The Accidental Creative

One of the greatest sources of tension on creative teams is when unspoken expectations are violated. This can lead to misalignment with your clients, with your peers, and even with your own efforts. On today's episode, we'll look at three kinds of unspoken expectations and three ways to prevent them from taking root and disrupting your work. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Every day we are flooded with information. Some of that information might be helpful in serving our clients or organization, but because there is so much of it we are often unable to step back and look for patterns we can apply. On today's episode, I share some thoughts about the art of selective attention and how to transform information into understanding so that we can create more value for the people we serve. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Skillshare, the place to learn new skills and take your work and life to the next level. For a month of free access to courses, visit Skillshare.com/creative. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. Remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Have you ever considered whether the work you're doing today will still be around in five years? How about ten or twenty years? Many people don't think strategically about how to create work that will resonate deeply for a long time to come. Today's guest Ryan Holiday has just released a book called Perennial Seller that examines work that lasts and how it is created and marketed. In the interview, we discuss not just how to make work that stands the test of time, but how to structure your life so that you have the margin you need to create proactively and not just reactively. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

When you work as a freelancer, or are doing creative work largely on your own, it can be difficult to find a rhythm that allows you to simultaneously bring your best work into the world, and also keep yourself on-track and healthy. On today's show, Carrie Wilkerson shares her thoughts on avoiding the lure of comparison, running your day like a pro, and keeping yourself on course financially and personally. Carrie is the author of The Barefoot Executive. == Thanks to Work In Progress for supporting our show. Follow along on Twitter @slackstories or at slack.com/podcast. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. Remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

My question for you this week is very simple: where is your sacred space? Do you have a place in your life where you go in order to retreat from the world, to think, to write, to create, to read? Do you have a dedicated space where you can simply play with ideas, free from the pressure of the world and without concern for what anyone else might think? It's important to have such a space, and on this week's episode I share how you can make one happen. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Skillshare, the place to learn new skills and take your work and life to the next level. For a month of free access to courses, visit Skillshare.com/creative. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. Remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Difficult people can make work miserable. You can control your own work and collaboration, but when there is someone throwing wrenches into the machinery just for fun, it can seriously derail your work and drive you crazy. On today's episode, Dr. Jody Foster is here to talk about her new book The Schmuck In My Office, and help us deal with a few different types of difficult people. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Many creative pros charge into their week like a bull and collapse over the finish line on Friday. Then, they may take a few days off and the cycle begins again. However, there is little consideration given to their rhythms, and how sustainable their work habits are. On today's episode, I share the importance of building a Weekly Checkpoint into your life so that you're regularly considering not just what you're doing, but also how you're doing it. If you'd like a worksheet to help you apply today's episode, you can download it below. == Thanks to Work In Progress for supporting our show. Follow along on Twitter @slackstories or at slack.com/podcast. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. Remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

It’s not the big things that take out most leaders and creative pros, it’s the little ones. Over time, they forget to do the small things that position them to bring their best effort to the table every day. Everything might look fine to those around them, but the decay has already begun and they are on a path of slow decline. On today's episode, I share three everyday practices that will transform your life if you implement them regularly. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Skillshare, the place to learn new skills and take your work and life to the next level. For a month of free access to courses, visit Skillshare.com/creative. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. Remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

When you think about innovation, what comes to mind? Blue-sky ideas? Complete disruption? Something no one has ever seen before? Yes, those are important. However, today's guest David Robertson believes that in our pursuit of disruption we often overlook a very valuable source of new value: little ideas. On today's show, he shares how companies and teams are leveraging little ideas to delight their customers and win fierce loyalty with insights from his book The Power Of Little Ideas. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

At some point in your career, you've probably had "that boss". You know... the one who's either obnoxiously aggressive and issues orders from on-high like the ruler of a small kingdom, or the one who wants so desperately to be liked that they refuse to speak the uncomfortable truth. Maybe - just maybe - you've even been guilty of being that boss from time to time. Kim Scott is here to help. She's the author of Radical Candor, and on today's show she will show you how to avoid Ruinous Empathy, Obnoxious Aggression, and Manipulative Insincerity and create a culture that thrives. == Thanks to Work In Progress for supporting our show. Follow along on Twitter @slackstories or at slack.com/podcast. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. Remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Have you ever been in a meeting, and introduced an idea, then felt the urge to discount or qualify your idea with "well, that's just my opinion", or "just my 2 cents"? Or, do you find the need to apologize anytime you speak up or offer an insight? Please stop. If you're in the room, you have value to contribute and you shouldn't feel the need to apologize for your existence. On today's episode, I share a few ways the "apology reflex" might play out for creative pros, and how to overcome it before it diminishes the confidence of your peers and clients. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Skillshare, the place to learn new skills and take your work and life to the next level. For a month of free access to courses, visit Skillshare.com/creative. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. Remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

There are two fundamental fears that are endemic to the work of creative pros, and they both can prevent you from experiencing the work you're capable of doing. In today's episode, I discuss each of them and how they can cause you to self-limit your creating and your leadership and cause later regret. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Yes, work hard. Of course you need to put your full effort into whatever you’re doing at any given time. However, be careful not to fall into the hustle trap. You might find you’re only sprinting on a treadmill rather than making true progress. On today's episode I share three ways that the hustle trap can rob you of your best work, and what to do about them. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Skillshare, the place to learn new skills and take your work and life to the next level. For a month of free access to courses, visit Skillshare.com/creative. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. Remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Over the course of this summer I'm going to share a few legacy episodes of The Accidental Creative podcast. These are some of my favorite conversastions of the past 12 years. Today's episode features a 2008 sit-down conversation I had with Peter Block. Peter Block is a man who wears many hats. He is an internationally coveted speaker, a consultant to the biggest corporations in the world, and a best-selling author. Lately he’s also been making a name for himself as a citizen by facilitating conversations within communities. In this interview, Peter discusses uncovering and acting on what matters. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Slack. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

About a month ago, a memo from comedian and TV host Steve Harvey made the rounds and earned him a lot of criticism. It was directed at his team, and instructed them not to approach him in public spaces, not to interrupt him when he's in the makeup chair, and not to barge into his dressing room to ask him something. People decried the memo saying it was an indication of Harvey's inflated ego, but I disagree. Yes, he could have handled it differently (and he admitted so himself), but in principle, what he did was healthy. He set clear boundaries to protect his ability to do his job. On today's episode, I discuss three areas where you also need to set healthy boundaries if you want to be effective as a creative pro. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.