The Unmistakable Creative Podcast

In this episode of the Unmistakable Creative, educator and high school teacher Kevin Brookhouser talks about how he infuses entrepreneurship into the classroom and the power of what he calls 20 times projects:  HIGHLIGHTS The role that technology is playing in education  Applying insights from Google into running a classroom Leveraging autonomous projects as part of your business plan Changing our cultural expectation of what a classroom should look like  How students are leveraging projects to serve their community  The power of building and creating things for an authentic an audience  Understanding what motivates people to be truly innovative  3 key factors that motivate students and lead to innovation and creativity  Reaching the students who have had the “spark” schooled out of them  Designing education for parents who homeschool their kids  The ongoing emphasis on student centered learning  Why every adult should have a 20 percent time project  RESOURCES AND BOOKS Drive A Whole New Mind Kevin  Brookhouser is a Google Apps Certified Trainer and a Google Certified Teacher based in Monterey, California. He has trained a wide variety of groups and individuals to use Google and other tools to save time, increase collaboration, and enjoy technology. You can follow him on twitter @brookhouser

In this episode of the Unmistakable Creative Wesley Chapman shares his personal story of 12 documented suicide attempts, and the tremendous power of accepting the transparent reality of our core identities  HIGHLIGHTS:  Wes’ experience with 12 document suicide attempt Finding your identity after it’s been lost  How our stories and circumstances become our power  Connecting the experiences of your life to expression of your identity Why healing from our pain frees us from it  Seeing past people’s weaknesses in order to see their strengths An honest conversation about what drives people towards suicide  Why worth is so important to our internal well being  The power of creativity and imagination to increase our  self worth  Why every hero’s journey has a moment when we fall  Quotes Until we’re honest with ourselves we can’t be honest with the rest of the world  Resources:  A Human Project Wesley Chapman is the co-founder of  a non-profit called A Human Project, where his mission is to create a community of empowered youth, while preventing teens from self harm and suicide. 

In this episode of the Unmistakable Creative Wesley Chapman shares his personal story of 12 documented suicide attempts, and the tremendous power of accepting the transparent reality of our core identities  HIGHLIGHTS:  Wes’ experience with 12 document suicide attempt Finding your identity after it’s been lost  How our stories and circumstances become our power  Connecting the experiences of your life to expression of your identity Why healing from our pain frees us from it  Seeing past people’s weaknesses in order to see their strengths An honest conversation about what drives people towards suicide  Why worth is so important to our internal well being  The power of creativity and imagination to increase our  self worth  Why every hero’s journey has a moment when we fall  Quotes Until we’re honest with ourselves we can’t be honest with the rest of the world  Resources:  A Human Project Wesley Chapman is the co-founder of  a non-profit called A Human Project, where his mission is to create a community of empowered youth, while preventing teens from self harm and suicide. 

In this episode author Robert Kurson shares his journey from being an F-student in high school, to a desperately unhappy Harvard educated Lawyer and eventual New York Times Bestselling Author HIGHLIGHTS:   A formative relationship that played a fundamental role in Robert’s career  Why a strong work ethic is important for a creative career  The struggles of a challenging academic career   Finding a level of belief that keeps you going  From F’s in High School to Harvard School  The power of being desperately unhappy  Making a drastic identity shift that allows us to produce incredible results   Finding meaning in the activities in which we lose track of time  How small opportunities can change into big change in our lives Why we must take risk and experience temporary pain for our greatest achievements Why unhappiness increases our capacity for taking risk  Mastering craft the storytelling   Developing a sense for how a good story sounds  The power of speaking from the heart  Quotes Really great storytellers are people who notice the most  A well told story is a universal thing  Robert Kurson is an American author, best known for his 2004 bestselling book, Shadow Divers, the true story of two Americans who discover a World War II German U-boat sunk 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey. His new book Pirate Hunters  is a gripping, true story today, of the hunt for lost gold, bitter rivalries on the high seas, a long-ago legendary pirate captain, and two adventurous American men determined to win treasure – and find something even deeper – along the way. Kurson began his career as an attorney, graduating from Harvard Law School, and practicing real estate law. Kurson’s professional writing career began at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he started as a sports agate clerk and soon gained a full-time features writing job. In 2000, Esquire published “My Favorite Teacher,” his first magazine story, which became a finalist for a National Magazine Award. He moved from the Sun-Times to Chicago magazine, then to Esquire, where he won a National Magazine Award and was a contributing editor for years. His stories have appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, and other publications

In this episode author Robert Kurson shares his journey from being an F-student in high school, to a desperately unhappy Harvard educated Lawyer and eventual New York Times Bestselling Author HIGHLIGHTS:   A formative relationship that played a fundamental role in Robert’s career  Why a strong work ethic is important for a creative career  The struggles of a challenging academic career   Finding a level of belief that keeps you going  From F’s in High School to Harvard School  The power of being desperately unhappy  Making a drastic identity shift that allows us to produce incredible results   Finding meaning in the activities in which we lose track of time  How small opportunities can change into big change in our lives Why we must take risk and experience temporary pain for our greatest achievements Why unhappiness increases our capacity for taking risk  Mastering craft the storytelling   Developing a sense for how a good story sounds  The power of speaking from the heart  Quotes Really great storytellers are people who notice the most  A well told story is a universal thing  Robert Kurson is an American author, best known for his 2004 bestselling book, Shadow Divers, the true story of two Americans who discover a World War II German U-boat sunk 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey. His new book Pirate Hunters  is a gripping, true story today, of the hunt for lost gold, bitter rivalries on the high seas, a long-ago legendary pirate captain, and two adventurous American men determined to win treasure – and find something even deeper – along the way. Kurson began his career as an attorney, graduating from Harvard Law School, and practicing real estate law. Kurson’s professional writing career began at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he started as a sports agate clerk and soon gained a full-time features writing job. In 2000, Esquire published “My Favorite Teacher,” his first magazine story, which became a finalist for a National Magazine Award. He moved from the Sun-Times to Chicago magazine, then to Esquire, where he won a National Magazine Award and was a contributing editor for years. His stories have appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, and other publications

In this episode of the Unmistakable Creative, artist and designer James Victore shares his personal journey, what’s required to succeed in a creative career, and uncovering the defining ethos of our lives.  HIGHLIGHTS:  Staying on the creative path throughout our lives Why the “weirdness” gets taught out of us  The tiny spark that we’re born with that lights a creative fire Why our “useless” jobs actually play a big role in our journey Why real life experience and failure is essential for a successful creative career  Our cultural emphasis on safe and guaranteed paths  The problem with an acceptable level of creativity  The importance of mentors when you’re creative  Why we can’t do our work for the reward  Learning to develop your own artistic style  Paying attention to the things people respond to in our work The power of making work that makes you happy Balancing on the edge of vulnerability and going too far  Why teaching is often  a fantastic way to learn  Why the defining ethos of our lives reveals itself   Treating your work as if you’re giving a gift   Using periods of introspection to find tiny sparks  Quotes If you do the work, the reward will find you  In the particular lies the universal  We are not for everybody, we’re just for the sexy people People want someone out there to tell the truth. People will follow on authentic voice. James Victore runs an independent design studio hell-bent on world domination. He is an author, designer, filmmaker and firestarter. James has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is represented in the permanent collections of museums around the globe. He is the host of Burning Questions.. He also hosts a dinner series  that consists four days and nights chock-full of creation, communion, deep thought, and play. It’s an intense and intimate mastery program for conscious creatives who are ready to see and be seen.

In this episode of the Unmistakable Creative, artist and designer James Victore shares his personal journey, what’s required to succeed in a creative career, and uncovering the defining ethos of our lives.  HIGHLIGHTS:  Staying on the creative path throughout our lives Why the “weirdness” gets taught out of us  The tiny spark that we’re born with that lights a creative fire Why our “useless” jobs actually play a big role in our journey Why real life experience and failure is essential for a successful creative career  Our cultural emphasis on safe and guaranteed paths  The problem with an acceptable level of creativity  The importance of mentors when you’re creative  Why we can’t do our work for the reward  Learning to develop your own artistic style  Paying attention to the things people respond to in our work The power of making work that makes you happy Balancing on the edge of vulnerability and going too far  Why teaching is often  a fantastic way to learn  Why the defining ethos of our lives reveals itself   Treating your work as if you’re giving a gift   Using periods of introspection to find tiny sparks  Quotes If you do the work, the reward will find you  In the particular lies the universal  We are not for everybody, we’re just for the sexy people People want someone out there to tell the truth. People will follow on authentic voice. James Victore runs an independent design studio hell-bent on world domination. He is an author, designer, filmmaker and firestarter. James has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is represented in the permanent collections of museums around the globe. He is the host of Burning Questions.. He also hosts a dinner series  that consists four days and nights chock-full of creation, communion, deep thought, and play. It’s an intense and intimate mastery program for conscious creatives who are ready to see and be seen.

In this episode of the Unmistakable creative, Nancy Schon talks about her career as a sculptor that has spanned multiple decades. Her sculptures have included iconic public works projects such as Make Way for Ducklings in Boston Public Garden,  The Tortoise and the Hare  in Copley Square, and many others.  HIGHLIGHTS What it’s like to be an engineer without a license Why we don’t go through life or grow alone Dealing with the challenges of cultural expectations The importance of persistence and handling rejection Working on projects commissioned by the White House When we don’t have common language, but a common goal Why some of the most important moments of our lives come from negative experiences The kind of persistence needed to create public art  Learning to “use your hand” The commonality between all art forms and the creative process How you know when your work is finished  Learning to make art that is timeless  Nancy Schon is a sculptor who represents themes centered around groups of people- how they interact and relate, and the interplay of feelings as “frozen emotions” which tell a story and evoke a response from the viewer through the gestures of the figures.

In this episode of the Unmistakable creative, Nancy Schon talks about her career as a sculptor that has spanned multiple decades. Her sculptures have included iconic public works projects such as Make Way for Ducklings in Boston Public Garden,  The Tortoise and the Hare  in Copley Square, and many others.  HIGHLIGHTS What it’s like to be an engineer without a license Why we don’t go through life or grow alone Dealing with the challenges of cultural expectations The importance of persistence and handling rejection Working on projects commissioned by the White House When we don’t have common language, but a common goal Why some of the most important moments of our lives come from negative experiences The kind of persistence needed to create public art  Learning to “use your hand” The commonality between all art forms and the creative process How you know when your work is finished  Learning to make art that is timeless  Nancy Schon is a sculptor who represents themes centered around groups of people- how they interact and relate, and the interplay of feelings as “frozen emotions” which tell a story and evoke a response from the viewer through the gestures of the figures.

What started out as Jon Levy’s social experiment to bring together the most influential people in our culture, evolved into Influencer Dinners, the Manhattan dinner party where deals are made. The guests have included masters of industry and finance, media tycoons, tech titans and many others. Listen in as Jon share’s his lessons in human behavior, adventure and influence.   Highlights:  How being unpopular made Jon get interested in the dynamics of human behavior The challenges of growing up with dyslexia  Leveraging our weakness to become disproportionately successful The importance of understanding your capacity for discomfort  Creating a career without following a map Why we’re free to create a future that is built on what inspires us Learning to keep the challenges of past from becoming part of our future  Why the future that we believe we have creates our present experience  The importance of a goal that is big enough to lead to growth  Being deliberate about  the people who influence your life  Inside the design of the the most influential dinner party in Manhattan Leveraging neuroscience to influence people  Jon Levy is a behavior expert, consultant, writer and keynote speaker best known for his work in the fields of Influence and Social Experience. He has worked with countless brands and companies to support their efforts in consumer engagement, customer acquisition, and product development, by applying the latest behavioral research ranging from neuroscience and psychology to economics and biology. 

What started out as Jon Levy’s social experiment to bring together the most influential people in our culture, evolved into Influencer Dinners, the Manhattan dinner party where deals are made. The guests have included masters of industry and finance, media tycoons, tech titans and many others. Listen in as Jon share’s his lessons in human behavior, adventure and influence.   Highlights:  How being unpopular made Jon get interested in the dynamics of human behavior The challenges of growing up with dyslexia  Leveraging our weakness to become disproportionately successful The importance of understanding your capacity for discomfort  Creating a career without following a map Why we’re free to create a future that is built on what inspires us Learning to keep the challenges of past from becoming part of our future  Why the future that we believe we have creates our present experience  The importance of a goal that is big enough to lead to growth  Being deliberate about  the people who influence your life  Inside the design of the the most influential dinner party in Manhattan Leveraging neuroscience to influence people  Jon Levy is a behavior expert, consultant, writer and keynote speaker best known for his work in the fields of Influence and Social Experience. He has worked with countless brands and companies to support their efforts in consumer engagement, customer acquisition, and product development, by applying the latest behavioral research ranging from neuroscience and psychology to economics and biology. 

In this episode of the podcast, Bluefish founder Steve Sims discusses how he creates unique once in a lifetime memories for his clients that have included supersonic military flight jets in Russia, subversive dives in the Atlantic to view the Titanic and weddings at the Vatican.  HIGHLIGHTS  Steve’s incredibly short career in banking Bridging the gap between a blue collar upbringing and white collar life Learning to cultivate confidence despite the circumstances of your life The inquisitive nature that allows us to understand the nature of beauty  How great mistakes and actions have turned Lessons in human behavior from working a night club door  Why Steve worked the door at his own parties for many years Overcoming the hangups and fears that we have in our lives  Planting seeds that define and create cultures  The problem with listening to best practices and “good” advice  Why listening to too many other people can cause us to loose our way  The reason that Steve makes himself intentionally difficult to be found  Creating unforgettable and unmistakable customer experience  Using physical mail to stand out above the noise  Quotes If you were successful and it starts going wrong, it only started going wrong because you stopped doing what you used to do.   My drug of choice is passion. Business is personal. If you can make a connection with someone that works.  Steve Sims is the founder of Bluefish, an exclusive luxury concierge service for the elite. His daily life includes helping clients craft experiences the have included: a live underwater tour of the Titanic, a flight to space, red carpet events and supersonic military jet flights in Russia.

In this episode of the podcast, Bluefish founder Steve Sims discusses how he creates unique once in a lifetime memories for his clients that have included supersonic military flight jets in Russia, subversive dives in the Atlantic to view the Titanic and weddings at the Vatican.  HIGHLIGHTS  Steve’s incredibly short career in banking Bridging the gap between a blue collar upbringing and white collar life Learning to cultivate confidence despite the circumstances of your life The inquisitive nature that allows us to understand the nature of beauty  How great mistakes and actions have turned Lessons in human behavior from working a night club door  Why Steve worked the door at his own parties for many years Overcoming the hangups and fears that we have in our lives  Planting seeds that define and create cultures  The problem with listening to best practices and “good” advice  Why listening to too many other people can cause us to loose our way  The reason that Steve makes himself intentionally difficult to be found  Creating unforgettable and unmistakable customer experience  Using physical mail to stand out above the noise  Quotes If you were successful and it starts going wrong, it only started going wrong because you stopped doing what you used to do.   My drug of choice is passion. Business is personal. If you can make a connection with someone that works.  Steve Sims is the founder of Bluefish, an exclusive luxury concierge service for the elite. His daily life includes helping clients craft experiences the have included: a live underwater tour of the Titanic, a flight to space, red carpet events and supersonic military jet flights in Russia.

In this episode, celebrity photographer and Offcamera Host Sam Jones discusses the art of of storytelling, photojournalism, and how he manages to continually produce authentic conversations that seem to make the cameras disappear. HIGHLIGHTS Creating the ultimate living black and white portrait of a person How skateboarding and music impacted Sam’s childhood and career choice  The push pull between responsibility and having fun we face as creatives  The importance of a gut desire to do creative work   Why all creative careers have boring parts that  How technology is fundamentally altering creative careers for better and worse Influences and inputs that develop our style as artists Lessons in storytelling through the lens of a photographer Using the core of human experience to connect to people  The multiple professions and roles that photographers take on to make their art Learning to strip away the layers that separate the artist from the audience  Seeing your set from the other side by becoming a patron of your art form The “Matt Damon” filter for whether or not you have what it takes to succeed  The craftsmanship that goes into incredible artistic achievement Creating work that gets under people’s skin and stays with them Quotes If you can talk somebody out of this thing they want to do in one conversation, they’re never going to make it.  Offcamera Episodes Interview with Surfer and Watermen Laird Hamilton Interview with screenwriter Judd Apatow Sam Jones is an acclaimed photographer and director whose seminal portraits of President Obama, Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Bob Dylan, Kristin Stewart, Robert Downey Jr, Amy Adams, Jack Nicholson, and many others have appeared on the covers of Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Esquire, GQ, Time, Entertainment Weekly and Men’s Journal. He’s also the host of the Offcamera,  a show created out of his passion for the long form conversational interview, and as a way to share his conversations with a myriad of artists, actors, musicians, directors, skateboarders, photographers, and writers that pique his interest.

In this episode, celebrity photographer and Offcamera Host Sam Jones discusses the art of of storytelling, photojournalism, and how he manages to continually produce authentic conversations that seem to make the cameras disappear. HIGHLIGHTS Creating the ultimate living black and white portrait of a person How skateboarding and music impacted Sam’s childhood and career choice  The push pull between responsibility and having fun we face as creatives  The importance of a gut desire to do creative work   Why all creative careers have boring parts that  How technology is fundamentally altering creative careers for better and worse Influences and inputs that develop our style as artists Lessons in storytelling through the lens of a photographer Using the core of human experience to connect to people  The multiple professions and roles that photographers take on to make their art Learning to strip away the layers that separate the artist from the audience  Seeing your set from the other side by becoming a patron of your art form The “Matt Damon” filter for whether or not you have what it takes to succeed  The craftsmanship that goes into incredible artistic achievement Creating work that gets under people’s skin and stays with them Quotes If you can talk somebody out of this thing they want to do in one conversation, they’re never going to make it.  Offcamera Episodes Interview with Surfer and Watermen Laird Hamilton Interview with screenwriter Judd Apatow Sam Jones is an acclaimed photographer and director whose seminal portraits of President Obama, Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Bob Dylan, Kristin Stewart, Robert Downey Jr, Amy Adams, Jack Nicholson, and many others have appeared on the covers of Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Esquire, GQ, Time, Entertainment Weekly and Men’s Journal. He’s also the host of the Offcamera,  a show created out of his passion for the long form conversational interview, and as a way to share his conversations with a myriad of artists, actors, musicians, directors, skateboarders, photographers, and writers that pique his interest.