Dec 05

Making Art for Art’s Sake

I’m a huge believer in making art for art’s sake. Taking photos that no one is going to pay you for. Shooting films that aren’t commissioned or funded. Writing words that the world may never read. I’ve said before that doing and making always trumps talking about it, but there’s also a difference between the doing and making that pays the bills and the doing and making that brings joy, that hones craft, lights creative... read more ›
Oct 25

How to Differentiate Your Work

On today's episode I take two questions. The first is regarding a popular topic many businesses are asking about how to work with influencers - striking the balance between paying them enough to make it worth their while without paying too much that impacts your business negatively. While Cory is knowledgeable about the hair industry, and clearly has an understanding of Netflix and Spotify's business models, it's always worthwhile to re-evaluate your strategies. Is subscription... read more ›
Oct 20

Creative Acts for Curious People with Sarah Stein Greenberg

It’s an obvious truism but something often neglected, but design is everything.  It’s literally in every man-made thing we make, use, or celebrate.  According to today’s guest, the act of design and creativity can benefit everyone, whether they see themselves as creative or not.  Design is a process of free ideation, the overcoming of challenges and the presentation of clever solutions. Sarah Stein Greenberg is Executive Director of the d.school at Stanford (aka the Hasso... read more ›
Oct 04

Design + Creativity Lecture with Renowned Designer Paula Scher

NOTE: If you want to see some of the work/imagery referenced in this podcast, you can follow along with timestamps on the bottom of this blog post. Graphic designers are tasked with creating new and all-encompassing identities for institutions, from signage to promotional materials and even swag. But what happens after the job is done and the institution is responsible for implementing their new identity all on their own? The work of Paula Scher, a... read more ›
Aug 25

Brené Brown: The Quest For True Belonging

Brené now holds the record for the most cjLIVE appearances, this being her third time on the show. She is a vulnerability and empathy expert and has one of the most watched TED Talks of all time on the subject and is the author of four New York Times best selling books, one of which, Daring Greatly, is my playbook for staying creative and true to myself. Her new book, Braving the Wilderness: The Quest... read more ›
Feb 08

You Are Not Your Art

Creative lives and creative careers are each designed. They happen intentionally. The so-called lucky ones, the people who live wildly creative lives or are paid to do what they love, built what they have deliberately and strategically. They created a vision and worked toward achieving it. Every one of them started exactly where you are now—or even farther back. It’s time to put your work boots on and start kicking some ass. Enjoy! MORE FROM... read more ›
Jan 11

12 Secrets for Unlocking Your Most Creative Work

A lot of my breakthrough creative thoughts come to me when least expected. I've talked about "finding creativity" and "creative inspiration" all over the place... on podcasts like this and this (twice for example) or given a keynote on it here at SWSW. That said, I've also learned from an entire life in the trenches as an artist what DOESN'T contribute to them (abusing myself, bad head space, partying too much), but more importantly, what... read more ›
Nov 11

Shantell Martin: Freedom to Express Who We Are

Who Are You? You Are You. Learning to trust yourself is core to any artist on the way to actualizing their true self. For more than a decade Shantell Martin has captured the hearts and minds of audiences around the world. Her intuitive energy, skill, and passion unfolds in real time, as she often works with live audiences who take part in her creative process. A combination of characters, lines, and words, Shantell's art is... read more ›
Oct 26

The Art of Done

Your conscious mind is a critic. If you rely on it too much while you’re working, you’ll struggle to make progress.  In this episode, I share a simple, repeatable process to finishing work you start without self-judgement weighing you down. The idea here isn’t to win the next high praise for your best work, it’s about taking whatever action you can, and repeat. Having your work recognized will come in due time. For now, the... read more ›
May 27

Citizen Cope: Personal Growth and Understanding

Clarence Greenwood, aka Citizen Cope, is a renowned singer, songwriter and producer. He has built an entire career on trusting his gut and following his muse, and if his new album, ‘Heroin & Helicopters,’ is any indication, his instincts are sharper now than ever before. The success of his music has always been a slow burn, rather than a flash in the pan. His single “Let The Drummer Kick” went Platinum without any support from... read more ›