At the end of every interview, I ask my guest about a book or resource that has impacted them. One book that seems to come up a lot is The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It For Life by Twyla Tharp. I just started reading it and my mind is blown with how good it is. It is extremely relevant to what we as creative professionals go through on a daily basis. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, I’m going to share a quote from the book about how important it is to be ready to do your creative work when inspiration strikes.

In this episode of Getting Work To Work, I talk with Aaron Edelheit, the author of The Hard Break: The Case for a 24/6 Lifestyle, about combining the old world concept of the Sabbath with the modern business world, what he learned through researching and writing his book about the need for disconnection so our brains can function, and why working every day is bad for you.

This week I was working on a project that was too complicated for what it needed to be. I kept asking myself, “Why? Why do I need this?” This wasn’t a response to the job, but to the common tendency in creative work to over complicate what is sold to clients. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, I’m going to share six times throughout the life of a project that you can ask that question to tighten up your work and get back to the fundamentals.

Christopher Butler is a great person to know and learn from. He is a thinker, designer, writer, podcaster, and the Chief Design Officer at Newfangled. If his name sounds familiar, he was on the show last year and he has returned to talk about a variety of topics including the power of limitations in finding creative solutions, how we need to embrace forgiveness of ourselves and others, the changing nature of stories in our lives, and how treating life as a series of small experiments can lead to greater satisfaction.

As I’ve been sharing the past few weeks, I have been doing a ton of self-reflection and this episode has been inspired my journey to find balance in who I am and who people say I am. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, I’m going to share some insights gained from an interview I read with Werner Herzog and seven ways you can embrace your authenticity and bring all you are into your work and life.

Chris DeMars is a UI developer, Google Developer Expert, international speaker, community builder, and podcaster. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, Chris and I talk about the early years of web development, how he approaches learning in a fast-moving tech world, how he has built community through speaking and sharing what he knows, and his love for horror.

As an avid fan of HBO, I was recently reading an article about some changes the company will be making due to the recent merger of AT&T and Time Warner. Essentially it came down to devising strategies on how to increase time spent watching HBO. That got me thinking: How can I compete with giant companies who are literally paying millions of dollars to get my viewership? Is my company compelling enough? Are my dreams bold enough to keep me from being swayed to spend more time watching other people’s content? In this episode of Getting Work To Work, I’m going to share a few ways that you can guard your time and attention from outside forces.

Nick Laparra is a consultant, coach, speaker, humanitarian, and host of one of my favorite podcasts, Let’s Give A Damn. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, Nick shares a glimpse into his world and all of the projects he is working on and how he views work through three filters: giving a damn, radical generosity, and living a truly meaningful life.

This week I have been spending some time writing about and sharing a new service offering with a few friends. It’s something I have wanted to do for two years and I never felt ready. I was always waiting for something. More education, more influence, more money, some internal thermometer like in a Thanksgiving turkey that would pop up letting me know I’m ready. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, I’m going to share a few ways that you can identify the things you are waiting for or dreams to chase after and how you can get started today.

Meredith Koch is a film director out of Los Angeles, CA who brings a disposition for non-linear storytelling and sees beauty in all of the details. In this episode of Getting Work To Work, we talk about doing your best work with whatever resources you have, her first learning experience in filmmaking, social media and getting inspired by competition, the power of dreams, and the need for more diversity in front of and behind the camera.