Daily Creative with Todd Henry

We are at this very moment in a season of transition. Philosophers call this "liminal space", from the Latin word "limen" which means "threshold". It's a season in which something is ending, but the next thing has not yet begun. Many creative pros feel like this describes the season we are all experiencing. The pandemic is ending, but the transition back to office has not yet occurred. Demand is creeping upward, but supply can't yet keep pace. The job market is shifting, but hasn't yet settled.

What do you do when you're in this "liminal space"? On this episode, I share four key things that all of us can do right now to remain effective:

1. Care for your rhythms
2. Develop a skill
3. Ignore the noise but mind the patterns
4. Protect your optimism and sense of agency.

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"The Great Resignation". That's what they're calling the re-shuffling that's happening across many industries right now. Over the past few years, I've worked closely with a number of companies and have discovered that there are five key reasons why many creative people are choosing to leave their job right now, even when it's not in their own best interest to do so. On this episode, I share these five reasons, and offer some practical advice both for managers and creative pros about how to deal with them.

1. Overly Controlling Manager
2. No Clear Path of Advancement
3. Organization Is Out Over Its Skis
4. Toxic Culture
5. They Are Not Seen/Known.

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What do you do when you have a ton of important creative work to do, and are feeling stressed about your ability to get it done? My solution is to plan a "cave day", which is basically a block of time dedicated to doing deep work. On this episode, I share a few best practices for planning and executing a "cave day", then we interview Molly Sonteng, co-founder of CaveDay.org, about what she's learned from leading group work sessions.

Why should you intentionally go "into the cave"?

• You have time dedicated to what matters most
• So much of our stress is not knowing when and how the work will get done
• You eliminate the possibility of the tyranny of the urgent
• You psychologically orient yourself toward your biggest priorities
• You perform better when your mind is able to connect dots
• Your creative intuition and your senses are honed when you are doing "deep work"
• You notice nuances that you overlook when you are distracted
• You channel your resources like a river

How to go "into the cave":

• Literally make your space like a cave
• Low lighting
• Immersive sound
• Sensory deprivation
• Have a cave-entering ritual
• Light a candle or play some music
• Re-affirm your objectives

Set a time limit.

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She calls herself a "creator and destroyer of worlds". Lisa Soper is a production designer and animator, whose most recent work is with James Gunn on the new HBO Max series Peacemaker. In this conversation we discuss her career path, why her process always begins with pencil and paper, and how she manages to bring spaces to life while managing the ideas and expectations of other creative pros on the set.

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What does the word "wonder" mean to you? If you want to experience more creative breakthroughs in life and work, cultivating a sense of awe and possibility is an absolute necessity. But where does wonder come from, and how can we experience more of it each day?

Today's guest is Jeffrey Davis. His new book Tracking Wonder is about how to pursue wonder each day.

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In the past decade, I've been a guest on hundreds of radio shows and podcasts, and occasionally I have such a good time I want to invite the host onto The Accidental Creative for a chat about creativity.

Jay Clouse is the host of the Creative Elements podcast where he interviews creative pros about how they do what they do. In this episode, we discuss the nature of creating under pressure and how to carve a unique career path that is gratifying and valuable to others.

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Have you ever noticed the little voice inside your head? What does it say to you, especially when you are doing your work? Sometimes that internal voice can turn against us and stand in the way of effectiveness.

On this episode, Dr. Ethan Kross teaches about the nature of chatter and what we can do about it. His new book is called Chatter.

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Why do some people seem to have a deep well of confidence when entering challenging moments, and others seem to shrink away from opportunity? More importantly, how can you develop the mindset habits that lead to improved clarity and confidence in moments that matter most?

Today's guest is Dr. Nate Zinsser. He is a professor at West Point an the author of the new book The Confident Mind. In this episode, we discuss how confidence affects everything from creativity to collaboration and career choices.

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It’s bound to happen sooner or later. No matter how skilled you are and no matter how well you’ve prepared, you’re inevitably going to find yourself stuck on a tough problem without a clear path forward.

It’s tempting in these circumstances to keep your nose down and continue cranking on the problem. The problem with this method is that you may be digging yourself deeper into an existing rut.

Sometimes it’s valuable to have a set of questions at the ready to help you reframe, shift, or view the problem through a different window. Below is a set of questions that have been used in various situations to jog new creative thoughts about stubborn problems. The questions can be used on your own but are especially valuable in the context of a team.

We have to be willing to immerse ourselves in the process to get to the deeply valuable ideas that reside just on the other side of stasis.

Choose a project you’re stuck on, and ask these questions:

Is an assumption in the way?

What is the worst-case scenario?

Could I do the opposite?

How can I thrill the end user?

What am I afraid of?

Do I understand why?

Where else has something similar been done?

What is expected and why?

Who has something to lose?

Who is the enemy, and how do we foil them?

Who could solve this problem with ease and how?

How would my favorite superhero do it?

How would my favorite movie character do it?

Could I change the medium?

Could I ask the question differently?

How would a third grader approach this problem?

What question do I need to answer first?

Is there a resource I’m lacking?

How would I describe the problem in three words?

Are there subproblems to the main problem?

What’s the world like once the problem’s solved?

Who can I call for help?

Can I create a metaphor for the problem?

How would I start over?

What’s the primary block and why?

Refuse to remain stuck. Ask new questions to spark new insights.

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Do you ever feel like you don't really belong in the room? Like your ideas just aren't as good as everyone else's? Like everyone else seems to have it figured out and you don't?

You're not alone. The number one struggle that many teams I work with have is a lack of creative confidence, whether in presenting ideas or taking risks.

On this episode, I discuss three key causes of a lack of creative confidence and one valuable strategy for overcoming each.