Slingshot: Writing Without Bullshit [Creativity Series #27]

$Slingshot: The Danger Booth [Creativity Series #7]: Slingshots are a new mini-series within the Unthinkable show where we go deep into a creative side project that winds up someplace surprising. Tinkering on side projects is a powerful way to slingshot our careers forward as content marketers, writers, designers, podcasters, videographers, and any kind of creative. In this episode, Zac Wolf and Becca Goldring discuss their award-winning open-air photo booth, The Danger Booth. LINKS TO KNOW:  Zac's Twitter: twitter.com/zacxwolf Becca's Twitter: twitter.com/Becca\_Bakes TheDangerBooth.com ZacXWolf.com SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Join the newsletter at unthinkable.fm Jay's Twitter: twitter.com/jayacunzo Show Behind-the-Scenes: Snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: RightSideShirts.org TOPICS DISCUSSED:  Creativity  Photography Side Projects Entrepreneurship Sales Boston$

Slingshot: A Side Project Saved My Startup [Creativity Series #15]: FOR EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT + CREATIVE EXPERIMENTS: Subscribe at [unthinkable.fm](https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Funthinkable.fm "http://unthinkable.fm") to get a quick note from Jay every Monday morning. TODAY: Hear the story of a creative side project that saved a startup. Crew co-founder and CEO Mikael Cho talks about Unsplash.com, a photography side project that now boasts billions of photo views each month and salvaged a startup heading for bankruptcy. The project is so widely used today that a photo on the site gets viewed more times than a photo on the cover of TIME Magazine ... but it all started with a ridiculously small amount of time and an even smaller budget. LINKS TO KNOW: [unsplash.com](https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Funsplash.com "http://unsplash.com") Mikael's company: [crew.co](https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcrew.co "http://crew.co") Mikael's Twitter: [twitte by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

8 min listen

The Bias to Act [Creativity Series #14]: FOR EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT: Subscribe at [unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm "http://unthinkable.fm") to get a quick note from Jay every Monday morning. TODAY: Too often, creative people idolize the IDEA of being creative. But our jobs aren't to "be creative." Our jobs are to CREATE. In other words, we need a bias to act. But that's much easier said than done. Until you hear our stories today... Today, we go outside the echo chamber with executive coach Heather Legge. Although she coaches some of the most powerful women in business, she uses a subtle trick pulled from -- of all things -- golf, in order to build creative momentum for her clients. Then, in our feature story, we hear from a side project master: Alec Brownstein, creative director at Dollar Shave Club. His experiments have shaken the internet, getting passed around the big agency world on Madison Ave, inside Google globally, and all around the world. by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

24 min listen

On the Making of Unthinkable: While we're on hiatus from releasing new episodes, here's a closer look at the thinking and inspiration behind making the show. Be sure to subscribe at [http://unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) for our emails each Monday morning -- we're sharing the entire framework and process behind making the show run while we tinker on new episodes! SUBSCRIBE: [http://unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) BEHIND-THE-SCENES: [http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo](http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo) SAY HI: [http://twitter.com/jayacunzo](http://twitter.com/jayacunzo) TODAY'S EPISODE SYNDICATED FROM: [https://soundcloud.com/louderthanwordsjohnbonini](https://soundcloud.com/louderthanwordsjohnbonini) by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

56 min listen

A Message From Jay: A message from Jay about the future of Unthinkable. Be sure to subscribe at [unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm). by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

9 min listen

Slingshot: The Cooper Review [Creativity Series #9]: Slingshots are a mini-series within the Unthinkable show where we go deep into a creative side project that winds up someplace surprising. Tinkering on side projects is a powerful way to slingshot our careers forward as content marketers, writers, designers, podcasters, videographers, and any kind of creative. In this episode, Sarah Cooper talks about her journey from acting to Google to making the leap pursuing her comedic writing full-time. She parodies business culture, and she's built a nice audience for herself ... but what happens when your creative aspirations differ from what your audience expects from you? LINKS TO KNOW: [TheCooperReview.com](TheCooperReview.com) Sarah's Twitter: [twitter.com/sarahcpr](https://twitter.com/sarahcpr "https://twitter.com/sarahcpr") [10 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings](http://thecooperreview.com/10-tricks-appear-smart-meetings/) SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

18 min listen

Slingshot: Scott Belsky & Behance [Creativity Series #11]: The story of how Scott Belsky created Behance, a global community of creatives focused on making ideas happen. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: [Behance.com](Behance.com) Scott's Twitter: [twitter.com/scottbelsky](twitter.com/scottbelsky) SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Get a note from Jay every Monday morning, plus links to the newest episode of Unthinkable. Subscribe at [unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) GO BEHIND-THE-SCENES Follow Jay on Twitter: [twitter.com/jayacunzo](https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fjayacunzo "http://twitter.com/jayacunzo") or Snapchat: [Snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo](https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2FSnapchat.com%2Fadd%2Fjayacunzo "http://Snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo") TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

7 min listen

Side Projects [Creativity Series #2]: Creative side projects are powerful ways to slingshot our careers forward as content marketers, writers, designers, podcasters, videographers, and any kind of creative. In this episode, we hear the story of Neil Pasricha, creator of 1000AwesomeThings.com, a TED speaker, and author of multiple New York Times bestselling books, including The Book of Awesome. LINKS TO KNOW:  Neil's Twitter: [twitter.com/1000awesome](http://twitter.com/1000awesome) Neil's TED talk: [https://www.ted.com/talks/neil\_pasricha\_the\_3\_a\_s\_of\_awesome?language=en](https://www.ted.com/talks/neil_pasricha_the_3_a_s_of_awesome?language=en) Neil's new book: [http://goo.gl/sKAxzL](http://goo.gl/sKAxzL) Subscribe at [unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) for all episodes plus other goodies and behind-the-scenes content. SUBSCRIBE: Jay's Twitter: [twitter.com/jayacunzo](Twitter.com/jayacunzo) Show Behind-the-Scenes: [Snapchat.com/add by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

40 min listen

$Side Projects [Creativity Series #2]: Creative side projects are powerful ways to slingshot our careers forward as content marketers, writers, designers, podcasters, videographers, and any kind of creative. In this episode, we hear the story of Neil Pasricha, creator of 1000AwesomeThings.com, a TED speaker, and author of multiple New York Times bestselling books, including The Book of Awesome. LINKS TO KNOW:  Neil's Twitter: [twitter.com/1000awesome](http://twitter.com/1000awesome) Neil's TED talk: [https://www.ted.com/talks/neil\_pasricha\_the\_3\_a\_s\_of\_awesome?language=en](https://www.ted.com/talks/neil_pasricha_the_3_a_s_of_awesome?language=en) Neil's new book: [http://goo.gl/sKAxzL](http://goo.gl/sKAxzL) Subscribe at [unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) for all episodes plus other goodies and behind-the-scenes content. SUBSCRIBE: Jay's Twitter: [twitter.com/jayacunzo](Twitter.com/jayacunzo) Show Behind-the-Scenes: [Snapchat.com/add$

Slingshot: Magic Markers [Creativity Series #19]: SUBSCRIBE at unthinkable.fm to get a quick note every Monday morning containing new episodes, exclusive bonus content, and new experiments to join. TODAY: Deb Aoki is like many of us craft-driven creators. She aspires to do great work, but she's held more than a few jobs that treat her like a voiceless, last-in-line asset machine. They decide the strategy and lead the meetings. She inserts copy and creative where they see fit. Ugh. But Deb Aoki is no ordinary member of the team. She has a quiet superpower that gives her a massive voice in the room ... all without needing to say a single word. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: Deb Aoki's site (comics, sketches, etc.) http://mangacomicsmanga.com/ Deb's Twitter: https://twitter.com/debaoki Jay's Twitter: twi by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

8 min listen

Craft-Driven [Creativity Series #4]: When you agonize over the act of creation itself -- for its own sake, not for some ulterior motive or end result -- good things happen. But in the business world, whether in marketing or as an entrepreneur or freelancer, that mentality is surprisingly rare. So what do you call that behavior when someome wants to skip right to the end result, craft be damned? There's a word for it -- a behavior we need to avoid if we want to be truly creative in our careers. In this episode, we hear the story of Alessandro "San" Bellino, owner of Gracenote Coffee, an espresso bar in downtown Boston. He takes us deep into his approach to his craft, where we'll learn what really matters and get inspired for attacking our own work. LINKS TO KNOW:  Gracenote's Twitter: [twitter.com/gracenoteboston](twitter.com/gracenoteboston) The Coffee Trike's Twitter: [twitter.com/TheCoffeeTrike](https://twitter.com/TheCoffeeTrike) SUBSCRIBE: by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

37 min listen

The Thoughtless Thought Leader [Creativity Series #30]: Tyler Littwin took a deep breath, walked up on stage in front of his entire company, and let them have it. And they...loved every minute of it. Today in this short story about a side project, we hear the tale of Orlando Scampington. Join the community for content-obsessed content marketers: http://unthinkable.fm LINKS TO KNOW: Orlando on Twitter: [http://twitter.com/oscampington](http://twitter.com/oscampington) Tyler on Twitter: [http://twitter.com/tblittwin](http://twitter.com/tblittwin) Watch Orlando's conference keynote: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVMHN\_iApIo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVMHN_iApIo) Watch Orlando's company pet policy video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1ZIL8gOmhQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1ZIL8gOmhQ) Feedback on the show? Say hi to jay via email ([jay@unthinkable.fm](mailto:jay@unthinkable.fm)), Twitter ([http://twitter.com/jayacunzo](http://twitte by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

9 min listen

$The Thoughtless Thought Leader [Creativity Series #30]: Tyler Littwin took a deep breath, walked up on stage in front of his entire company, and let them have it. And they...loved every minute of it. Today in this short story about a side project, we hear the tale of Orlando Scampington. Join the community for content-obsessed content marketers: http://unthinkable.fm LINKS TO KNOW: Orlando on Twitter: [http://twitter.com/oscampington](http://twitter.com/oscampington) Tyler on Twitter: [http://twitter.com/tblittwin](http://twitter.com/tblittwin) Watch Orlando's conference keynote: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVMHN\_iApIo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVMHN_iApIo) Watch Orlando's company pet policy video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1ZIL8gOmhQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1ZIL8gOmhQ) Feedback on the show? Say hi to jay via email ([jay@unthinkable.fm](mailto:jay@unthinkable.fm)), Twitter ([http://twitter.com/jayacunzo](http://twitte$

In on the Secret [Creativity Series #20]: Subscribe at [unthinkable.fm](unthinkable.fm) to get a quick note from Jay every Monday morning about trusting your intuition. TODAY: If you're going to reject conventional thinking and instead trust your intuition, you'll find yourself sharing tons of ideas with others. But this can feel scary, like our ideas are secrets we'd prefer to keep inside. And when someone shoots them down, we assume they just don't "get it." But what if the point of sharing our ideas is NOT to get the approval of others? Today, we go outside our echo chamber with Unthinkable contributor Andrew Littlefield to hear the story of an unusual art project in Brooklyn. Then, we talk to internet legend and creator of PostSecret.com, Frank Warren, to hear the story of his epic project. LINKS TO KNOW: Andrew Littlefield: [twitter.com/FSUAndrew](twitter.com/FSUAndrew) Oliver Warden: [twitter.com/robotbigfoot](twitter.com/robotbigfoot) Frank Warren by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

28 min listen

Slingshot: Scott Monty, Oxymoron [Creativity Series #13]: SUBSCRIBE: unthinkable.fm to get a quick note every Monday morning containing new episodes, exclusive bonus content, and new experiments to join. TODAY: Scott Monty is one of the world's most forward-thinking marketing minds. He spends his time helping big brands evolve, whether that was in-house at Ford or today as a consultant. So why is he so obsessed with the past? And what is he doing building a side project that historians and NBA players alike seem to love? (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: Scott's side project: [http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/](http://www.ihearofsherlock.com/) Scott's newsletter and related mini-podcast: [http://fullmontyshow.com/](http://fullmontyshow.com/) Scott's Twitter: [http://twitter.com/scottmonty](http:/ by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

6 min listen

Zig When Others Zag [Creativity Series #12] by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

21 min listen

Wizards [Intuition Series #7]: Exploring how magic-makers in marketing stand out from the noise by relying more on their personalities than any best practices or tools. Stories about Jay Baer's barbecue adventures (and why his favorite quote involves a pigeon) and Jessica Best's email geekery. At the end, I share some big news. PROUD TO PARTNER WITH CONTENT MARKETING WORLD This episode was created in partnership with Content Marketing World. Come see me, Jay Baer, Jessica Best, and the world's top content marketers speak, September 5-8 in Cleveland. (If you listen and attend the event, PLEASE alert me you're going. I'd love to meet!) Learn more and register at [http://contentmarketingworld.com](http://contentmarketingworld.com) (use code UNTHINKABLE for $100 off the main event and all-access passes) FIND ME HERE: [jay@unthinkable.fm](mailto:jay@unthinkable.fm) [http://twitter.com/jayacunzo](http://twitter.com/jayacunzo) [http://snapchat.com by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

22 min listen

Constraints [Intuition Series #11]: Remarkable stories of what happens when you embrace constraints, rather than fight for "creative freedom" (and an exploration of what the heck "creative freedom" even means). Stories today from First Round Capital (one of the premier venture capital firms in tech, with investments in Uber, Warby Parker, Blue Apron, Square, and more) and Soviet Visuals, a remarkable side project from a former Russian ballerina and current Facebook employee revealing something special about constraints. What might happen if you embraced or even sought out constraints in your work, instead of fought them? It's Unthinkable. \>\> Get the Unthinkable Monday morning email by subscribing at [unthinkable.fm](https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Funthinkable.fm "http://unthinkable.fm") Contact Jay: [jay@unthinkable.fm](mailto:jay@unthinkable.fm) [twitter.com/jayacunzo](https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fjayacunzo "http://twitter.com/ja by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

27 min listen

$Constraints [Intuition Series #11]: Remarkable stories of what happens when you embrace constraints, rather than fight for "creative freedom" (and an exploration of what the heck "creative freedom" even means). Stories today from First Round Capital (one of the premier venture capital firms in tech, with investments in Uber, Warby Parker, Blue Apron, Square, and more) and Soviet Visuals, a remarkable side project from a former Russian ballerina and current Facebook employee revealing something special about constraints. What might happen if you embraced or even sought out constraints in your work, instead of fought them? It's Unthinkable. \>\> Get the Unthinkable Monday morning email by subscribing at [unthinkable.fm](https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Funthinkable.fm "http://unthinkable.fm") Contact Jay: [jay@unthinkable.fm](mailto:jay@unthinkable.fm) [twitter.com/jayacunzo](https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fjayacunzo "http://twitter.com/ja$

Slingshot: The Odyssey of Writing a Book [Creativity Series #21]: GET THE ENTIRE CONVERSATION from this episode -- subscribe at [http://unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) before October 30, 2016. TODAY: Jonathan Fields has written several books, hosts a top podcast, and speaks all over the world. By most measures, he's "made it." But his latest book, How to Live a Good Life, caused him to question everything he knew about writing. In this episode, he recounts the odyssey of writing the book and shares what he learned studying the most successful authors in business. He also geeks out about the most exciting part of reading great writing -- and the weird reaction we all seem to share when we encounter it. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: Jonathan's new book is available here: [https://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Good-Life-Surpr by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

10 min listen

Comfortable Being Uncomfortable [Creativity Series #16]: FOR EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT + CREATIVE EXPERIMENTS: Subscribe at http://unthinkable.fm to get a quick note from Jay every Monday morning. TODAY: As humans, we're wired to seek out experiences that make us feel comfortable. But in order to hone our intuition and follow it in our creative work, we need to constantly make ourselves slightly UNcomfortable. We need to push outside our comfort zone to grow and create better and better work. Today, we go outside our echo chamber to hear a story from Jim Mourey, professor of marketing at DePaul University in Chicago, about how he made guests at his mom's BBQ uncomfortable to change the amount of food they ate. Then, we hear from Tim Washer, creative director of Cisco and a comedian who trained under Amy Poehler and Stephen Colbert's lead writer, on why you need to constantly follow the fear. LINKS TO KNOW: Jim Mourey's site: [http://www.jimmourey.com by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

26 min listen

Slingshot: 20 Minutes to Do the Impossible [Creativity Series #23]: Harry Stebbings managed to break into venture capital -- one of the most difficult industries to work in -- at the age of just 20. And he did so with a side project that took a strong stance on industry norms: The Twenty-Minute VC. In this episode, he recounts the early days of coming up with his idea, longing to work with millionaires who would hardly give him the time of day, and the moment when everything changed. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) LINKS TO KNOW: Harry's side project: [http://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/](http://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/) Harry on Twitter: [http://twitter.com/harrystebbings](http://twitter.com/harrystebbings) Jay's Twitter (best way to chat and offer feedback): [http://twitter.com/jayacunzo](http://twitter.com/jayacunzo) Jay's Snap by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

7 min listen

Content Creator Confessions [Intuition Series #2]: We've all been where Angela is at in her work right now. Today, we dive deep into this feeling and try to make sense of it. SUBSCRIBE at [http://unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? - Email [jay@unthinkable.fm](mailto:jay@unthinkable.fm) - Tweet [http://twitter.com/jayacunzo](http://twitter.com/jayacunzo) - Snap [http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo](http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo) LINKS TO KNOW: Angela's Twitter: [https://twitter.com/that\_angela](https://twitter.com/that_angela) Angela's project: [http://ourgreatescape.ca/](http://ourgreatescape.ca/) TOPICS DISCUSSED: Content Creation Photography Sheep Dogs Side Projects Creativity Craft Print Media Journalism by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

18 min listen

$Content Creator Confessions [Intuition Series #2]: We've all been where Angela is at in her work right now. Today, we dive deep into this feeling and try to make sense of it. SUBSCRIBE at [http://unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? - Email [jay@unthinkable.fm](mailto:jay@unthinkable.fm) - Tweet [http://twitter.com/jayacunzo](http://twitter.com/jayacunzo) - Snap [http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo](http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo) LINKS TO KNOW: Angela's Twitter: [https://twitter.com/that\_angela](https://twitter.com/that_angela) Angela's project: [http://ourgreatescape.ca/](http://ourgreatescape.ca/) TOPICS DISCUSSED: Content Creation Photography Sheep Dogs Side Projects Creativity Craft Print Media Journalism$

Don't Start with Data [Creativity Series #28]: What does it take to trust your intuition and succeed? Get a new hypothesis every Monday morning via email, packaged as an irresistible story. Text TRUST to 444999 ... or subscribe at [unthinkable.fm](https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Funthinkable.fm "http://unthinkable.fm") TODAY: What if something is based not on historical precedent, but potential? How do you measure that? Can you? Today, we go outside our echo chamber with a Grammy-nominated music teacher who helps us re-think our conventional wisdom about data. Then, we return to the business world and hear the story of Michael Brenner, the former VP of content marketing at software giant SAP. He shares his personal odyssey that unfolded after the company CEO tapped him to transform the business's entire approach to marketing. LINKS TO KNOW: Michael Brenner on Twitter: [twitter.com/BrennerMichael](https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FBrenn by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

19 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Slingshot: Writing Without Bullshit [Creativity Series #27]

Slingshot: Writing Without Bullshit [Creativity Series #27]

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

Related podcast episodes