The Accidental Creative

Many of the e-mails and questions we get at Accidental Creative revolve around one question. Actually, it’s one question asked from two different perspectives: How can I get them to understand me? The them in the question is either “my manager” or “my creative team” depending on who is asking the question. There is a lot of time spent lobbing shots across the organizational bow, from both sides, but there is often a significant dearth of real communication. So with that in mind, on this episode I we share a simple way to eliminate 90% of this organizational tension. It begins by understanding the main question being asked by the other person in any given interaction. == Today’s episode is brought to you by Weebly. Go to Weebly.com/ac to get 15% off your first purchase. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

If you were going to purchase a house or a car, you would probably step back and consider how you're going to re-organize your finances to ensure that you're preparing yourself properly and will use your money effectively. However, many people are much less intentional about how they spend their day than how they spend their money. Yet, which is more valuable? How you spend your day is how you spend your life. On this episode, you'll learn a very simple 10 minute method for planning your day effectively so that you bring your best creative value to your clients and organization. == Today’s episode is brought to you by Skillshare. To get 2 months of access for just 99 cents, visit Skillshare.com/creative99. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

No matter how well things go in the course of a project, there are always ways in which you can go off the rails. This is especially true when you're leading other team members or a client through a complex web of decisions. Sometimes, there are circumstances beyond your control that force you to go backwards and re-visit some of your earlier work. However, you should always ensure that a project isn't going off the rails because of a lack of diligence on your part. On this episode, we share four practical tips for keeping your creative project on the rails as you make difficult decisions. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

When you think of the word "coach", what image comes to mind? Someone standing on the sideline barking orders at everyone? The master strategist standing in an empty room with a whiteboard full of plans? How about this one: the great listener? On today's show, Michael Bungay Stanier returns to share additional insights from his international smash hit book The Coaching Habit. We talk about misunderstandings people often have about coaching, and how we can coach our peers and even our managers to help them unleash their best work every day. == Today’s episode is brought to you by Skillshare. To get 2 months of access for just 99 cents, visit Skillshare.com/creative. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Over time, this pressure to produce every day can cause us to fossilize around bad habits. We get into a rhythm – the bad kind – that causes us to move mindlessly through our days without much thought for our process. On this episode we share five places where you might be experiencing “fossilization”, and some remedies for dealing with them. == Thanks to RXBAR for supporting The Accidental Creative. Get 25% off your first order at RXbar.com/ac promo code ac. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. Remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Anyone can create when they experience a rapturous, intoxicating influx of inspiration. But for creative pros, (emphasis on the pro part), inspiration is often a luxury. We go to work everyday and have to make meaning out of seemingly unrelated bits of data and extract form from the formless. We forge systems where there was once frustration and chaos. We use words to evoke memories. We design visuals that reveal form, meaning, beauty. But there is a difference between doing the work and loving the work. Because we can’t afford to treat our work as too precious, we’re often in the place where we encounter barriers to full engagement. We hit walls that keep us from doing our best work. There are two walls that creatives hit when engaged in making something meaningful. The first wall, and the most obvious one, occurs before or very early in the process. It’s what causes us to shrink back from engagement and to instead seek something – ANYTHING – that will immediately relieve our need to feel productive. It’s much easier to check e-mail, make a call or re-shuffle the papers on our desk than it is to bare our soul to the blank page, the blinking cursor, or the empty art board. However, the second wall can be the one that really keeps you from producing your best work. On this episode, we share some strategies for surmounting it and pushing through to your best work. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Is passion important? Surely. Is it the most important factor in doing great work? I have my doubts. Some of the most effective contributors throughout time have been marked by two characteristics: they were (a) reluctant, but (b) resolved. They saw the great task before them, but they were determined to surmount obstacles because they recognized an opportunity and felt the urgency of the moment. Do not be dulled, friends. Do not allow the lull of comfort to cause you to abdicate your contribution. Stay sharp. Keep your edges. Nothing – NOTHING – is worth giving up the most precious thing you have to offer. Many of the ideas in this episode are explored in my book Die Empty. == Thanks to WeTransfer.com for sponsoring this episode. WeTransfer is the simplest way to share big files from A to B, for free. No sign-in required. Just upload, send, and get back to making whatever it is you make. Check out WeTransfer.com to send files. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

What separates top performers from everyone else? Is it really just a matter of hustle and multi-tasking, or is there something else going on? Today's guest Morten T. Hansen has spent several years studying top performers and he's discovered that there are seven key differentiators between average and remarkable performers. On this episode, he shares why working more hours can be counter-productive, how to prune priorities to create maximum value, and how to say "no" to your boss. His new book is called Great At Work. To learn more and take a survey that will help you be great at work, visit MortenHansen.com. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

How many times have you heard the old adage "slow and steady wins the race"? This is often used to counter the "perpetual hustle" culture that has emerged in the workplace. The problem? While is essence it’s a solid principle, the way it’s applied is often more harmful than helpful. Slow and steady definitely do not win the race alone. Slow, steady, and deliberate wins the race, when punctuated by occasional sprints. It’s not enough to make daily, measured progress on your work if it’s not deliberate progress. If you’re not moving in a meaningful direction, then failure is a likely outcome. While most professionals know this, it often doesn’t affect how we approach our work. Instead of defining our work effectively, we are instead carried along by the flow of it from day to day. Instead of determining the problems we are trying to solve, we tackle big, conceptual challenges and thus set ourselves up for failure from the start. On today's show we share four principles for making slow, steady, and deliberate progress on your most important work. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Feeling overwhelmed? Yeah, join the club. So many creative pros feel as if they are swimming upstream every day; like they go to bed at night a little farther behind than they were when they woke up that morning. Often, this is a function of a lack of margin in your life and work. On today's show, we share three specific strategies for reclaiming your life, and instilling margin so that you can bring your best work every day. == Today’s episode is brought to you by Skillshare. To get 2 months of access to over 18,000 classes for just 99 cents, visit Skillshare.com/creative. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Have you ever had a goal or an ambition, but you simply couldn't figure out how to get moving on it? Or, have you ever encountered a hurdle that you simply couldn't jump over or go around? Today's guests, Jason and Jodi Womack, help people gain momentum in their life and career, and on this episode they'll share how to deal with the expectation escalation that comes with technology, how to determine the direction of your life and work, and why relationships are critical to effective productivity. == Thanks to WeTransfer.com for sponsoring this episode. WeTransfer is the simplest way to share big files from A to B, for free. No sign-in required. Just upload, send, and get back to making whatever it is you make. Check out WeTransfer.com to send files.

An unbelievable amount of focus, time, and energy is spent in many organizations relitigating decisions that have already been made and should have been final. Not only is this a massive sinkhole for the team's resources, it's a drain on its emotional engagement and a drag on its sense of mission. On this episode, I talk about the dangers of incomplete conversations and how we as leaders, collaborators, and freelancers working with clients can hone our focus by completing conversations. Join me for the Herding Tigers Roundtable in April in Cincinnati, OH. It's a full-day conversation about leadership and creativity with just you, me, and seven other brilliant people. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Are you exactly where you'd like to be in your life and career? Chances are, you probably aren't. There are things you'd like to accomplish and places you'd like to go, but sometimes you feel stuck. On this episode, I share five (very uncommon) questions that you can ask yourself to identify areas where you might be self-limiting your progress, and to help you identify potential ways to move forward. The questions are: 1. What are you protecting? 2. What are you running from? 3. What are you chasing? 4. What are you assuming? 5. What are you hiding? == This episode is sponsored by RXBAR, a whole food protein bar with no B.S. Get 25% off your first order at RXbar.com/ac and use the promo code "AC".

Dave Barnes is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter and recording artist. His songs have been recorded by dozens of artists, and he earned a Grammy nomination for song of the year for God Gave Me You, as recorded by Blake Shelton. John Mayer once wrote this of Barnes' music: "He’s one of those rare talents that comes so complete out of the box that you can’t ask to change a thing, even if you think at first you want to. It just is – and it’s great." On this episode, we discuss the craft of songwriting, the intricacies of collaboration, the temptation of comparison, and how he hones his practice every day. You can listen to Dave's spotify playlist here. ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.

Workloads and expectations are increasing. It’s not a cliché, it’s a fact. It’s the single biggest (confidential) complaint that I hear when spending time with companies. I was speaking at a conference in Florida, and in the short Q&A at the end of my talk a man stood and said “We are doing more with less. We have fewer people than ever, but our project load continues to increase. However, the quality of our work is not allowed to suffer. What should I do?” On this episode, we share some principles for dealing with a crushing workload. What do you do when you're overwhelmed? ==== Today’s episode is sponsored by Freshbooks. To claim your free month trial – with no credit card needed – visit Freshbooks.com/accidental. The intro music for the AC podcast is by Joshua Seurkamp. End remix is by DJ Z-Trip.