FREE THE IDEA

Join Bob and me as we talk about his second book, and first work of fiction: a "defective detective" novel.

For more ways to unleash your creativity, visit the FREE THE IDEA 'stack: https://freetheidea.substack.com/

The very talented and thoughtful Mirko Vogel — musician, producer, father, husband — joins the podcast to talk about why it’s “…vitally important that we reconnect with the thing that makes us human: our creativity.”

Mirko also pitches me on his dream to make magic in a Chevy Astro Van…talk about titillating!

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Don't just listen, read the substack blog: FREE THE IDEA

Cover Stories is an idea that’s been banging around in my head for years. But I was always too afraid to actually make something of it.

Cover Stories tells the saga of childhood bands told by now-adults. These adults then take an active part in covering one of those childhood songs with the help of a producer and professional musicians — bringing new life to an old dream. The series will take people back to the time in their lives when they felt free to be creative in any way they wanted.

In order to FREE THE IDEA, Jeff Möehle and I decided to create a bit of a pilot episode. In this podcast we re-imagine a song we first penned and performed when we were 8 years old: “Sunlight Makes Me Mellow.”

My guest for Episode 9 is Justin “Don’t Call Him Justice” Bilicki. We discuss everything from making creativity mandatory to Barry Sanders and the 1980s Detroit Lions.

Justin says: “Creativity can only exist in the presence of ignorance.” So give up any notion that you know anything and just start making things.

A few more “wisdom chunks” from this episode include:

• “Failure isn’t failure, it’s trying. And trying is fun.”
• “It’s safe to write rules around making something; but when you crate a template, you are checking boxes, you're not doing anything creative anymore.”
• “To be intimidated, to think that you’re not bringing anything to the word is wrong; because you can create something new.”

Todd's creative collaborator from Age 0, Jeff Möehle, joins him once again to discuss myriad topics including: how to write a song, the huge power of collaboration, and how NOT to Whack-a-Mole someone's creativity.

Become a free subscriber to the FREE THE IDEA Substack here:
https://freetheidea.substack.com/p/podcast-ep8-dont-whack-a-mole-someones

Ben Jones is a lot of things, but he is not a poet. Listen in as Todd and Ben (a professional singer and performer) cover all kinds of creative topics: from AI to constructive feedback to sucking to “just starting.”

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Artist and musician Jill Dryer is an enthusiastic creator. She sets a great example of “being kind to her creative self.” Listen in as Jill and Todd discuss her (ongoing) creative journey; the value of collaboration; and how creativity is not a luxury, but a necessity for all of us.

Become a FREE subscriber of the blog here: https://freetheidea.substack.com/

"Refrain, Again and Again" originally written by 8 year old boy band Britain, as reimagined by Jeff Möehle 45 years later.

https://freetheidea.substack.com/

In this podcast we discuss with Ross Gordon how he freed the idea for his latest project, ways to dodge dogmatic thinking, and strategies for pursuing purpose. (And you can say you were there when Ross coined the term “Dopamine for the Soul.”)

https://freetheidea.substack.com/

One way to silence your inner critic (or "forget" you have one at all)

https://freetheidea.substack.com/