals and why they are the key to you performing at your best. Learn how to design your own five-minute transition and how to turn chaotic energy into a focused flow.    Chapters 00:00 - The Musical Bridges of Childhood  03:32 - Waking the Creative Mind  05:03 - The Quirky Habits of Famous Artists  06:21 - The Reality of Productivity Routines  08:24 - The Science Behind Predictability  10:24 - Sacred Traditions and the Threshold   Listen to the show on your favorite streaming platform! Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/4fcopgQSpotify: http://bit.ly/4fdkiBsYouTube:    Support the Show Website: http://www.martineseverin.comFollow on Instagram: @martine.severin | @thisishowwecreate_ Subscribe to the Newsletter: http://www.martineseverin.substack.com   This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa. Podcast show art is designed by Violetta Encarnación. Music by Timothy Infinite.   Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Leave a review Follow us on social media Share with fellow creatives

There's a hidden force that is hurting your creative work.Steven Pressfield is the author behind The War of Art, Gates of Fire, and The Legend of Bagger Vance. After spending the past few years writing my own first book, I had a lot of questions for him about what actually gets in the way of creative work.In this episode, we talk about the difference between writing for ego and writing in service of something larger. I told him about the fear of success that crept in once my manuscript got close to being done, the dread of asking people for endorsements, and the strange grief of finishing a project you've lived inside for years.He shared things I didn't expect. The War of Art was a 10-year slow burn. He's been "terrified every minute" of his career and never gave in. He believes resistance is a real force with one job: to stop you. And he writes ninety pages into his next book before the current one ships.Read: The Arcadian: A Novel by Steven Pressfield: https://amzn.to/4ufrFhSYou'll learn:[00:00] Introduction[14:49] Two kinds of loneliness, and how spiritual grounding resolves both[20:29] Why writing alone doesn't feel lonely, and how the muse shows up in the creative space[34:54] Resistance, shadow careers, and addiction as misrouted creativity[56:34] Steven's pre-writing ritual: invoking the muse and checking ego at the door[1:04:45] Why over-editing is a form of resistance, and how to know when a work is done[1:07:49] Building a body of work instead of betting everything on one book[1:09:41] Creative discipline: why Steven distrusts breaks and why the muse likes knowing where to find you[1:14:10] Losing his home in the Malibu fire: detachment, grief, and what the goddess still has to offer[1:22:42] The Arcadian: karma, reincarnation, and whether the universe has a mechanism for justiceResources Mentioned:Read: A Horse Named Lonesome: Tales and Teachings to Reclaim Connection, Transcend Separation, and Discover the Divine Within by Luke Storey | BookRead: Govt Cheese: A Memoir by Steven Pressfield | BookRead: Animal Power: 100 Animals to Energize Your Life and Awaken Your Soul by Alyson Charles | BookRead: The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield | BookRead: The Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield | BookRead: The Legend of Bagger Vance: A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life by Steven Pressfield | BookThe Joe Rogan Experience #1901 – Steven Pressfield | PodcastOprah's Super Soul #164 – Steven Pressfield: Unlock Your Creative Genius | PodcastRead: The Odyssey by Homer and T. E. Lawrence | BookRead: Lawrence of Arabia: The Authorized Biography of T.E. Lawrence by Jeremy Wilson | BookFull show notes at lukestorey.com/pressfield2Related The Life Stylist Episodes:Steven Pressfield: Overcoming Resistance to Discover Your Creative Genius | PodcastThe Heart/Mind Connection & Supernatural Healing With Dr. Joe Dispenza | PodcastFind more from Steven: Steven Pressfield | Website | Instagram | Facebook | X | TikTokFind more from Luke:Luke Storey | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube | LinkedInSUNLIGHTEN | Save up to $600 when you go to lukestorey.com/sunlighten and use code LUKESTOREY in the pricing form.BIOPTIMIZERS | Visit bioptimizers.com/luke and use code LUKE15 to save 15% off sitewide. Plus, get a free bottle of MassZymes while supplies last.LEELA QUANTUM | Go to lukestorey.com/leelaq and use code LUKE10 for 10% off your first order.REAL PROVISIONS | Visit realprovisions.com/luke and enter code LUKE to get a free bag of Venison Chips with your order.

What if timing could change the way you experience life? How can astrology help us make the best of…well, everything? Today, Sarah sits down with Kaitlin Coppock, founder of Sphere + Sundry — a premier house of talismanic materia and astrological magic — to explore creativity, ritual, planetary timing, and what it means to build a life in relationship with the cosmos. This episode is for anyone curious about astrology, ritual practice, entrepreneurship, spiritual creativity, and the mysteries that unfold when we collaborate with the unseen. On this episode of Moonbeaming you'll hear: What astrological magic actually is and how talismans work How Kaitlin built Sphere + Sundry from a side project into a thriving business Why timing matters in magical and creative work The role of herbs, oils, incense, and materia in ritual practice Practical advice for starting an astrological magic practice How ritual can support collective healing, repair, and imagination Whether you're deeply immersed in astrology or simply curious about living more intentionally and creatively, this conversation offers a rare glimpse into a world where ritual, craftsmanship, spirit, and timing all meet.

Graphic design already changed long before AI entered the conversation. Canva, templates, cheap execution work, and accessible design tools started reshaping the industry years ago. AI is simply accelerating a shift that was already happening.The real separation now is not between designers who use AI and designers who do not. It is between execution level designers and strategic creative thinkers. Because businesses do not pay premium prices for someone to make things look nice anymore. They pay for positioning, decision making, customer psychology, branding strategy, and creative direction that actually helps a business grow.This conversation explores AI, Canva, Claude Design, branding, creative work, graphic design, business strategy, positioning, and the future of the design industry from the perspective of someone actively running a premium branding agency. Not from fear, hype, or internet opinions, but from real observations inside the industry as it changes in real time.Links to Connect:Media & speaking: ⁠https://kadysandel.com⁠My skincare branding studio: ⁠https://aventivestudio.com⁠For designers: ⁠https://aventiveacademy.com/profit⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/kadysandel/⁠

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In this episode, I chat with Ashton Hauff, brand strategist and co-founder of The Good Kids, a branding agency in North Dakota. Ashton talks about their "Slingshot Method," a three-phase process covering strategy, creative, and rollout, and why having a clear system in place makes such a difference in how projects run. We also get into the DACI model, which helps clarify internal roles and approval processes for clients during the project, plus practical strategies for handling client anxiety and keeping the project experience smooth for everyone involved.Guest Name: Ashton HauffGuest Website: thegoodkids.coResources: thegoodkids.co/category/resourcesGuest Social: @thegoodkids / @ashtonhauffGuest LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ashtonhauffPodcasts:  The Brand Archive & Brand in MotionLinks:The Design Minimind - My 1:1 coaching program for designersDownload my FREE Creative Direction Figma Template (includes 4 audio trainings as well)Become a member of Editorial Stock images and use code “BETTER15” to receive 15% off your membership.Get 30% off of your HoneyBook subscription - The CRM I use in my studio.*Enjoy 1 month of Showit FREE with my code “HelloJune” when you sign up.*Earn $100 after you run your first payroll with Gusto, my payroll and compliance software.*Get 50% off your first year of Flodesk, my email marketing software.**These are affiliate links which means I may earn a commission.Connect With Us:Our Free Facebook CommunityOur WebsitePodcast InstagramHello June Creative InstagramThe Design MinimindJoin The Creative Diaries (my email list)Tags: designer, design, brand design, brand identity design, design studio, design business, graphic design, brand designer, better podcast, brand designer podcast, logo design

Category creation can help founders and innovation leaders stop competing in crowded markets and start defining new ones. In this episode of Inside Podcast, Ian Bergman and Layne Fawns talk with Kevin Maney, co-founder of Category Design Advisors, and author of The Category Creation Formula, about how companies create and lead new market categories.Kevin breaks down his framework: context + missing + innovation = new category. He explains why dominant design matters more than first-mover advantage, how Netflix and Tesla shaped customer behavior, and why category strategy can align product, marketing, and leadership around a bigger opportunity.Key Topics

Anthropic dropped Claude for Creative Work, a set of official connectors that plug Claude directly into Blender, Adobe Creative Cloud, Ableton, Splice, Canva, SketchUp, and Resolume. They also became a corporate patron of Blender with a 240,000 euro donation. Stripe used their Sessions event to launch Stripe Projects, the Machine Payments Protocol, and the Link Wallet for Agents, that let AI agents build, buy, and sell autonomously.

Обсуждаю главные новости недели, среди которых центральным событием стал старт публичных слушаний по судебному делу между Илоном Маском и OpenAI. Разбираюсь, почему этот спор важен не только для Маска, Альтмана и OpenAI, но и для всей индустрии.Партнер выпуска «Авито Авто». Экспертный подбор без стереотипов — это к «Авито Авто» https://clck.ru/3TLTZk

On this inspiring episode of Authority On Demand Podcast (formerly Authors On Mission Podcast), host Danielle Hutchinson sits down with Alexandra Beller to explore why creative work is communal, not isolated. Drawing from her book The Anatomy of Art, Alexandra challenges the myth of the lone genius and reveals how connection, feedback, and “micro-communities” fuel true creative breakthroughs.Discover how small, intentional circles can keep your work fresh and evolving, why your writing process should adapt to each stage, and how embracing “strength” over “force” leads to more authentic expression. Whether you're an artist, writer, or creator, this episode offers powerful insights on building community and unlocking your best work.Key Takeaways:• Creative breakthroughs come from connection, not isolation• Build “micro-communities” for consistent feedback and growth• Match your writing sessions to the stage: ideation, drafting, and editing• Use questions—not opinions—to unlock better creative solutions• Choose strength (presence) over force to create authentic workA must-listen for creatives seeking both inspiration and practical direction.Connect with Alexandra Beller:Email: beller.alexandra@gmail.comWebsite: https://www.alexandrabellerdances.org/homeFb: https://www.facebook.com/alexandra.beller.73/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexandrabellerdances/

How can you navigate uncertainty in a constantly changing market? Why is persistence the key to a sustainable creative career? Plus why distribution is so important, and the four ways to monetise your creative work. All this and more with Adam Leipzig. In the intro, my reflections on running an author-publisher business after a fantastic e-commerce workshop run by Blubolt, and why you will always pay for marketing with either your time or your money; AI-Assisted Artisan Author webinars; and last call for my Kickstarter Bones of the Deep – J.F. Penn. Today's show is sponsored by Draft2Digital, self-publishing with support, where you can get free formatting, free distribution to multiple stores, and a host of other benefits. Just go to www.draft2digital.com to get started. This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Adam Leipzig is a producer, former studio executive, and educator whose work spans film, media, and technology. He served as a senior executive at Walt Disney Studios and as President of National Geographic Films. His film credits include March of the Penguins and Dead Poets Society, with projects recognised by the Academy Awards, BAFTA, the Emmys, and Sundance. He is the author of several books on filmmaking and his latest book is Fearless Persistence: Creative Life, Creative Work, and the Ten Laws of Culturenomics. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes Why writing books still matters in a world saturated with visual media The Jeffrey Katzenberg “next” lesson and the power of fearless persistence How uncertainty and the “long middle” are essential parts of the creative process What film editing can teach writers about cutting, shaping, and refining their work The 10 Laws of Culturenomics, including why awareness is not desire and why distribution is everything How generative AI is changing filmmaking — and why creatives should be the architects, not the tools You can find Adam at AdamLeipzig.com. Transcript of Interview with Adam Leipzig Jo: Adam Leipzig is a producer, former studio executive, and educator whose work spans film, media, and technology. He served as a senior executive at Walt Disney Studios and as President of National Geographic Films. His film credits include March of the Penguins and Dead Poets Society, with projects recognised by the Academy Awards, BAFTA, the Emmys, and Sundance. He is the author of several books on filmmaking and his latest book is Fearless Persistence: Creative Life, Creative Work, and the Ten Laws of Culturenomics. Welcome to the show, Adam. Adam: Thank you so much for having me, Jo. Jo: I'm excited to talk to you today. You have written several books, but you have worked on many more films. So I wondered, why do you think books still have a part to play in reaching people? What do you love about writing books that is different to your filmmaking work? Adam: You can put so much information in a book, and the beautiful thing about a book is that you can pick it up wherever you want, whenever you want, and leave it off and go back to it. It's just waiting for you and it's there. It really allows me, and other authors like me, to share information in a different way, with more details and more stories and more specificity. I love the ability to just share that information and have it always available. You don't need a device, you don't need to have a subscription. You can just go to it whenever you want. You asked me what I love about writing. Like a lot of writers, I'm not sure I love writing, but I do love having written. The thing about a book is that it's a very solitary exercise. A film is a highly collaborative exercise. No movie gets made by one person. It's made by hundreds or sometimes thousands of people. But this book is just me and a laptop and notes and a lot of thought. It's a very introverted, almost monkish existence while you're doing that, and then it has to go out into the world—and that's when it really starts to interact with people. So there's this huge difference between being alone and being always in a collaborative environment, which is what happens when I'm making a movie. Jo: Most listeners will be independent authors in some way, and a lot of us do this because we're control freaks. We like being the only people. So how is that different? You mentioned collaboration in the film industry, but is it almost freeing to do a book without having that? I mean obviously you have editors and publishers and stuff, but— Is it freeing in some creative way? Adam: It is really nice, because there is not another point of view in the room and I can just say what I feel and know that that's there. At the same time, you're right—I have had some amazing editor help and I've had some great early readers that have given me feedback on it and helped me make it so much better than it was when I finished the first draft. I knew that going in. I always test and share what I'm doing to make sure that it lands in the way that I wanted it to land, and it can be helpful for people. Jo: Getting into the book, you have a chapter on “what you do matters.” I feel like this is super hard. This is not a political show, so we're not doing politics, but there are a lot of big things going on in the world. It can be very hard as writers to think, is writing my book actually going to make a difference? So how can you encourage people? Adam: That's the hardest thing, Jo, because there is a lot going on in the world right now. Everything that's going on in the world right now exists because it's following a certain narrative. I don't believe that narratives are come up with because people look at things that are happening and say, “Oh, well let's just write what happened.” I think that we do things from micro experiences that we have with ourselves, our relationships, our families, to the macro experiences of politics and global situations. I believe that happens because there is a narrative that is being followed. So what I say to all creative people is that it's our job to craft and express the narratives that matter—and different narratives—so those narratives can be followed. One of the points that I make in the book is that poets are not overtly really dangerous people. Poets are generally lovely people, a lot of them don't talk too much. They're great to have dinner with, and they just work with words—and often not a lot of words, right? Because beautiful poetry is often concise and simple and spare. Yet there are places where poets are in jail. Because the narratives of those concise, spare, gorgeous idealistic words matter so much that those voices need to be silenced, which means those narratives are dangerous sometimes. Those narratives present an alternate world, an alternate view of reality. I think it's really our job as creative people, as entrepreneurs, as people who are essentially creating narratives out of the soul of our lives and our experience—we want to express those to the world. It's really important for us to express those to the world, especially now, especially because so much is going on. Those narratives are going to become pathways that others can look at and maybe follow. I think that's really important. It's the reason why we do our work. Jo: I absolutely agree with you around writing the narratives that we want in the world. “Be the change you want to see in the world” and all that. I also want to call out the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of books now published, and you come from the film industry, and many more people really watch films or play games than read books. I've wondered about this myself. I've written a few screenplays and sometimes it feels that wouldn't it be better to try and put our words into a visual medium? A lot of authors listening will do micro video like TikTok and all of this. So this is back to the question of— Why books? How can we change these narratives when we feel like we're drowned out by all the media? Adam: I think it's great for authors to express themselves in other media. I have a pretty active Instagram channel, and I love doing that, but it's a really different thing. I'm talking to people in two-minute bursts with very specific things. It's not the same and not the same detail as a book. If we let our understanding of the ocean of content that is always coming to us stop us from doing anything, we wouldn't do anything. That's also true about movies. There are probably 10,000 movies made every year. There are a few hundred that are released. So if every day I thought, “Oh, the movie that I'm working on is maybe not going to be released because there's only a small percent of movies that are made that are released.” Or worse than that, “Of all the movies that are made, there's 500 different shows on Netflix and Apple and Amazon and there's so many choices.” If I thought that everything I was going to do is going to be drowned out, I wouldn't do anything. I just don't believe that's true. I think it's our job to do things. Yes, there's an ocean of content out there, but what we do really matters, and it doesn't have to matter at gigantic scale. We don't know the scale that our work is going to achieve over time. One of the early films that I worked on is a film called Dead Poets Society, and that script was passed on by every studio at least three times. It's probably a film that I couldn't get made now for all kinds of reasons, because it's not a sequel and it doesn't have superheroes or visual effects. When we made that movie, we didn't know the impact it was going to have. It could have been drowned out by things, but it rose to a level that everywhere in the world I go, someone has seen that movie, including people who were not born when that movie was made. We don't know the long arc of our work and the people that it affects. Jo: I love that movie too. “Oh Captain, my Captain.” I can hear everyone saying that behind the screens. This brings us to the title, Fearless Persistence, because of course Dead Poets Society ended up being an incredible success, but not everything turns out so well. I wondered if you could talk about this persistence. How do you keep creating after something you perceived as a failure, or perhaps all the things that didn't get made? Why is persistence so important that you use it in the title? Adam: I've been super fortunate. I've worked with amazing people and on great projects. I've made 40 films at this point, and I'm making more. I've tried to make 400 films. I failed at getting them made 90% of the time, and that's okay. I just keep going. When I was working at Disney and I was an executive at Walt Disney Studios for seven years, there was one movie that we were opening and nobody had really high expectations for it. But it opened huge on a weekend and it beat the competition. We were in our Monday morning meeting and we were dancing on the tables and we were so excited. Jeffrey Katzenberg, who was running the studio at that time, came in, looked around the room, put his hands on his hips, and said, “Next.” We just had to move on. I really learned the meaning of the word “next” about four months later when we had a film that we all knew was going to be hugely successful and make a lot of money and give everyone their bonuses, and it completely bombed at the box office. It was like you gave a party and nobody showed up to eat the hors d'oeuvres. We were in the Monday morning meeting, very glum and not sure what was going to happen. Were we going to be fired? What was going to happen? And Jeffrey walked into the room and said, “Next.” Jo: Mm-hmm. Adam: And we just keep going. I think that is the great and defining quality of people who really have sustainable lives, either as creatives or business people or entrepreneurs. We're persistent. We're just like those little birds—you put their beak in water and they just keep bobbing up. We just keep going. It's not about the people who are the most talented, because I'm certainly not the most talented. I'm certainly not the smartest. I'm certainly not the most creative. There are people who are smarter and more talented and more creative than me all the time, and I get so much energy in being able to know them and work with them. But I am super persistent. I don't stop. If there's something that I really believe in, I'll just keep going. I started taking notes on this book 10 years ago. There are movies that took 12 years to get made. You just keep going. There are times, as a producer, where everybody's fallen away. There was a director attached, there was a star attached. They all left, they did other projects. The material is no longer under option. You don't even have legal rights to it anymore. You just keep blowing on the embers and then eventually maybe it gets made. That's what it's about. Jo: Do you think there's some kind of serendipity or something more that makes a book or a film? Is it timing? Is there just some chemistry? You talked earlier about testing and sharing things to see if they're going to work, but as you mentioned, some films you think are going to be amazing and they bomb. Other things are a slow burn. How do you know when to make a film if you just can't predict this stuff? Adam: You can never predict it, but I think you start with: do you really, really think about it all the time? Do you really care about it? It's not like you're in a meeting or you read a script or you hear an idea and you're super excited about it—but are you still excited about it tomorrow morning? The next day and the next? If you keep waking up every morning thinking, “Wow, that's great, I've got to get that forward,” then I think that is the first indication for me that it's going to have some staying power. I don't think I am that different from everybody else. So if it's something that consistently excites me, I feel like there's going to be at least some other people in the world that it's also going to excite. Jo: Do you think you have a voice, I guess, as a filmmaker as much as a writer? Are there things that excite you consistently that you're drawn to? Or do you think it's much wider as a filmmaker than a writer? Adam: I think it's a lot wider as a filmmaker. Part of it's also just my capacity right now as a writer. I really like the writing in Fearless Persistence and I also recorded the audiobook. I love listening to the audiobook experience. I think it's some of the best writing I've ever done. I have not yet found the capacity to write a novel or to write fiction in the way that other people can. So part of it's just my skill and capacity at this point in my writing career, where I think I'm pretty good at expressing ideas in a nonfiction setting, but I haven't developed the skill set for fiction. In movies, I make documentaries. I make fiction feature films. What attracts me is character. It's always the character, the people, the journey. Are the people really interesting? Do I want to spend two hours of my life in a cinema with them, or 10 hours of my life watching those episodes on a streaming channel? That's what always starts with me. If the character is interesting, then I'll keep going. Jo: I think the book, Fearless Persistence, has a lot of your character in it and your experience. It's not just a nonfiction book of prescriptive rules. You did bring a lot of voice into it, I think. Adam: Thank you. I try to make it be like we're sitting down and we're talking and we're having a conversation. Jo: Coming back to the book—a quote from the book: “Uncertainty isn't the enemy of creativity. It's its greatest ally.” You talk about these messy and unpredictable times. I'm what we call a discovery writer. Some people say “pantser.” It mostly is quite chaotic and unpredictable. Could you talk about this uncertainty and messy creativity? Adam: One of the things I really try to do in Fearless Persistence is give support to all of us in this messy, unpredictable—what I call “the long middle”—where stuff is happening, but you're not seeing obvious results out there. You're either in the world or in your project, and you're just in this mess. That mess is a beautiful place, and I'm trying to give support to the fact that that mess is gorgeous and it's part of the process. It's part of everybody's process. We shouldn't feel as though we are not doing our job when we're in that long, unpredictable, uncertain middle. Because out of that, we discover what we actually want. It gives us a way to refine our taste and refine our direction because we are so uncertain. Then there's this moment—and I don't know if you find this in your own writing, Jo—but there's this moment where that uncertainty changes into: there's no choices here at all. This is just what I have to do. I actually think that the greatest freedom is when there's no choices. Where the path is just there, but we've got to get through the thicket to get to that path. And there's always a thicket. Jo: There's a moment for me where the chaos becomes more certain and I'm like, okay, that's the story. I thought it might have been something else, but now that's what it is. I often have too much material as well. So I wanted to ask you about this too, because as an author with a book, editing is hard for us. Of course there are lots of words and we have to go through it all, but editing on a film—I can't even imagine how hard the editing process is. Could you talk about editing and how you cut and organise these massive projects? Adam: Yes, editing is really hard, but it's also so fun. I think being on a set is great. It's the most fun a kid could have. But being in an editing room is also the most fun a kid could have, because you have all of the pieces and there are so many ways to do it. This is where a film is actually made—in the editing room. Probably the way books are made also is in the editorial process between the writer and your own brain as the editor, or if you have someone who's helping you edit it. Editing is really interesting because it's the only craft that did not exist before filmmaking. Everything else existed, right? There were scripts, there were actors, there were costumes, there was art direction, there was production design, there was music. Editing was a craft that had to be invented for film. So it's a craft that's only about 120 years old. When we make a film, the first thing that the editor does is just put all of the scenes together in a first editor's cut, a rough assembly. It's basically every scene that was in the script as it was shot, and the editor just tries to choose the best angles. That generally comes out maybe a week or two after we wrap photography, and that first cut could be three or four hours long because it's got everything in it. Then the process is: let's take that out. Let's take that out. You don't need this. You can move this scene here and move it there before the other scene. We don't really need that shot. Or can we get to a closeup there? And you get it down, down, down—just like in writing where you kill your darlings. I actually find editing the most fun I have. “Oh, I don't need that sentence.” Or, “I can take out three words here and the sentence is better.” We go through exactly the same process in film editing and squinch it all down to the most compelling and efficient way to tell the story. Jo: I'm glad you say it's fun because I also like editing. I find the editing much more creatively fulfilling because I actually can figure out the book that way. It's so funny, I think as writers, many people either love the editing or they love the first draft. It seems like you enjoy the whole process. Adam: I like the editing so much more than the first draft. I feel like I had to get through the first draft. That was my long middle, that was my uncertain period, that was my thicket. Then my editing was, “Oh, great. Let's cross this out. Let's change that word. Let's lose that paragraph.” That was fun. Jo: So let's say we now have a book or we have a film. In your book, law eight of culturenomics is that “without distribution, there is nothing.” So now we have to get this out there, and this is really difficult. Can you talk about how film distribution has changed? Can you also reflect on how it is for writers, because our distribution has changed a lot too? Adam: So, as you mentioned in the last section of the book, I've observed over the past 30 years that when a work is both aesthetically really excellent and also economically viable and sustainable for the creators, it always observes these ten principles. I call them the 10 Laws of Culturenomics. One of them is “without distribution, there is nothing,” by which I mean: unless your audience, your market, the people that you are seeking to share or serve with the work—unless they can get it, it doesn't really matter. It's like that tree falling in the forest and no one's around to hear it. I always think about my market and my distribution before I start making the movie. I was thinking about that as I was writing the book, because I really want it to be there to meet people where they are and I want them to be able to get it. Film distribution has changed a lot, especially during the pandemic. People stayed home and cinema admissions have fallen off 30% from pre-pandemic levels, so people are going out to cinemas less. That means fewer films are being distributed in cinemas for any viable period of time. Sometimes some movies will be out there for one or two days, literally, in cinemas, and then they go right to streaming. On the streaming side, there was a glut of streaming content. All the streaming channels overinvested in streaming. There were too many shows. I don't know about your Netflix queue or your Amazon queue, but it's unnavigable. There is so much stuff. Now they've cut back a lot—they're just doing a lot less. We're in a situation now where anything can get out there somehow. The question is, does your market, does your audience know about it? Do they want to invest the time to experience it? One of the other Laws of Culturenomics is that “awareness is not desire.” There's a lot of things that we're aware of that we don't want to spend our time with. Everybody was aware of Disney's new Snow White movie. Nobody wanted to go see it. Jo: I must say, I'm not the key demographic for that! Adam: But you knew about it? Jo: Was that a live action one? Adam: Yes. Jo: I don't understand those live action ones, to be honest. Maybe that's why— Adam: I think we are sequelled out. I look at the movie business and I just think what audiences really want is something new, please. Something we haven't seen before. We don't want the 95th iteration of something from the MCU. The studios, because the movies cost so much and they're so risk-averse, talk a lot about “pre-aware titles.” In other words, titles that you've heard of before, so you're going to go see the movie. It works to a certain extent, but I just think it's cinematically boring. In that world, you never could have predicted Oppenheimer. You never could have predicted Barbie. Movies that really don't have a precedent, but they did so well because they're different. I think audiences are craving something different right now. Jo: It's interesting though, isn't it? I agree on one level, but then I also watch Bridgerton and we watched the latest series as soon as it came out. I guess that is pre-aware to a point. I don't read historical romance, yet I really like the show. I think it's because of Shonda Rhimes. I watched Grey's Anatomy for about 20 years. Adam: She's great. Jo: She's amazing. So I feel like this is why it's hard, isn't it? It's hard to know. As fiction writers particularly listening, we have very specific genre audiences, and they often don't cross over into other genres. They love their genre fiction. So it is hard to balance original work that may not be easily sold and the other stuff. I guess that's why the studios do it, right, because they think they can make enough money with the next Marvel movie. Adam: Yes, but I'm curious to know what you think about this, because even within a genre, a really good genre movie or a really good genre book is not the same as all the other books or films in the genre. It's familiar in that it does what the genre says you have to do, but it's different. It's got those unique things that make us feel like super fans, that we really love it. It's familiar enough to fall within the genre—and yes, genres have rules that you've got to follow—but then there's something unique and different that's exciting. And that's why we say, “Hey Jo, you've got to read this book.” Jo: I agree with you. I love that you said “awareness is not desire.” This is another problem with our creative work, right? We have to do marketing. We can throw all this stuff out there, and yet it may or may not work. So let's talk about your book marketing. Obviously you are on this podcast, and I presume your publicists are pitching lots of podcasts, but— What are you doing to promote the book that might be different to a film release? Adam: Well, I don't have a hundred million dollars. Jo: Surprise! Adam: Right? I've got a few hundred dollars, so we're just doing it this way. As you know, once upon a time, legacy publishers actually did marketing. Legacy publishers barely do any marketing now. Every author has to do it themselves. So we have to do this ourselves. It's been the hardest thing. I think it's the hardest thing that we've all had to adopt, that we have to do this thing where there used to be a marketing department and you just hand it over to them and we could just be in our own little creative space. But no, we've got to do this also. So what am I doing? I've amped up my social media. I'm speaking. I am on podcasts like this. I'm sharing as much as I can. I'm asking circles of people who have been early readers of the book. I'm really grateful because I've had really enthusiastic response to it, both from creatives and also some business people, which was surprising to me, but really great. Someone said, “This is the best business book in the past 10 years,” which is really interesting, right? Because you read it, Jo, as an author, but she read it as someone who sits on the board of major companies. That was a pretty interesting response. I'm just asking them to be advocates and share it around. I'd just like to be those people who blow on the embers and let's see if we can make a fire. Jo: We talked about the fun bits earlier. I'm enjoying our conversation, but I know that marketing is not necessarily in the fun bucket. Are you finding bits of the marketing you enjoy? Adam: Yes, I love meeting the audience. I love meeting the people that I'm writing the book for and sharing it with. I've been fortunate enough to be asked to run a writer's workshop in Greece for the past few years. It's a retreat centre called Rosemary's House. It's on the east coast of Greece. A dozen writers. I work with writers all the time, but they're always writing a specific thing, like a screenplay or something. This was a dozen writers all writing different things, and I'd never done that before. I had an extraordinary time. The first year I went, I'd had all these notes for this book, Fearless Persistence, that I'd been compiling for some time. But there I was in the room and I was with the people that I was really intending to write the book for, and that kicked me in the butt and I wrote the book. Then the next year I was back and I finished it while we were there at the writer's retreat. So that was great, and I was with another group of writers. I'll be back there again later this year and the book will be out. So it's this fabulous continuation of really engaging with and meeting the people that I'm seeking to serve with this book. I really enjoy encouraging and mentoring and sharing the systems that are undergirding the creative process, and then the process of how do you build a sustainable life, including all these super practical things that they don't teach you in art school or writing school or film school or even business school. How do you actually build a sustainable life in this practice? I love that. I guess that's marketing, but it's also just being with the people that you're there to serve. Jo: I love that you use “serve.” I use the same word. I say, “Who do you serve?” And that can help people, because I feel like creative people are like, “We don't want to be marketers, we don't want to be salesy.” So if you reframe it as service—who are you trying to help, who are you trying to entertain—that actually helps. Coming to the business side, you mentioned systems. You are right, the book has a lot of business in it, which I love because we talk a lot about business on this show. In one section you say there are only four ways to monetise your creative work. So could you talk a bit about those different ways to monetise your creative work? Adam: Yes. This has been true for maybe 5,000 years because it's not about technology, it's just about how work is monetised. There are only four ways that any piece of work is monetised. For sale. You have a book, and you go to your favourite bookstore and you buy the book, and now you own the book. For rent. You could rent a book from your library, or in a movie context, what you're really renting is the seat for two hours to watch the movie. On subscription. People have subscriptions to Kindle Unlimited or other platforms, or people have subscriptions to a streaming service. Free. When it's ad-supported. That's like linear television where there's ads, or Amazon where there's ads and you don't pay for it. For sale, for rent, on subscription, or free—those are the only ways anything is ever transacted. When it's ad-supported, for example, some people have YouTube channels that are very successful. YouTube is free, and then YouTube is making money from the ads and the creators are getting a tiny little slice of the ad revenue. Jo: Like this podcast. I have sponsors who pay, and they're all related to the author industry. They're companies that I use and work with. I personally recommend them, and that means this podcast is free. Adam: Thank you, sponsors. Jo: Yes, thank you, sponsors! I also have patrons—people who subscribe to the show to support it as well. So I guess we don't have to be in one bucket or another. We can have our work in different buckets. Adam: Ideally, you can have your work in every single one of them. Not always, not necessarily always at exactly the same simultaneous moment, but at a certain point as the work gets out there into the world, as it's lived long enough, it probably will be in every bucket. That's great because we want our work to be as accessible to the people that we're serving in any way they want to get it. Jo: I totally agree. And your audiobook, as you mentioned, will be available in those different formats as well. Adam: Yes. Jo: I find that, especially with nonfiction audio, what I love is being able to listen to just a chapter, just a chapter in a specific part. Someone could actually listen to the 10 Laws of Culturenomics separately to some of the rest of the book. I love that. Adam: I'd never done that before. It was so powerful to record the audiobook because up until that moment, my relationship with this book was fingers typing keyboards, electrons on a screen. It was a completely silent experience. Then I was in this recording booth in Los Angeles and I started speaking the words, and I was visualising the people that I was writing it for as I was doing it. It was so powerful. Then I listened to it and I thought, wow, this is actually a really good experience. It was so powerful that I was recently in Paris because I'm working on some films that are in Europe, and I decided to create a special advanced listener edition of the audiobook, where I took the chapters and put them into individual or grouped listening units. In a recording studio in Paris, I recorded some prefaces and reflections on those listening units, which are now thematic. I'm really proud of that edition. It's not for everybody. The regular Audible audiobook is going to be out there, but this version, which is on my website, I think is a really wonderful version for someone who just wants me to walk with you as you go through the experience of the book. Jo: Are you selling that direct from your website? Adam: Yes, I'm selling it direct on the website. Jo: Brilliant, because we all do that too. You can actually make more money selling audio direct than you do from the streaming. Adam: Yes. Jo: I realise we don't have much time left, but I need to ask you this because the film industry and publishing are in this great time of change with the advent of generative AI. We've seen in the last week the actor Ben Affleck's company, InterPositive, has been acquired by Netflix. So it seems like technology is disrupting a lot. How do you think we can navigate this time? What are your feelings around this new wave of generative AI? Adam: It's a great tool. It's not a great writer. It's actually really a terrible writer. You can always tell when generative AI has written something because it has a certain very annoying style, but it's a great tool. I use it in my production. I teach at the business school at UC Berkeley. We train people on how to use it for various kinds of problems and solutions. But the important thing is that you are the architect of the machine. It's a machine. It is like a paintbrush, but it is not the hand that holds the paintbrush. So I am not concerned that AI is going to go make movies that we all care about, and I am not concerned that it's going to disrupt, in the largest sense, the employment picture. Certainly some jobs are being lost, but new jobs are being gained. It's really interesting. For example, you mentioned Ben Affleck's company, which Netflix just partnered with. It's not making new content. It's creating a better production workflow. It's taking what is shot or what is planned in the production workflow and just making it better and more efficient and implementing it and adding to it. That is a really good use of AI. All the creative power retains within the hands of the creative humans, but it's giving the humans more tools. Jo: I've been reflecting on the idea of the film director, in that people often know their names and they win awards, and yet they didn't necessarily write the script. Some do, obviously, but they didn't act in it, they didn't do all the editing, they didn't do all the different jobs, but it's their creative vision. So is that how you see us playing that part? Adam: I do. I think that's a really good analogy. And look, AI—it's good. It's going to keep getting better. It still has massive error rates, so we still have to be very careful about what we attribute to it and what powers we give it, and what facts we believe from it. Jo: So what are you excited about next? Obviously you are promoting this book, you are doing speaking things, but are you looking to your future continuing to work across film and books? What are you excited about in terms of your creative projects? Adam: The big arc of my creative life is creating ecosystems where creative people can do their best work. This book is part of that. With the movies that I make, as a producer, I try to create the ecosystems where people can do their best work. I envision, and I'm excited about, continuing to do that. Whether it is in a book or in a workshop or in a film that I'm making. I just want to keep doing that: creating these ecosystems where people can really do great work and express themselves creatively, entrepreneurially, and with a positive view of the world to come. Because that is a responsibility, coming back to the first question you asked me. Jo: Brilliant. So where can people find you and your book and everything you do online? Adam: You can find me at my website, which is AdamLeipzig.com, just like the city. Of course, the book is available wherever you buy your books, and the Kindle and the audiobook are exactly where you would expect to find them. You can also find me on Instagram at @AdamLeipzig, and you can find me on LinkedIn as Adam Leipzig. I love interacting with people, so come and find me. AdamLeipzig.com is the best place to find everything. Jo: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Adam. That was great. Adam: Jo, thank you so much for having me. It was great talking with you.The post Navigating Uncertainty And Fearless Persistence In A Long Term Creative Career With Adam Leipzig first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Continuing the discussion of the previous episode the topic turns to using AI tools in your creative processes. Questions including, "Should I tell my clients I'm using AI?", "How do I incorporate AI tools without infringing someone's copyright?" and "Will clients still want to work with me when there are so many AI options out there? How do I remain relevant as a designer, illustrator, photographer?" are growing concerns for freelance creatives. Alvalyn Lundgren shares insights into how creatives can position and differentiate so that they remain relevant to their clients, and focus on the things clients need that AI cannot do which are the essential human traits necessary for creative problem-solving.

Most businesses don't have a marketing problem — they have a workflow problem.   In this episode of the Level Up Claims Podcast, Sam Ryan, CEO and co-founder of Flocksy, breaks down how companies can scale high-quality creative work without the headaches of hiring, freelancers, or bloated agencies.   Highlights: ·      Why most businesses fail to scale creative work ·      The shift from freelancers to subscription-based creative teams ·      How to structure workflows so creative actually gets done ·      The right way to use AI (without losing quality) ·      Why soft skills matter more than technical skills in today's market ·      How to reduce friction and get more output with less effort ·      The power of recurring tasks and "set-it-and-forget-it" workflows ·      Why connection and human creativity still win in an AI world   Episode Resources: ·      Connect with Sam Ryan ·      https://flocksy.com/ ·      Connect with Galen M. Hair ·      https://insuranceclaimhq.com ·      hair@hairshunnarah.com ·      https://levelupclaim.com/

If you would like to know more about trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, please contact us at 423-892-1916 or pastor@hickoryvalleybaptist.com

PTSD does not always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like overthinking, staying busy, and trying to keep your mind from going places you do not want it to go. This conversation is about what happens when a veteran finds a healthier outlet and actually commits to it. Ken Webb talks about leaving the cycle of contract work behind, building a new life in Peru, and using writing to deal with fear, betrayal, and stress that did not disappear after service. He gets into the discipline it took to finish a novel, why he wrote the first draft by hand, and how reading and writing forced him to slow down and focus. He also shares how parts of his book were pulled from real experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with the personal betrayal that pushed him to finally get the story out. This episode will connect with veterans who feel stuck in their own head, miss having a mission, or need a reminder that productive work can still be part of healing. It is honest, grounded, and useful. It also gives a clear look at how creative work can help someone process what happened without pretending the past never happened. Timestamps: 00:03:15 - He decides to stop waiting and start living 00:08:39 - The hard truth about PTSD and the past 00:11:15 - Why writing the villain was cathartic 00:21:30 - Ken talks honestly about fear in Iraq 00:30:31 - His advice for any veteran who wants to write Links & Resources Veteran Suicide & Crisis Line: Dial 988, then press 1 Website: https://www.kenwebb69.com Follow Ken Webb on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574048104781 Follow Ken Webb on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/webbinator2000/ Transcript View the transcript for this episode.

If you would like to know more about trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, please contact us at 423-892-1916 or pastor@hickoryvalleybaptist.com

The Right Hype is a platform that identifies where hype is accumulating, where trust is eroding, and how to build brand relevance that lasts. This episode introduces a series called The Strategist's Eye, which delves into the skills of a strategist who works with creatives. The series covers topics such as insights, taste, and judgment, providing a framework for strategic thinking and problem-solving in the marketing field.

When a client takes one creative's bid and shops it around to get someone else to undercut it, they're not evaluating based on value, vision, or fit, they're turning it into a race to the bottom. That devalues the work across the board. And on the flip side, a photographer who's willing to drop their rate just because they saw someone else's numbers isn't really pricing based on what the project is worth, they're just reacting to pressure. That's not sustainable, and it hurts the industry long term. Healthy competition is presenting your best work, your best concept, and your true rate. Not reverse-engineering someone else's bid. If a client is playing creatives against each other like that, it's usually a sign they're shopping for the cheapest option, not the right partner. https://jamespatrick.com/

Today we have two guests from two different companies who have one shared conviction: AI works best when it amplifies people, not replaces them. Today we're joined by Rachana Rele, VP of Product Design for AI-native products at Adobe, and David Shim, co-founder and CEO of Read AI. Together, they're building very different products — but they share a vision of AI that removes the drudgery from creative work and makes room for the thinking that actually matters. In this conversation, we dig into some ideas that could genuinely change how you think about your work. David talks about this concept of “storage of intelligence” — the idea that your knowledge, your meeting history, your working style could all be captured and made available as a kind of digital twin that keeps working even when you're not in the room. And Rachana shares how Adobe is thinking about AI not as a one-shot creative output machine, but as a collaborative partner that helps teams break out of their own blind spots. We also push them on the harder questions — the job anxiety that's real right now in tech, the surveillance concerns that come with recording your work life, and where they each personally draw the line. Bios David Shim is Co-Founder and CEO of Read AI, an AI productivity platform focused on helping knowledge workers leverage the power of AI to improve how they collaborate, communicate, and get work done. The platform provides meeting insights, search, chat, and proactive recommendations for millions of professionals, integrating seamlessly with the tools teams already use. Read AI is pioneering the concept of the Digital Twin—AI that serves as a true extension of you, built on deep contextual understanding of how you work. Today, Read AI is trusted by teams at 90% of the Fortune 500 and in the past year, was recognized as a Top 10 AI Vendor for Enterprises by Brex, a Top 50 AI App by a16z and Mercury, and named one of Inc.'s Top 16 Companies to Watch Before founding Read AI, David served as CEO of Foursquare and previously founded Placed, which was acquired by Snap in 2017. In 2025, he was named CEO of the Year by Geekwire. Rachana Rele Rachana has spent 20+ years at the intersection of technology and human experience — figuring out not just what to build, but why it matters. At Adobe, she shapes the direction of new products, nurtures ideas from zero to something real, and helps early-stage businesses find their footing and grow. She's also a perpetual student — currently finishing an MBA at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, with an M.Eng. in HCI from Clemson and a B.E. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Mumbai.

In today’s episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Tom Loarie talks with Ben Swire, former Design Lead at IDEO, about the power of creative work, “safe danger”, the importance of staying inspired and more. It’s the ultimate toolkit for those who crave meaning and purpose in every aspect of their life. Guest Mentor Ben Swire shows us the way to achieve it. Most of us have a “wish list” for our lives: we want inspiring experiences, deep relationships, and work that truly matters. But there is a massive chasm between that list and our reality. As Joseph Campbell once noted, the rewards we seek are not “easy pickings”—they require sacrifice, struggle, and the courage to be vulnerable. Our guest today, Ben Swire, has found an unexpected way to bridge that chasm. Ben is the founder of Make Believe Works and the author of Safe Danger. A former Design Lead at IDEO, Ben was famously told that his most important job wasn’t just to be a designer, but to stay inspired. Today, Ben uses a suite of creative activities to help leaders move past “forced achievement” to find their authentic soul. In this episode, we discuss why creativity is the “oven mitt” that allows us to handle the heat of our own pain, why AI may be flattening our diversity of ideas, and how one small, creative risk can change your life. You will learn about “Safe Danger,” the creative risks that transform teams, and why your most important job as a leader is to simply staying inspired.   LISTEN TO the radio broadcast live on iHeart Radio, or to “THE MENTORS RADIO” podcast any time, anywhere, on any podcast platform – subscribe here and don't miss an episode! SHOW NOTES BEN SWIRE: BIO: https://thementorsradio.com/ben-swire/ BOOKS: Safe Danger: An Unexpected Method for Sparking Connection, Finding Purpose, and Inspiring Innovation, by Ben Swire WEBSITES: MakeBelieveWorks.com BenjaminSwire.com

The rundown: 05:08 - So how do we say those Detroit street names? We react. 08:25 - City of Detroit Budget talk: More sidewalk repairs, more money for transit, and a property tax cut 14:09 - It's important to support our creative work in the city, it can't live on grants alone. Two pieces in Outlier made us think. "In search of a stage: Detroit artists want more independent venues in the city"  "How Black artists and curators are fighting to sustain Detroit's neighborhood artistic spaces"

Send a textMatt Britton is Founder and CEO of Suzy and a leading voice on how AI and generational change are reshaping business. He is the author of the best-selling book Generation AI: Why Generation Alpha & The Age of AI Will Change Everything, and has advised more than half of the Fortune 500 on marketing, innovation, and consumer behavior. Drawing on decades of experience working with global brands, Matt examines why AI is shifting the economy from knowledge tasks to creative problem solving, why reskilling will define the next decade, and how leaders can build organizations that elevate human judgment in an AI-driven world.In this conversation, we discuss:Why AI is accelerating a shift from memorization and knowledge tasks toward creativity, critical thinking, and real problem solving.Why reskilling, not upskilling, will define the next decade and why that transition will be harder than most leaders admit.How Gen Alpha, the first AI-native generation, will reshape expectations around work, brands, privacy, and employer relationships.Why robotics will transform the service economy sooner than most leaders expect, and what that means for jobs.The mistake companies make when they chase AI tools instead of focusing on the most important problems to solve.How hyper-personalization and an “audience of one” are redefining trust, value creation, and meritocracy in business.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Matt on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How Kai Nunez, Vice President of Research & Insights at Salesforce, is making tech teams take ownership of AI ethics

Send a textWhat happens when a busy week of community events, student workshops, and gallery nights collides with an unexpected dream offer? I opened the door to spring with color, coffee, and collaboration—and then share how a national Mahjong company discovered my work and invited me to design beautiful mats that bring pattern, play, and personality to the table.We start with First Friday momentum and a morning meetup that sparks a new nonprofit experience design. From there, we head to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Village with Junior Achievement to guide five thousand students through hands-on art: a collaborative bokeh-style landscape built dot by dot, conversations about creative careers, and tiny “charcuterie” boards that teach composition through play. The week levels up with a scout workshop where simple birdhouses gain a digital soul—stickers become animated birds and butterflies with the Artivive app—showing kids how traditional craft and technology can sing together.Back at the studio, we get ready for live painting at the Home and  Garden Show, a St. Patrick's plaza crawl, and a slate of fresh classes: mosaic lights, acrylic-and-resin techniques, and needle-felted bangles. Then let's pull back the curtain on the licensing milestone—how sharing genuine joy about learning Mahjong led the right partners to my doorstep, and what's next as we explore wholesale, affiliate options, and bringing elegant tiles to the local community. Along the way, I want to talk upcycled fashion, supportive teachers, and the one practice that keeps everything grounded: carving out ten minutes a day to make something that makes your heart happy.If you love creative entrepreneurship, community art, and real-world steps to grow your practice, you'll feel right at home. Press play, share with a friend who needs a spark, and leave a quick review to help more makers find us.Support the showCatch the doodles on YouTubeMy socials:Sign up for my monthly newsletterPortfolio website: Brewtifully.comInstagram: /BrewtifullyFacebook: /brewtifullyTikTok: GettingSmallwithGrandmaLinkedIn: Tracy Dawn Brewer

Pre-Order My New Book “Mysterious Things” and Help Us Spread the Word! --- This episode is for you if: 1 - You need a reminder to feel how vital making personal creative work is to your life. 2 - You are a creative type or neurodivergent person needing an example of how to do lots of things well. 3 - Your soul could use some warmth and grounding! This chat is with wonderful Poet and Author Jarod K. Anderson AKA The CryptoNaturalist! SHOW NOTES: Jarod K. Andersonhttps://www.jarodkanderson.com Strange Animals by Jarod K. Andersonhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/798888/strange-animals-by-jarod-k-anderson/ Cyptonaturalist Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/cryptonaturalist/ “Something in the Woods Loves You” by Jarod K. Andersonhttps://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jarod-k-anderson/something-in-the-woods-loves-you/9781643262291/?lens=timber-press Producer / Editor: Sophie Miller http://sophiemiller.coAudio Editing / Sound Design: Conner Jones http://pendingbeautiful.coSoundtrack / Theme Song: Yoni Wolf / WHY? http://whywithaquestionmark.com SPONSORS:SQUARESPACEHead to https://www.squarespace.com/PEPTALK to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code PEPTALK Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Live from Go West Live in Edmonton, this episode of Events: Demystified unpacks what happens when an industry event is designed with intention instead of habit.Joined by Arthur Kerekes and Evan Babins, we break down:Why this 600-person conference felt more alive than many large-scale industry shows• The RFP compensation problem and the creative labor conversation no one wants to have• How thoughtful programming eliminates attendee burnout• What makes a trade show floor feel like a retail experience instead of a fluorescent maze• Why people, not production budgets, ultimately define event successWe also explore how schedule design, entertainment integration, food experience, and speaker selection can shift an event from transactional to meaningful.If you plan events, speak at events, sponsor events, or attend them, this conversation will challenge how you think about experience design, energy management, and where the industry should go next.Recorded live at Go West Live. Real reactions. Real noise. Real insights.00:00 Live from Go West Live: Why This Conference Feels Different01:47 Meet the Guests: Arthur's AI Activations & First-Time Go West Impressions03:04 Evan's Speaker Lineup + Arthur's Interactive Game Show Reveal05:46 Industry ‘Dirty Secrets': RFPs, Creative Work & Fair Compensation08:19 What Go West Gets Right: Fresh Speakers, Short Keynotes & Smart Agenda Design09:47 No Competing Sessions (Mostly): Programming Wins + Tech to Beat Breakout FOMO12:22 Networking Across Canada: New Connections, Canadian Hospitality & Value14:34 The Vibe Factor: Food Everywhere and a Retail-Style Trade Show Floor16:21 AV Production That Actually Delivers (No Extra Gear Needed)17:31 Design + Trade Show Energy Spills Into Social Events17:55 Instagrammable Activations & Surprisingly Great Food19:15 Small-Conference Feel: Community, Care, and Real Connections20:32 Entertainment That Feels Intentional (Not Slapped On)22:10 Sustainability-Focused Venue & Navigating the Multi-Level Layout23:51 Wrap-Up Hot Takes: Trade Show Vibe, People, and Wellness-Friendly Scheduling28:39 What Could Improve: Speaker App Tools, Rotating Cities, and US Marketing32:19 Where to Connect + Final Thanks and Sign-Off

Chapters 00:00 Caffeine Chronicles: The Morning Rituals 05:37 Chiefs, Patriots, and Super Bowl Memories 11:19 Tech Talk: The Future of Computers and AI 22:20 Conspiracy Theories: Patriots, Snow, and the NFL 27:28 Recent Internet Outages and Their Impact 30:14 The Role of AI in Modern Workplaces 32:59 AI: Benefits and Risks 34:13 The Future of AI and Human Dependency 36:18 Trivia Game with AI: A Fun Experiment 46:40 Creative Work vs. AI: The Final Thoughts

My speeches and artwork aim to promote a message of unity and humanity within Australia's multicultural society, emphasizing the importance of living together with mutual respect and strong moral values to foster dignity and harmony in the community. My political artwork is to raise my voice for humanity and justice,Nayab Almas. Listen this conversation in this podcast. - میری تقاریروں اور آرٹ ورک کا مقصد آسٹریلیا کے کثیرالثقافتی معاشرے میں اتحاد اور انسانیت کا پیغام اور باہمی احترام و اخلاقی اقدار کے ساتھ مل جل کر رہنے پر زور دینا ہیں، تاکہ معاشرے میں عزت اور ہم آہنگی فروغ پائے۔ مباحثے کے ساتھ ساتھ اپنے سیاسی فن کے ذریعے بھی انسانیت اور انصاف کے حق میں آواز بلند کرنے کی کوشش کرتی ہو، جو نوجوانوں کے لیے ایک مضبوط اور متاثر کن پیغام ہے،نوجوان مقررہ وآرٹسٹ نایاب الماس،

In this episode, we dive deep into the evolving relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence. Inspired by Ada Lovelace's early vision of creative machines, we explore how the boundaries between expertise and common sense have been reshaped by modern AI, from expert systems to today's generative models. We sit down with pioneers and practitioners—Vasant Dhar, a longtime AI researcher and author of Thinking With Machines; Christopher Mims, technology journalist and author of How To AI; and the creators of Tachi AI, Aden Bahadori and Brett Granstaff—to discover how AI is shifting not only what we make but how we make it.We unpack the promise and the pitfalls of treating AI as a true thinking partner, not just a tool for automation. Our guests share practical strategies for using AI to augment creative work, streamline tedious tasks, and enhance idea generation—while emphasizing the necessity of human framing, expertise, and judgment. Whether you're a leader, designer, marketer, or filmmaker, we reveal why using AI thoughtfully is the real competitive edge in creative fields and business.Five Key Learnings:AI's Compounding Edge: Utilizing AI consistently and benchmarking progress gives creatives and teams a multiplying advantage—not by replacing human originality, but by amplifying it through incremental improvements.Framing Questions Matter: The ability to ask the right, nuanced questions remains fundamentally human, and is essential when using AI as a partner in ideation, research, and strategy.Context and Expertise Are Critical: Experts benefit most from AI—leveraging their knowledge to dig deeper, validate outputs, and push beyond generic solutions, while ensuring originality in their work.AI as Scaffolding, Not a Substitute: The greatest value of AI today is in reducing friction and clearing time for creativity—whether it's summarizing information, managing knowledge, or prepping film edits—so humans can focus on what matters.Human-Centric, Supportive AI: Tools like Tachi AI demonstrate that supporting creativity is more transformative than automating it; AI as infrastructure enables faster iteration and more creative decision-making, not just higher productivity.Get full interviews and bonus content for free! Just join the list at DailyCreativePlus.com.Mentioned in this episode:To listen to the full interviews from today's episode, as well as receive bonus content and deep dive insights from the episode, visit DailyCreativePlus.com and join Daily Creative+.The Brave Habit is available nowMy new book will help you make bravery a habit in your life, your leadership, and your work. Discover how to develop the two qualities that lead to brave action: Optimistic Vision and Agency. Buy The Brave Habit wherever books are sold, or learn more at TheBraveHabit.com.

Welcome to another insightful episode of Build a Better Agency! This week, host Drew McLellan is joined by legendary cartoonist and marketer Tom Fishburne, best known for his "Marketoonist" series that has humorously and astutely captured the nuances of agency life for over two decades. If you've ever laughed (or cringed) at a cartoon that perfectly depicts a creative brief gone wrong or the infamous "shiny object syndrome" in marketing, there's a good chance it was one of Tom's. In this fast-paced conversation, Drew McLellan and Tom Fishburne explore the enduring themes and challenges of agency culture, creativity, and client relationships, using Tom's cartoons as a lens for the ever-evolving world of marketing. Tom shares how his unique background on both the agency and client sides has shaped his perspective and provided endless inspiration. He opens up about his creative process, how stepping back for "analog thinking" allows him to push past predictable ideas, and why intentional humor can break down barriers and foster connection inside agencies and with clients. Listeners will also hear fresh insights on the changing role of data and AI in the industry, and how agencies can stand out by marrying "analog intelligence" with digital tools—without losing the essential human touch. Drew McLellan and Tom Fishburne discuss why so much work is met with indifference, the importance of a well-crafted creative brief, and the power of dedicating time to unstructured thinking, even in today's deadline-driven environments.   Whether you're a fan of Tom's cartoons or new to his work, this episode will inspire you to reframe how you approach creativity and culture in your agency. You'll walk away with practical homework on integrating humor, empathy, and analog thinking into your agency's DNA—fueling better work, stronger teams, and more memorable client relationships. Don't miss this blend of wit, wisdom, and actionable advice for building a truly distinctive agency.   A big thank you to our podcast's presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They're an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here. What You Will Learn in This Episode: Bringing humor and humanity into agency work   The evolving relationship between agencies and clients Why creative briefs often go wrong—and how to fix them Using analog thinking to spark creativity and originality Avoiding indifference by moving beyond data-driven sameness Balancing AI tools with the irreplaceable value of human insight Creating space for deep, focused thinking in a fast-paced industry  

Judith Henry joins Margo for a deeply honest and life-affirming conversation about caregiving, creativity, and what can unfold when we stay open to possibility at every age. A writer, artist, and podcaster, Judith shares how caring for her parents in the final chapter of their lives became the unexpected catalyst for an expansive creative journey—one rooted in humor, grit, color, and connection. At 61, Judith wrote The Dutiful Daughter's Guide to Caregiving, a practical and compassionate resource born from lived experience. In her late 60s, she picked up her mother's paintbrushes and fell in love with visual art. And at 71, she launched One Mouthy Dame, a podcast empowering women to embrace aging with honesty, gratitude, and good humor. Margo and Judith discuss: How caring for aging parents became a powerful (and unexpected) creative catalyst The emotional realities of caregiving, including grief, guilt, humor, and deep connection Writing The Dutiful Daughter's Guide to Caregiving as both memoir and practical support Using humor as a survival tool during difficult seasons Transitioning from writing into painting and mixed media later in life Letting go of judgment and reclaiming creativity at any age Launching a podcast in her 70s to speak honestly about aging, anxiety, and visibility Falling in love with Kawandi-style quilting and how stitching, mending, and making can be deeply healing Connect with Judith: Book & Writing: https://www.JudithDHenry.com Creative Work: https://www.JudithHenryCreative.com Podcast: https://www.JudithHenryCreative.com/One-Mouthy-Dame   Connect with Margo: Website: www.windowsillchats.com Instagram: @windowsillchats www.patreon.com/inthewindowsill https://www.yourtantaustudio.com/thefoundry  

EPISODE 664 - Susan Sloate - The Power of Music Captured in Story - Scenes From a SongSusan Sloate is the best-selling, award-winning multi-genre author of more than 25 books. She's also a publisher, former podcast host and ghostwriter, and never met a good story she didn't love!Major WorksSusan's latest novel is Scenes From a Song, the emotional saga of a 1960's band that achieves monstrous success, and a special song from their catalogue that changes the lives of its listeners. It went live as a Kindle book on Amazon in August 2025 and in its first 24 hours became the #1 New Release in TWO of its book categories, the fastest-launching book she's ever had!Susan also co-authored (with Kevin Finn) Forward to Camelot: The Final Edition (2024), a time-travel thriller about the JFK assassination, which was re-published in 2013 as the 50th Anniversary Edition before its current 2024 edition. Recently declassified JFK assassination documents confirm that Susan and Kevin's original theory about the identity of the assassination planner--who appears as a major fictional character in the novel--was, in fact, actually true.Stealing Fire is a passionate May-December romance set against the backdrop of Broadway musical theater. The audiobook version, narrated by actress Mapuana Makia, is also available on Audible and AmazonSusan also co-wrote (with Ron Doades) Realizing You, a 2013 release that pioneered a genre: the self-help novel. Blending a fictional story with exercises designed to teach you more about yourself and your dreams and goals, the book received glowing reviews from both critics and readers and continues to inspire those on personal-growth journeys.Publishing and PodcastingFor two years, pre- and post-pandemic, with her author friend Kelly Fitzgerald Fowler, Susan co-hosted Talk Jam, a podcast potpourri exploring topics from the Bible to pop culture, history and conspiracy. With nearly 100 episodes recorded, the show was an international fan favorite and further showcased Susan's gift for lively storytelling.She is the founder/owner of Covfefe Press, her independent publishing imprint, and also serves as editor/project manager for the Kyle & Corey middle-grade mystery series by author Joe Stephens. Susan has also been featured in a 2009 MysteryQuest special on The History Channel, exploring the mysteries of Alcatraz, based on her children's nonfiction book Mysteries Unwrapped: The Secrets of Alcatraz. She is the author of 17 published young-adult books. She's also ghostwritten projects for a number of prominent historians and businesspeople.Creative Work and CoachingSusan has also written two produced stage plays, both of which she co-directed in their world-premiere runs. Two of her original screenplays have also been optioned for film development. She is currently adapting a long-forgotten novel into a musical play, writing both book and lyrics, which is a whole new adventure for her!In 2007, Susan founded a local authors festival to promote literacy in local schools, reaching over 10,000 students in a single day. In 2014 she launched The Writers Workshop, which brought together playwrights, actors, and directors to develop new works through staged readings and collaborative feedback. Support the show___https://livingthenextchapter.com/podcast produced by: https://truemediasolutions.ca/Coffee Refills are always appreciated, refill Dave's cup here, and thanks!https://buymeacoffee.com/truemediaca

Rachael is ready to get serious about being an artist; so she and Lauren discuss a common component of presenting yourself as one: a portfolio. When describing your creative work and ambitions, it can be extremely helpful to have a curated selection of pieces to back it up; but many questions arise when attempting to build an online portfolio. In this episode, you'll gain some insight towards answering those questions for yourself. Is it okay to have one-off works vs a series? How can you focus your practice around certain theme or through-line while allowing yourself to follow all of your curiosities? Listen to learn more!Episode Mentions:Check out The Juice Box here!For more portfolio advice, watch Lauren's Adobe course.We are now booking workshops and speaking engagements as a duo! To bring us to your conference or organization, reach out to us at chaoticcreativespodcast@gmail.com. For a transcript of this episode, contact us at chaoticcreativespodcast@gmail.com Cover art designed and photographed by Kristle Marshall for Hom Sweet HomIf you love what we are doing and want to support us, head to patreon.com/chaoticcreativesFollow the pod on Instagram @chaoticcreativespod and tag us in the projects you're working on while listening!Say hi or tell us a silly lil joke: chaoticcreativespodcast@gmail.comLauren's links:WebsiteInstagramOnline ClassesRachael's links:WebsiteInstagramThe Juice BoxCreative Coaching

We hope you enjoyed this episode.If you haven't yet, make sure to leave a review and let us know your thoughts on the content this week. Also, make sure to add our podcast to your library if you haven't yet, so you don't miss our weekly content. Also, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠seedgiver.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and consider becoming a part of this missions initiative. With your spare change, you can change the world!

We hope you enjoyed this episode.If you haven't yet, make sure to leave a review and let us know your thoughts on the content this week. Also, make sure to add our podcast to your library if you haven't yet, so you don't miss our weekly content. Also, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠seedgiver.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and consider becoming a part of this missions initiative. With your spare change, you can change the world!

Theresa Jackson kicks off this episode of the CreativePro Podcast by digging into one of the most common frustrations for creative teams: review and approval chaos. She's joined by Mike McHugh from PageProof. Listeners are invited to learn alongside Theresa as she asks the questions many teams wrestle with every day. Together, they unpack why creative reviews break down, why email and ad-hoc tools fail at scale, and how centralized proofing changes the way designers, marketers, legal teams, and executives work together. They also explore accountability, reporting, and the human side of approvals, including why people—not tools—are usually the biggest bottleneck. The conversation closes with a look at how AI is beginning to support review and compliance, and why clear processes matter more than ever as creative work scales. Episode Highlights Hear Theresa slowly realize this is way more than a proofing tool—and why her workflow brain kicks into overdrive. Listen as Mike calls out email as the quiet culprit behind most approval chaos. Catch the moment when replacing copy without breaking styles feels almost too good to be true. Feel seen as Theresa and Mike put words to what you already know: people, not tools, are where things usually get stuck. Hear how visibility and accountability change reviewer behavior once everyone's progress is out in the open. Listen as the conversation turns to AI, content credentials, and spotting what changed—and what shouldn't have. Episode Resources PageProof – website PageProof Adobe Add-on – learn more Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) – website ​​CreativePro Week 2026, Nashville, June 29–July 3, 2026 Save $100 on any CreativePro event in 2026 with the discount code: PODCAST Get $15 off one year of CreativePro membership with the discount code: PODCAST

My brain does this thing where photography and sound keep borrowing ideas from each other. I will be setting up a shot, thinking about light and shadow, and suddenly I am thinking about microphones. Or I will be setting up a mic, and I start thinking about lenses. Both are about choosing what you want and choosing what you do not want. With a camera, you make decisions that shape what the viewer sees. You pick a lens. You choose an angle. You decide what is sharp and what is soft. You decide what stays in the frame and what gets cut out. With audio, it is the same kind of thinking. You still pick a tool. You still aim it. You still decide what matters most. The big difference is that sound is more complex to "see," so people sometimes forget it is a craft full of choices... Podcast Notes: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/bridging-sound-and-vision-exploring-polar-patterns-in-creative-work/ Photography Clips Podcast: https://www.moneymakerphotography.com/podcast/ Follow me: https://www.facebook.com/Will.Moneymaker  #PhotographyClips #WillMoneymaker #PhotographyPodcast

Miriam Schulman is the Founder of Schulman Art, which began as a resource for creative entrepreneurs and has evolved into a comprehensive coaching service helping artists turn their talents into sustainable businesses. Her innovative approach supports artists' success through mentorship, educational resources, and community-building.   In this episode of the Side Hustle to Small Business® Podcast, Miriam shares her inspiring journey from working in corporate finance to launching Schulman Art. She and host Sanjay discuss monetizing creativity, building supportive communities for artists, overcoming challenges as a creative entrepreneur, and her book "Artpreneur".   What You'll Learn: • How to transform a creative passion into a sustainable business • Strategies for monetizing and marketing artistic work • Building supportive communities for creative entrepreneurs • The story behind launching Artpreneur and empowering artists   Learn more about Miriam and Schulman Art at https://www.schulmanart.com/   Chapters: 00:00 Introduction and background 8:30 Overcoming nerves 12:00 Building a coaching business 15:33 Challenges artists face 19:42 Balancing life and work 25:58 Incorporating AI into your business 27:55 Reflecting on the business 29:55 Advice for other entrepreneurs 30:32 Closing and contact   #SmallBusiness #SideHustle #art

Why Creatives Need Both Structure & FreedomIn this snippet, Samuel Beek, Chief Product Officer at VEED, shares a key insight on creative work: Creativity thrives on constraints and space.A few guardrails help guide ideas but creatives also need a blank canvas to truly express themselves. Samuel explains how VEED once relied on highly restrictive templates. While they looked great and performed well on social media, users didn't love them.The learning?True creative satisfaction comes from choice, flexibility, and freedom, not just polished outcomes.Listen to the full podcast- https://premade.outgrow.us/interview-with-Samuel-Beek#Outgrow #Podcast #SamuelBeek #VEED #CreatorEconomy #ProductDesign #CreativeFreedom #UXDesign

Mostly Growth on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MostlyGrowthMostly Growth on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mostly-growth/id1842238102Mostly Growth on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3KDtaLaXx1obFp5PUhZ6V3In this year-end episode of Mostly Growth, CJ Gustafson, Kyle Poyar, and Ben Hillman reflect on what it actually takes to build a modern media business around newsletters and podcasts. They unpack CJ's first year going full-time, comparing creative intuition versus metric-driven operating styles, and discuss what content truly drives growth. The conversation also covers distribution dynamics, the emotional reality of unsubscribes and burnout, and closes with a candid look at monetization, team building, and the tradeoffs between simplicity and scale.—SPONSORS:Pulley is the cap table management platform built for CFOs and finance leaders who need reliable, audit-ready data and intuitive workflows, without the hidden fees or unreliable support. Switch in as little as 5 days and get 25% off your first year: https://pulley.com/mostlymetricsMetronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That's why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at https://www.metronome.com—LINKS:Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.comCJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Growth Unhinged: https://www.growthunhinged.com/Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-poyar/Slacker Stuff: https://www.slackerstuff.com/Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slackerstuff/https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/deep-research-for-gtmhttps://www.growthunhinged.com/p/2025-state-of-b2b-gtm-reporthttps://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/presenting-the-state-of-the-agentic-financial-stackhttps://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/the-great-ai-arr-illusionhttps://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/presenting-the-2025-tech-stack-reporthttps://www.mostlymetrics.com/p/download-the-annual-planning-biblehttps://www.growthunhinged.com/p/how-to-sell-annual-planshttps://www.growthunhinged.com/p/get-recommended-by-chatgpthttps://www.growthunhinged.com/p/gtm-vibecoding-ideashttps://www.growthunhinged.com/p/how-to-use-ai-agents-for-marketing—RELATED EPISODES:We get roasted for swag and drop some GTM goldhttps://youtu.be/uubf_8al95wDo vanity plates bring serious business?https://youtu.be/Cm1rubFb-kgPricing in the Real World: Babies, Bots, and Billinghttps://youtu.be/T1cjFSZR0k0—TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 Preview and Intro00:01:52 Sponsors — Pulley | Metronome00:04:12 Action Figure Swag and Year-in-Review Setup00:05:47 Going Full-Time and the First-Year Reality Check00:07:24 Writing Schedules, Creative Work, and Time Optimization00:09:16 Writing Speed, Craft, and the Myth That Time Equals Quality00:10:51 Perfectionism vs. Throughput in Newsletter Writing00:13:03 Creator Burnout, Motivation, and Engagement Anxiety00:14:08 Playing the Long Game vs. Obsessing Over Metrics00:15:42 Best Work of the Year and High-Leverage Content Bets00:17:55 Big Research Reports as Career-Defining Projects00:19:19 When Memes Outperform Deep Work00:19:52 LinkedIn Algorithms vs. Content Quality00:20:51 Writing for the Feed vs. Writing to Think00:22:03 Optimizing LinkedIn Profiles for Credibility00:23:47 Subscriber Growth, Audience Quality, and Churn Reality00:27:20 Reports and Research as Growth Engines00:28:37 Tactical “How-To” Content That Actually Converts00:30:21 Tactical Value Beats Sounding Smart00:30:40 Building a Team and Scaling Beyond a Solopreneur00:32:05 Simplicity vs. Scale in Early Business Decisions00:35:37 Avoiding Boredom and Shiny Object Syndrome00:37:12 Balancing Writing, Consulting, and Energy00:37:54 Making the Leap Financially as a Creator00:39:01 Subscriptions vs. Advertising as the Real Business Model#MostlyGrowthPodcast #CreatorEconomy #IndependentCreator #NewsletterBusiness #YearInReview This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cjgustafson.substack.com

What sort of work do the Scriptures forbid on the Sabbath? What sort of work is allowed? Attention to the Hebrew words used in connection with the Sabbath and in other contexts sheds some light on these questions. Dr. Baruch Kvasnika is President of Jerusalem Seminary, which equips believers to understand their faith in and through the land of the Bible. His dissertation at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was, "The Language of Practice: Hebraic Walking and Way Metaphors in First Century Greek Related to Conduct." 

Twyla Tharp is a world-renowned dancer, choreographer and expert on the creative process. She explains how to achieve creative success by keeping a highly disciplined routine that ultimately allows you to bring your creative visions to life. She explains how to establish a central message for each project, how to think about your audience, navigate criticism and continually elevate your standards with daily actions. We discuss how one's view of hard work, competition and even your name can shape what you think you're capable of and ultimately achieve. This episode offers direct, practical advice from a world-class creator on how to access your inner vision, build a strong body and mind, and do your best work. Show notes: https://go.hubermanlab.com/Yx57rWq Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Our Place: https://fromourplace.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Mateina: https://drinkmateina.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Twyla Tharp (00:03:28) Focus & Creative Work, Tool: "Spine" of Creative Work (00:06:22) Creator & Audience Dynamic; Intention, Finances (00:11:57) Early vs Late Works, Learning & Selectivity throughout Career (00:15:59) Sponsors: Our Place & Eight Sleep (00:19:09) "Cubby-Holing", Career Change & Reputation (00:21:48) Creator Community & Selectivity; Success & Useful Failure (00:27:42) Work Process, Schedule; Selecting Dancers, Supporting the Arts, Expectations (00:32:36) Successful Performance; Beauty, Arts Compensation (00:36:22) Mikhail Baryshnikov, Ballet & Invention; Philip Glass, Minimalism (00:43:18) Knowledge vs Instinct, Taste; Avant Garde; Classical Training (00:47:05) Kirov Ballet, Kids, Uniformity; Body Types (00:52:13) Sponsor: AG1 (00:53:36) Movement, Body Frequency, Power (01:00:18) Creative Process, Spine; Idea, Habit (01:04:15) Rituals, Gym, Discipline; Farming, Quaker & Community; Communication (01:12:16) Communication, Signaling & Distance; Feeling Emotion (01:18:11) Boxing, Strength Training (01:21:41) Sponsors: LMNT (01:23:01) Ballet Barre Work, Fundamentals (01:29:09) Body's Knowledge, Honoring the Body, Kids & Movement (01:35:42) High Standards & Childhood; Wordlessness & Movement, Twins (01:41:31) Translator, Objectivity; Critics, Creator Honesty (01:46:50) Sponsor: Mateina (01:47:50) Evolution & Learning; Amadeus Film & Research (01:53:53) Medicine, Keto Diet; Ballet Training & Performance, Desire (02:00:50) Young Dancers & Competition, Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Reward, Hard Work (02:08:47) Tool: "The Box"; Ritual, Practice vs Habit; Honorary Degrees (02:13:37) Tool: Idea "Scratching"; Movement & Longevity, Apprentice (02:19:46) Aging & Less Movement, Fearlessness; Taking Up Space, Names (02:25:42) Acknowledgements (02:27:18) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

⛰️ Try Heights Platform, the all-in-one tool for building your online course and community. Start your 30-day free trial → https://www.heightsplatform.com  How do you price your creative work so it's actually profitable?    Rebecca Hay is an award-winning interior designer, mentor, and host of the Resilient by Design podcast. She went from feeling “not good enough” and undercharging for her work, to building a seven-figure design firm that thrives on confidence, clarity, and community.In this episode, Rebecca shares how she restructured her pricing, doubled her fees, and built a business that supports both her creativity and her life. You'll learn how to navigate money conversations with clients, set boundaries that protect your time, and turn collaboration into your biggest advantage.Watch to discover:► How to confidently price your creative services for profit► The systems that protect your creativity and scale your business► How to attract premium clients in your service businessLearn how award-winning interior designer Rebecca Hay built a seven-figure business by mastering pricing, profit, and process, and discover practical strategies to price your creative work for profit. Learn more about Rebecca: https://rebeccahay.com/ ____________________________________________  This show uncovers their journey, tips and tricks to success, failures and pitfalls — so you can learn from their examples and start your own online business following your passion.  Listen to the stories of successful artists, musicians, online coaches, designers, course creators, digital experts, fitness gurus and much more. How did these creators manage to conquer their niche?  Learn more at: http://www.thecreatorsadventure.com____________________________________________  More audio episodes available! In addition to episodes being posted here on our channel, you can also watch and listen here: ► Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3waPlz3PgvFjvnqqWFMlK3 ► Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-creators-adventure-course-creation/id1608100988

Douglass Vigliotti, author and creative, explores the tension between doubt and conviction that defines the creative process. Drawing from his parents, his father relentless drive and his mother empathy, Douglass reflects on what it means to pursue creative work when society constantly asks if you want more. This conversation examines the uncomfortable questions creatives must answer about their work, their purpose, and whether they are willing to embrace discomfort in service of something meaningful. From wrestling with exposure to navigating the intersection of art and survival, Douglass offers a candid look at the emotional labor of creating work that matters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's conversation starts with a late-night rabbit hole on legendary chef Marco Pierre White and turns into a deeper reflection on obsession, mastery, and meaning. We explore the fine line between excellence and excess—how far to push detail before it stops serving the guest—and what that tension looks like in coffee. It's an episode about passion meeting perspective. From Michelin-level precision to café hospitality, we ask what really defines quality: flawless technique or the feeling it creates for people. In the end, craft only matters if it connects.

As we wrap up our season on Taming our Technologies: [Spiritual] Practices for a Digital Age, Ruth and Jay delve into the topic of technology's impact on deep and creative work. They discuss the transformative impact of technology on creativity, productivity, and the ability to perform deep, meaningful work. Jay highlights the distinction between human creativity and artificial intelligence, and Ruth shares personal insights from her writing process, stressing the sacred and divine nature of creative endeavors. Thank you for journeying with us this season as we explored the realities of technology and its impact on various aspects of our lives.   Questions to ponder this week:  Ask regularly this week, “God, what have you given me to give to others?”  How in touch am I with the deep work to which God has called me? Am I clear on what the work is for which I've been created and God has prepared for me?  We're back for Season 27, titled “Taming our Technologies: [Spiritual] Practices for a Digital Age.” This season we have a special co-host, pastor, author, and podcast host Jay Y. Kim! Jay will be joining Ruth all season long to explore the impact technology is having on our lives with God, our attention span, our parenting, our community, and our creativity. Jay and Ruth will wrestle with their own questions and wonderings about finding balance in using technology in good and helpful ways while also acknowledging its challenges. This season aims to be gracefully thought-provoking, practically helpful, and ultimately hopeful and encouraging.   Jay Kim serves as lead pastor at West Gate Church in the Silicon Valley of California. He's the author of several books including Analog Christian, Analog Church, and Listen, Listen, Speak. Jay also hosts the Digital Examen podcast and much of his work focuses on the intersection of the digital age and spiritual formation.  Mentioned in the episode: Analog Church by Jay Y. Kim  Analog Christian by Jay Y. Kim Deep Work  by Cal Newport   Music Credit: Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist Chasing Butterflies from Music in Solitude   We're launching our first video series! On October 13 Ways of Praying will be available for purchase! Through reflection, guided silence, and heartfelt teaching, Ruth Haley Barton encourages leaders to move beyond “the honeymoon phase” into deeper levels of intimacy with God. Each video guides you through a different kind of prayer practice, so you can discover the rhythms that resonate with your life and leadership. You can find out more and purchase Ways of Praying HERE. Use the code BUNDLE to save $20 off the cost of the Ways of Praying video bundle. Support the podcast! This season patrons will receive special bonus episodes that incorporate a spiritual practice to help balance out the technological woes discussed in each episode. Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page!     The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders.  Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self! Learn more and apply HERE.   *this post contains affiliate links