How do you change things? How do you shake things up? How do you make the shift from always doing the exact same things, the exact same way and discover new possibilities? These are the questions that are driving what I'm calling Free-Form Fridays (FFF), an exploration into what is possible with Getting Work To Work. Here are a few things that I did differently this week: 1) No music! 2) No editing! 3) No script! 4) A full show transcript! 5) 100% more llama cartoons!

Earlier this week, I released my interview with Tré Seals and something he said got me thinking: where do I come from? Not just in the heritage of my ancestors, but in the lineage of creative leadership that got me to where I am today. Tré talked about the reality that he has not gotten to where he is today by himself. We are all influenced by people, but we also have opportunities to be influential in someone else's life. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, I'm going to explore what it means to be a leader as we consider who has shaped us in the past and who we are shaping in the future.

What do you do with a childhood dream of being an artist, an obsession with history, and a desire to build a community through inclusion of diverse perspectives? You do what today's guest on Getting Work To Work did and get busy creating work, starting businesses, and building relationships. Tré Seals is a creative entrepreneur, multi-disciplinary designer, and founder of Vocal Type Co. and Seals Studio. From a foundation of curiosity and observation, Tré has built upon a family legacy of entrepreneurship and history to create a space that allows him to add diversity to design as well as do something different.

There is an interesting tension in the business of creativity: the balance between the work you are currently doing and the work you want to be doing. I've found with some creatives they are focused on today and can't see too far beyond tomorrow. Other creatives are blinded by every single possibility, they struggle to create today. But then there's the group of artists and makers that simply spend time every day exploring what could be and sharing the results. Yes, they acknowledge the tension, but over time their work, client list, and business evolve.

What are you currently learning in your creative pursuits? How fast would you say you are learning what you need to learn in order to begin activating that knowledge in your business? In the book New to Big by David Kidder and Christina Wallace, they write about the importance of learning quickly because "the future looks nothing like the past." As I consider what it means to learn quickly, I also think about the direction and depth of what it is that I need to understand. It's not just enough to learn quickly, but learning the right things that makes all the difference.

As a creative entrepreneur, how do you think about ownership? I had an experience this weekend that got me thinking about ownership as an independent media producer, the economies of scale and attention related to digital media streaming, the safety and certainty of sameness, and the tendency to conform to algorithms and formulas. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, I'm going to explore what it means for us, as independent media producers, to rise up and start contributing to our communities through a sense of ownership.

I've been working on a passion project for almost a year now and reality hit me hard yesterday after viewing an hour of footage: utter creative disappointment. While I wasn't expecting to be disappointed, I certainly wasn't prepared for the onslaught of feelings that followed. How do you work through creative disappointment? Can you have growth without disappointment? In this episode of Getting Work To Work, I'm going to share a few ways to push through creative disappointment by grieving, growing, and getting work done.

How would you describe the call of wildness within you? Is it a spectacular roar or a faint whisper? As I consider what I want my life and work to look and feel like in the next decade, I think about the ways I have domesticated my reality over time. What would it look like to allow the spirit of wildness to disrupt who I have become? Is there a place for wildness in my work? What would it mean to give myself "wild permission" to go beyond who I think I should be? What does it mean to be wildly creative? The more I allow the wildness within to shout from the shallow grave of conformity, the more I feel alive to the possibilities of what could be.

What is the direction and destination of your life-long creative journey? That is but one of the questions inspired by today's guest on Getting Work To Work, Gary Rogowski. Gary is a woodworker, writer, and teacher at the Northwest Woodworking Studio in Portland, Oregon. His book Handmade: Creative Focus in the Age of Distraction is the primary focus of the conversation as we dive into his woodworking journey through the discussion of flow, mastery, non-linear connections of creativity, the beauty of Japanese stencils, uncomfortable practice, and putting aside the voice of the inner critic so you can focus on your work.

I was sitting in the crowd marveling at the speakers, their accomplishments, and how they guide people to inspiration and action. Imposter Syndrome was immediate, "What am I doing here? I'm not like them. I'm not a leader like they are." But as I relaxed and started to really think about it, we can all be leaders regardless of where we are on our creative journey. In fact, it's our responsibility to wear the label of creative leader at all times; for ourselves and for others.