Facing Yourself [Intuition Series #4]

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

Slingshot: 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 by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

26 min listen

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

Slingshot: 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

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

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

Best Practices [Creativity Series #26]: Join our Unthinkable journey -- each week, a new hypothesis for what it takes to trust your intuition and suceed. Subscribe at [unthinkable.fm](https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Funthinkable.fm "http://unthinkable.fm") or text TRUST to 444999. TODAY: If you want to break from convention and follow your intuition, where does that leave all those best practices out there? It's so easy to follow a list or do what someone else says works. But what if best practices aren't even the best? Go outside the echo chamber with the story of a football coach bucking the trend and finding success -- and hear why his peers STILL think he's crazy, despite mountains of data from Harvard PhDs saying otherwise. Then, hear the story of Mike Brown and Death Wish Coffee -- and hear about the cardinal sin he committed early on that actually wound up HELPING his brand grow. LINKS TO KNOW: Andrew Littlefield: [http://twitter.com/fsuandrew](htt by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

24 min listen

Slingshot: Wooden Nickel Shorts[Creativity Series #5]: 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 are powerful ways to slingshot our careers forward as content marketers, writers, designers, podcasters, videographers, and any kind of creative. In this episode, Dan Milano talks about the comedy group and video project, Wooden Nickel Shorts. LINKS TO KNOW:  Dan's Twitter: [twitter.com/DanMilanoHere](http://twitter.com/DanMilanoHere) Wooden Nickel Shorts: [youtube.com/user/WoodenNickelShorts](https://www.youtube.com/user/WoodenNickelShorts) SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW: Join the newsletter at [unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) Jay's Twitter: [twitter.com/jayacunzo](Twitter.com/jayacunzo) Show Behind-the-Scenes: [Snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo](http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo) SUPPORT FOR THIS EPISODE: [RightSideShirt by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

24 min listen

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

Beauty in the Broken [Creativity Series #10]: Betting your career on your creativity means you'll have your fair share of saving bad ideas (or "polishing turds" as you'll hear in one of our stories). It also requires the ability to look past the obvious and see the potential for something better or higher quality or generally more creative. It requires you to see beauty in the broken. Today, we look at these ideas from multiple angles. First, I wrestle with some leftovers (BONUS: you get a recipe out of this episode!). Then, we go outside the echo chamber to hear the curious case of the Warriors -- starting in a very bad place. Then we hear the story of entrepreneur John Marsh, whose career journey looks a lot more like a detour. LINKS TO KNOW: John Marsh: [www.linkedin.com/in/john-marsh-1576069](http://www.linkedin.com/in/john-marsh-1576069) John Marsh's real estate business: [http://www.liveopelika.com/](http://www.liveopelika.com/) New York Times piec by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

36 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

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

Think Smaller [Creativity Series #24]: Subscribe at [http://unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) to get our weekly hypothesis answering one question, explored through story: What does it take to trust your intuition? TODAY: We assume creativity has to be big. We need to tackle broad, sweeping ideals, produce massive, industry-leading projects, and find deep, life-affirming meaning in our work. But what if to get all that, we need to think smaller? Today, we go outside our echo chamber with James Miller, creator of the project A Small Fiction. Then, we hear the story of Larry Smith and the Six Word Memoir project. LINKS TO KNOW: A Small Fiction on Twitter: [http://twitter.com/asmallfiction](http://twitter.com/asmallfiction) The tweet discussed: [https://twitter.com/ASmallFiction/status/659251935199891456](https://twitter.com/ASmallFiction/status/659251935199891456) Larry Smith on Twitter: [https://twitter.com/larrysmith](https://twitter.com/larrys by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

20 min listen

Slingshot: Beer2B [Creativity Series #25]: Juliana Casale's story is not unlike most of ours, because Juliana Casale is not unlike us -- trying hard to use her creative craft to elevate her career. But unlike many of us, Juliana recognizes something about her side project that has launched her career in B2B marketing forward. In this episode, she shares the story of how it all started in the most unlikely of places. (Slingshots are short stories about a creative side project that led somewhere surprising or unexpected. They run every other week as part of Unthinkable.) Join the journey to figure out what it takes to trust your intutiion: [http://unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) LINKS TO KNOW: Juliana on Twitter: [http://twitter.com/attackofthetext](http://twitter.com/attackofthetext) Jay's Twitter (best way to chat and offer feedback): [http://twitter.com/jayacunzo](http://twitter.com/jayacunzo) Jay's Snapchat (go behind-the-scenes making the sho by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

8 min listen

2% Better [Creativity Series #8]: People driven by their creative craft often spend hours agonizing and obsessing over the details of a project. Why? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? How do we know when to actually ship the work? And what does it take in order to operate with that level of detail in a business world often based on seeking shortcuts and cutting corners? Today, we go outside the echo chamber for the story of Niko at Granny's Pie Factory to find out why creative people operate with this extreme care for the details, then we hear about Macaela, Cory, and the team at Newfangled about how and why a creator can be both obsessively connected to a project AND ready to ship it. LINKS TO KNOW:  Granny's Pie Factory: [grannyspiefactory.com](http://grannyspiefactory.com/) Newfangled: [newfangledstudios.com](newfangledstudios.com) SUBSCRIBE: Join the list at [unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) for all episodes plus other by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

44 min listen

Facing Yourself [Intuition Series #4]: Richard's side project started with that familiar feeling when you just can't wait to see people's reactions. But in this case, it was his own reaction that surprised this serial side hustler. 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) - Insta [http://instagram.com/jacunzo](http://instagram.com/jacunzo) LINKS TO KNOW: Richard's side project: [http://theuserisdrunk.com](http://theuserisdrunk.com) Richard on Twitter: [https://twitter.com/richlitt](https://twitter.com/richlitt) TOPICS DISCUSSED: Creativity Web Development User Experience Design Side Projects Alcoholism HubSpot Hacker News Startups by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

9 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

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

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

Slingshot: I'm No Spider-Man [Creativity Series #17]: SUBSCRIBE at [unthinkable.fm](https://unthinkable.fm "http://unthinkable.fm") to get a quick note every Monday morning containing new episodes, exclusive bonus content, and new experiments to join. TODAY: Tom O'Keefe is one of the most well-known people in all of Boston. But ask people around town if they know Tom O'Keefe, and they'll say no. This is the story of a simple side project that vaulted Tom from behind-the-scenes in his work to front-and-center, including invites to Fenway Park parties, free rooms at Mohegan Sun, and the radio industry wishing they were as influential as Tom. (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: Tom's Twitter: [twitter.com/bostontweet](https://twitter.com/bostontweet "http://twitter.com/bostontweet") Tom's Snapchat: [snapchat. by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

10 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

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

That Gut Feeling [Intuition Series #1]: 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) TODAY'S STORY: The role of your gut instincts in creating exceptional work. With a story about music legend Sting from executive producer Andrew Davis, followed by the tale of Tim Jensen, a former U.S. Marine who doesn't believe people rise to the occasion as much as they do something else -- something he's mastered and we should, too, if we want to be exceptionally creative. SUBSCRIBE at [http://unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) LINKS TO KNOW: Andrew Davis on Twitter: [https://twitter.com/drewdavishere](https://twitter.com/drewdavishere) Tim Jensen on Twitter: [https://twitter.com/target\_tim](https://twitter.com/target_tim) Grunt Style: [https://www.gruntstyle.com/](https:/ by Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

21 min listen

$That Gut Feeling [Intuition Series #1]: FEEDBACK ON THE SHOW? - Email [jay@unthinkable.fm](mailto:jay@unthinkable.fm) - Tweet [http://twitter.com/jayacunzo](http://twitter.com/jayacunzo) - Snap [http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo](http://snapchat.com/add/jayacunzo) TODAY'S STORY: The role of your gut instincts in creating exceptional work. With a story about music legend Sting from executive producer Andrew Davis, followed by the tale of Tim Jensen, a former U.S. Marine who doesn't believe people rise to the occasion as much as they do something else -- something he's mastered and we should, too, if we want to be exceptionally creative. SUBSCRIBE at [http://unthinkable.fm](http://unthinkable.fm) LINKS TO KNOW: Andrew Davis on Twitter: [https://twitter.com/drewdavishere](https://twitter.com/drewdavishere) Tim Jensen on Twitter: [https://twitter.com/target\_tim](https://twitter.com/target_tim) Grunt Style: [https://www.gruntstyle.com/](https:/$

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

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Facing Yourself [Intuition Series #4]

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