Products of the Mind: A Conversation About the Intersection of Business + Creativity

Welcome to Episode 36 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with artist Susie Ghahremani.

"I remember most being afraid about the idea of living with other people…You spend a lot of time alone if you're an artist because that's what's required to make things, you have to spend time alone. So the idea being around other people and so many people 24-hour days in a dorm context was terrifying to me."

On today's show I sit down with Susie Ghahremani, artist and owner of boygirlparty.com. Susie takes us back to her childhood as the introverted artistic kid and narrates her story up to her current life as an artist and small business owner.

We'll hear about some of the struggles that may sound familiar to other artsy types: introversion, social awkwardness, and general struggles of growing up "in one's own head." We'll also learn about what it's like for an artist to be at art school, and how it might be harder than typical schools and programs.

Like many artists, Susie has a passion for music. Since both of us remember going to the store to buy an actual CD, we discuss how access to music has changed with technology, as well as Susie's own musical experience touring on the road, and her love for travel.

We'll also briefly get into the business side of the art world. Susie shares her concerns about the problem of intellectual property as it relates to art, and the struggle that artists go through with this ongoing problem. We won't solve the problem of intellectual theft in this episode, but it is informative to get an artist's insight on the subject.

Also on this episode: "noise" music, the Providence art-scene, travel, gender inequity in the music biz and much more.

Links and notable mentions from today's episode:

• Susie's Etsy
• Susy is @boygirlparty on Twitter
• @boygirlparty on Instagram
• Facebook
• Dame Darcy
• Daniel Clowes
• Giant Robot

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The illustration accompanying these show notes is by Whit Harris.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 35 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with Barry Edelstein, the Artistic Director of San Diego's Old Globe Theater.

"I tell young people who ask me all the time 'what do you recommend?' my answer is two things. Either just go with it and be as open as you can about every door that might open up in front of you, or fashion for yourself the most specific possible vision that you can of what you might want your life to be and make it happen."

Today's episode is a great discussion with author, scholar, and artistic director of The Old Globe Theater, Barry Edelstein. Barry is a Shakespeare expert, educator, and director of some of the Bard's most notable work.

Barry talks about growing up immersed in theater and developing a love for the art and particularly Shakespeare. Originally set on acting, Barry learned he had a special talent for directing and production, and this talent allowed him to focus on doing what he loved without sacrificing his values. Now Barry is able to combine his love for theater with his desire to reconnect Shakespeare with the people.

We'll learn a bit of history on how accessibility to Shakespeare has changed over the years; how and when did Shakespeare's art become less accessible to the working class, and more of a symbol of the social elite? More importantly, what is Barry doing now to give the gift of Shakespeare to everyone, regardless of social or economic class?

Tune in to hear how Barry's drive and zeal for all things Shakespeare is transforming the theater in new and innovative ways. We'll also learn how technology and new interpretations of Shakespeare's work are keeping things fresh after so many years. Don't miss out on this great talk with Barry Edelstein!

Links from today's talk:

• The Old Globe Theater
• Joseph Papp
• Barry's Old Globe Bio
• Globe for All
• Nicholas Hytner wiki
• Michael John LaChiusa wiki
• Barry talks with San Diego Magazine about his Production of Rain

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 34 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with Karina Longworth, historian, author, and host of the You Must Remember This podcast.

"I was looking for a way to do what I felt like I should be doing and what I could be doing, but I couldn't really find the right format. When I started thinking about this podcast and sort of hearing what it would sound like in my head, I was pushed to this point where I felt like I really had to make something and I had to give it a try. "

Today's show features the host of the You Must Remember This podcast: Karina Longworth. Karina's interest in Old Hollywood might be obvious to listeners of her show, but less well-known is the history that preceded the top-ranked podcast.

Karina grew up in L.A., albeit with relatively minimal exposure to Hollywood. She developed a passion for writing and criticism with a focus on classic movies and television. Karina discusses her struggles in finding the right niche in academia and the job market challenges in a changing entertainment/media industry.

We'll learn about Karina's contributions to the blogs Cinematical and Spout, and how working through an industry in transition helped propel her to her current role. Of course she'll also tell us about some of the challenges of beginning her new show and how her vision for the show helped define it before it even began. Plus we talk about how her stories about women and minorities in Classic Hollywood reflect the struggles and challenges of underrepresented groups today.

All this and more today with Karina Longworth.

Karina is @karinalongworth on Twitter.

Links and honorable mentions:

• Karina's page
• LA Weekly
• Margaret Herrick Library
• Mark Rappaport IMDB
• An interesting (and most definitely biased) article on the story of Cinematical and AOL.

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 33 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with Yash Nelapati, the first engineer hired at Pinterest.

"It's just fun conversing with people, learning their story, what inspired them, what brought them here; Stories always inspire me."

Whether a startup or big business, sometimes you just need a little luck to get things going. Yash tells us about his entrance into the tech industry after college, and how just being in the right places at the right times provided him with a noteworthy opportunity with a tiny startup called Pinterest.

Yash recalls some perhaps familiar hurdles for startups such as funding, finding a target market, and getting calls at midnight to fix things. This story is a great example of how a small no-name company can strike it big when the right people are behind the scenes (with a little luck, of course.)

All this and more today with Yash Nelapati.

Links from today's episode:

• Yash's Pinterest Page
• Yash's LinkedIn
• Yash is @yashh on Twitter
• Yash's blog

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 32 of Products of the Mind. On thisepisode, I speak with entrepreneurial business strategist andfull-time dad, Joon Han.

"Social entrepreneurs are going to love this bookbecause it's right up their alley; but, there are five differentbusiness models to use generosity, and social entrepreneurship isjust one of them."

Do you struggle with the 9 to 5? Is "working for the man" notyour thing? Do you feel the entrepreneurial spirit within, butremain unsure as to how to harness that energy?

Today we listen to Joon Han, a process-oriented entrepreneur whostruggled with the same questions before finding hisentrepreneurial niche. We'll learn about Joon's struggles in thenon-profit world, trying to have meaningful employment whileraising a family; and how that experience helped push him towardshis entrepreneurial self.

Joon discusses meaningful work and his secret to figuring outwhat kind of work someone can enjoy and be successful at. As aprocess-oriented person, Joon first devised a process to figure outhis own goals and talents before using that process to develop asimilar process for small businesses (go figure.) If you've everconsidered locking yourself up in a room until you come up with aplan, Joon has some insights on that as well.

Also on this episode: crappy bosses; being a full-time Dad;giving as generosity; leveraging the power of LinkedIn; and doing ayear's worth of work in one day.

Links and honorable mentions:

• Joon's site
• Joon is @joonman onTwitter
• Joon's LinkedIn
• Better SanDiego
• Joon's Podcast YourBiz Rocks
• Joon's Podcast video about Costco

Thanks for Checking Out Products of theMind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the socialmedia buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leavean honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're veryhelpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read everyone.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes oryour favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a newepisode goes live.

Here areinstructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show iniTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The illustration accompanying these show notes is by WhitHarris.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. Thetrack name is "Bury You." Go buy it onSoundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 31 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Randy Smith.

"I think underneath every journalist is this feeling that by shedding light on an entire situation, you make life a little bit better for the community and help the community move forward in a progressive and enlightened way."

The focus of today's talk is the importance of journalism with Professor Randy Smith. Randy's recollection of the history of journalism, and the development and transformation of investigative reporting over time is quite interesting and informative.

Have you heard of the Hyatt Skyway Collapse of 1979? I hadn't. Randy recalls the scene of the tragedy and describes both the event and the journalistic aftermath that led him and his staff to win the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for spot news reporting…a news report that likely prevented countless future tragedies.

Randy also reports on his own childhood and upbringing that led him to journalism. He briefly recalls the turmoil of important social movements such as women's rights, civil rights, and the Vietnam War; and he explains the experience of reporting during important times of transition and protest. He also shares the story of reporting on Jimmy Carter's progressive "New South" movement, and following the Presidential campaign trail of segregationist governor George Wallace.

Randy provides insight about the importance of journalism as it relates to social change, business, and politics; and, the personal side of investigative reporters. Learn about the important role of entrepreneurship in investigating reporting, and hear about how Jeff Bezos is transforming The Washington Post.

Be sure to listen through the end so you can hear about Randy's impressive progress in academia and his role in connecting the university with local and state businesses via the Missouri Business Alert; and his work with Alfred Friendly Press Partners where he helps empower the journalists of the future from "information hungry societies."

This and so much more today with Randy Smith.

You can contact Randy on LinkedIn

Honorable mentions from this Episode:

• Kansas City Star
• Lester Maddox
• Columbia Missourian
• The Missouri Method
• Los Angeles Herald Examiner
• Spotlight

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They're very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The illustration accompanying these show notes is by Whit Harris.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is "Bury You." Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 30 of Products of the Mind. In this episode, I provide a brief intro to the often misunderstood concept in copyright law known as "Fair Use." What are the factors, and how do you know if your use is fair?

If you need a refresher on copyrights in general, check out Products of the Mind Episode 5, “What Is a Copyright?”

This Episode Includes

• A brief review of copyright.
• Copyright law vs. the First Amendment.
• How do you "claim" Fair Use?
• The Four Factors of Fair Use.
• Important Fair Use Cases.
• The future of Fair Use.

In future episodes, I’ll discuss trade secrets and other intellectual property related topics.

If there was anything in this episode that wasn’t perfectly clear, or something you’d like me to expand on, please let me know.

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They’re very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

As always, the music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is “Bury You.” Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 29 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with Amy Burvall: teacher, mother, artist, learning expert, and creative guru.

“Making your thinking visible is one of the most crucial things you can do. If creativity is about dot connecting, you have to have the dots in order to connect them. You have to collect your dots and you have to put them somewhere, and you have to be able to access them…Education has always been about giving kids those dots.”

Do you get completely worthless around 3pm? Don’t worry, you’re not alone!

On today’s episode I chat with Amy Burvall, an artist, educator, and creative mastermind. We travel to the depths of creativity, leaving no creative stone unturned. Amy shares with us how she is transforming the classroom with her creative innovations geared toward actually educating and developing students.

We’ll also discuss technology, new ways to be creative (including seeing everyday things in unique ways), remix culture, Oblique Strategies, “wonderlust,” curriculum development, and how to make things “sticky.”

Do you know how changing words in your vocabulary can unlock creativity? What do you do with the worst part of your day (Amy’s 3pm struggle)? What’s your design space? What’s the difference between remix and mashup? Don’t worry: Amy will answer all these questions for you and much more.

This episode is not just for the “creative” artist…we’re all creative in some way, whether we know how to access that part of ourselves or not. Find out how you can access your inner creative in this important and fascinating talk with Amy Burvall.

Amy’s homepage

Amy is @amyburvall on Twitter

Amy’s History for Music Lovers mashup video

More links and honorable mentions:

• A TedTalk presentation with Amy
• John Kao’s Jamming (Amazon)
• John Cleese’s lecture on creativity
• Oblique Strategies wiki
• Harvard Med School’s: What Does the Spleen Do? Video

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They’re very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is “Bury You.” Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 28 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with lover of facts and all things interesting Gordon Javna from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader.

It’s story time today with “Uncle John” of Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader.

The Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader books have been helping people cure boredom during those (hopefully not too tough) times in the bathroom since 1987. Filled with short stories, facts, and interesting articles, the Bathroom Readers are family appropriate and suitable for nearly all readers.

But where do these facts and stories come from? In fact, where did this idea for a bathroom reader come from? In this episode, Gordon explains the history of the Bathroom Reader (including who the heck is “Uncle John”). An entrepreneur in his own right, Gordon discusses his many ventures before taking over the Bathroom Reader, including careers in music, real estate, and the craft beer business.

We’ll get insights on naming the book, developing the style and concept, and dealing with publishers. With over 15 million books in print, the Bathroom Reader is clearly doing something right; listen in to find out how Uncle John and the Bathroom Reader keep things fresh with new ideas and interesting stories. Also, Gordon shares a few sneak peeks from upcoming editions. Don’t miss out!

Links from today’s chat with “Uncle John:”

• Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Blog
• Follow Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader on Twitter @Bathroom_Reader
• Quacky Duck and his Barnyard Friends (wiki)
• Quacky Duck’s album Media Push (Amazon)
• Operation Yellow Ribbon (includes the story of the town of Gander handling the incoming planes that were stranded mid-air during 9/11)
• Come From Away (a musical inspired by the story of Gander)
• The Value of Blood (Interesting art piece by Phil Hansen)

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They’re very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is “Bury You.” Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram

Welcome to Episode 27 of Products of the Mind. On this episode, I speak with sports writer, activist, and A’s fan Christina Kahrl.

“My entree into the game initially as a fan was pretty much the same kind of experience as my great grandfather’s. I was listening to a lot of ball games on the radio, I was getting my information on how the A’s did the night before through box-scores, and I was not getting to see my team on television very often if at all. I was not getting to consume information in the ways that we take for granted today.”

“I was very fortunate because a lot of people responded very positively. So on that level that was perhaps the truly extraordinary experience I had in coming out as the first trans sports writer.“

“Trans kids who want to play sports are just kids. Trans people who are your teammates are just teammates; and in the same way you shouldn’t get hung up on questions of race or religion, gender and sexuality also really shouldn’t matter. You define people by their qualities, not by the qualities you might ascribe to groups.“

Today we speak with Christina Kahrl, a sports nut and current writer for ESPN’s SweetSpot (among others).

Christina shares with us the history of analytics in baseball, including how they became popular (or perhaps became more depended upon) with the growth of the sport in the 60’s and 70’s; and how the love of stats motivated Christina to help co-found Baseball Prospectus: a baseball and statistician lover’s dream that eventually became a New York Times best seller.

Christina also talks about growing up on a horse farm and having limited access to her beloved A’s; her first game at Old Comiskey Park; buying tickets from a scalper for a buck; and much to this host’s dismay—an insights into my beloved Padres’ future.

This episode isn’t just about baseball and stats. Christina shares her story about coming out as trans in a predominantly male-centric profession. She shares about coming to know her true self, and the struggle of how to best communicate with her family, friends, and coworkers. Ultimately Christina’s positive attitude helped her move forward with her transition, earning the respect of her peers of all genders.

Now an accomplished writer and analyst, Christina makes time to support efforts in the LGBTQ community.

This and more today with Christina Kahrl.

Links and Honorable mentions from this Episode:

• Christina Kahrl Wiki
• Christina is @christinakahrl on Twitter
• GLAD
• TSER
• Baseball Prospectus Wiki
• Sabermetrics
• Bill James
• Earl Weaver
• Terry Pluto
• Moneyball (book, wiki)
• Weaver on Strategy (book, Goodreads)
• Strat-o-matic

Thanks for Checking Out Products of the Mind!

If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page.

Also, please consider taking the few seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. They’re very helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and I read every one.

Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcast app to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Here are instructions on how to subscribe, rate, and review the show in iTunes.

The Credits

Products of the Mind is produced by Mana Monzavi.

The theme music for this episode was provided by Le Chateau. The track name is “Bury You.” Go buy it on Soundcloud!

This episode and these show notes © 2016 David Lizerbram