The Accidental Creative

One three letter word might be killing your creative output. Worse, it's the reason your team doesn't want to collaborate with you, and it's the thing that's preventing you from doing the best work of your life. On today's episode, I share what this three letter word is and some ways you can spot it before it derails you. Books mentioned: ==== 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.

Your human instincts are fine-tuned for survival, not innovation. This is handy when you're escaping a lion in the wild, but not so great when you need to come up with an amazing new idea for that client project you're working on. On today's episode, Adam Hansen shares a few insights for how to overcome those baked-in instincts with tips from his book Outsmart Your Instincts. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Audible. For a free audiobook with a 30-day free trial, go to audible.com/ac. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Where do great ideas come from? More importantly, how do you put them out into the world where they can actually impact people and change the world? Today's guest, Scott Berkun, has spent many years studying these topics, and he's just released a (great) new book called The Dance Of The Possible. On today's episode, we discuss the nature of creativity, how to get unstuck, and how to embrace the dance that is the creative process. Books Mentioned:

On today's episode, I show you how to run your life from the back of an index card. (Yes, really.) You'll learn how to hone in on your mission for the day, how to bring your best to the people around you, and how to create unique and powerful value for your clients and organization by spending five minutes in preparation each morning. Books mentioned:   ==== 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.

There are two parts of the creative process that live in constant tension with one another: the spark, which is the exciting idea, and the grind, which is the process of bringing that idea into the world. Today's guest, Erik Wahl, is a graffiti artist and teacher, and he's the author of a new book called The Spark and The Grind. We have a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, grit, success vs. failure, expectations, and more. ==== 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 create art for a living, it can sometimes be difficult to talk to others about what you do. That's especially true when others don't have a grid for your core area of passion. In this episode, I have a fun and wide-ranging conversation with Mike Quackenbush, who is the founder of Chikara Wrestling, about how he developed his love for the art of professional wrestling, and how he shares that love and passion for his craft with others. Here is Mike sharing about his art in a recent Ignite talk:   ==== 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 spend their entire life exchanging their time and skills for money, but never gain an ownership stake in the work they do. However, some have discovered how to build a portfolio of assets that appreciates over time and gives them more freedom to pursue the work they love. On today's show, Patrick McGinnis discusses the concept of a 10% Entrepreneur, and how to begin making small side bets that could lead to financial and creative freedom. Books Mentioned:   ==== 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.

There are three common assassins that can easily slip into your life and work and begin to rob you of your motivation, your focus, and your creative drive. You may not even notice them until you're already on the path to burnout. In this episode, I share the three assassins and how to spot them before they take you out of the game. (For more detail on the assassins and how to defeat them, check out my book The Accidental Creative.) Books mentioned in this episode:         ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Hello Fresh. To get $35 off your first week's delivery, visit HelloFresh.com and use the coupon code "AC". Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

You're running from meeting to meeting. You have four new major priorities due this week. On top of that, traffic is getting worse and you haven't had a vacation in what seems like a decade. Today's guest Rohan Gunatillake is here to help you find a bit of peace and presence in the midst of your sometimes chaotic work life. His latest book is called Modern Mindfulness, and it is a toolkit for helping you develop mindfulness in a world where attention is scarce. He'll show you how to: * Be mindful even while checking your email. * Stay present in a long and boring meeting. * Use "tourist mind" to help you spark new insights and creative ideas. * And more... ==== 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.  

Ever tried to get your manager to go along with a great idea, but faced resistance on every front? You're not alone. In fact, today's guest Jennifer Mueller argues that most of us are actually resistant to creative change, regardless of what we say. However, she also says that there are some things we can do about our bias against creativity, and they can also help us be more effective in leading change within our workplace. In this episode, she shares insights from her new book Creative Change. ==== 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.  

How do exceptionally creative people structure their lives differently from others? Are there commonalities in how they think about problems? Do they see their work in a different way? These are some of the questions that we dive into today with researcher and author Scott Barry Kaufman, as we explore insights from his book Wired To Create. ==== 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.

On today’s episode I’m going to share four books I think you should read in 2017. These are not new books, and a few of them are actually many years old. However, they are books that I either recently read, or go back to over and over, and that I’ve not heavily recommended before. The four books are: The Art Of Possibility Tools Of Titans How Will You Measure Your Life? A Curious Mind ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Audible. For a free audiobook with a 30-day free trial, go to audible.com/ac. Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Leading a team of creative people, especially in times of change and uncertainty, means constantly striking a balance between strategy and creativity. In today's episode, Freshbooks Creative Director Jeremy Bailey shares insights about how he helps his team stay connected to client needs, how he helps them share their specialized skills throughout the organization, and how the team stays aligned during times of transition. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Hello Fresh. To get $35 off your first week's delivery, visit HelloFresh.com and use the coupon code "AC". Music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Julien Smith is the co-founder and CEO of Breather, a company that allows anyone to book beautiful, private, professional spaces whenever they need them. However, it's an idea that almost didn't happen. In this interview, Julien shares why he felt the need to launch something, why it's important to be an "operator", and why you need to focus on building something a few people will love rather than something a lot of people will like. Books mentioned: The Flinch Trust Agents The Hard Thing About Hard Things Insights: - You need to become an operator, not just a theorist. - "You have to tow the line between confidence and doubt." You must execute, even when you're not 100% certain. - "You have to know when to be the tree that resists and when to be the tree that bends." - "Build something that a few people will love rather than something a lot of people will like." ==== 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.

It’s the start of a new year, and of course that means that many people are beginning to think about where they’d like their life and work to go over the coming months. It’s easy to use this season to set big goals and make big plans, but I often find that even my best plans are thrown by unexpected opportunities and obstacles. Yes, it’s important to have objectives and a strategy for executing them, but I want to challenge you to consider a roundabout way of getting to them. Instead of simply writing a list of goals, begin with a set of questions that might help you think about the upcoming year in a new way. On today’s podcast, I want to share with you four questions that I ask myself each year that help me gain clarity about where I’d like my next handful of months to go. Download a worksheet (and transcript) for this episode below.  ==== 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.