A Phil Svitek Podcast - A Series From Your 360 Creative Coach

Welcome to my vlog where on this episode I talk about the need to celebrate creative victories. Mine was Idyll, my film, being in its 1st film festival and receiving good feedback from audiences. While it's no long screening for the time being, it will again in the future—to stay up to date visit http://philsvitek.com/idyll . Then I discuss how I consulted with USC professor Sam Roberts on technol...

In an episode of the Tim Ferriss Show, there was a discussion about how to truly unplug during a vacation ( https://tim.blog/2020/07/23/brad-feld/ ). This discussion was moving for me because so many of us need vacations and to truly get away from work but we don't technically. And that's because of emails. I don't mean that we're always checking emails while we're away. What I mean is they are al...

It's super important to seek out differing thoughts and opinions within you life. Why? Because without them, you'll be unaware of your blindspots. And ironically, the more you think you know, the more blindspots you end up having. Investor Ray Dalio is successful with his Bridgewater Associates BECAUSE he employs such a technique with any investments they make. Conversely, NASA could have benefite...

Our brains, whether we want it or not, are limited in the amount of decisions we can make in a day. If we make too many choices, we end up with decision fatigue. This is an issue because you want to maximize your brain power on the things that matter in your life. So how do you combat this? You eliminate 1,000 tiny decisions with one major decision. I highlight how and provide you with examples. M...

Our phones are one of the biggest distractions we have in life. As a creative, anything that distracts you is not productive. Hence I have turned off as many notifications as I can get away with so I can focus better on the task(s) at hand. Join me for this lesson as I deep dive this notion, the science behind it and afterwards share any thoughts or questions in the comment section. Hit me up on s...

During an episode of Yoga Girl: Conversation from the Heart, host Rachel Brathen talked about how society puts this value and pressure for us to remain busy constantly ( https://www.yogagirl.com/podcast/conversations-from-the-heart/wherever-you-go-there-you-are ). This really resonated with me because it does feel true. You hear phrases like "everyone has value" or "everyone is lovable inherently"...

In this edition of my vlog, I talk about how my film Idyll is complete and available to watch until August 2nd as part of Lift-Off's First Time Filmmakers Festival. For more info, head to http://philsvitek.com/idyll . I also talk about how Parkinson's Law has been affecting me and what I'm doing to combat it. And, in order to help setup the rules of a sci-fi script I'm writing, I discuss how I'm b...

Blake V (@BlakeVMedia) is a friend from my AfterBuzz TV days where she used to host. Today, among other things, she is a RYT 200 yoga instructor. She joins me to chat about the importance of a peaceful mind in order to achieve your highest creative self. We deep dive into many topics, including how to deal with uncertainty, how habits impact us, the benefits of yoga physically and mentally AND why...

Whenever I need digital assets for a project (whether a WordPress website theme, motion graphics, photos, 3D files, coding, video, etc.) I go to the Envato Market ( http://themeforest.net ). They have literally thousands of templates for you to browse through and download. Sure, it costs money but we're talking on average $35. That's amazing. Plus the designers provide you with instructions on how...

Cody Schram was the Emerson College Men's Soccer captain when I was a freshman. And even though there was an age difference, we clicked on and off the field. So much so that I boldly asked him to compose a short film of mine years later ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B02F8OYfm5I ). He did an incredible job BUT the fact of the matter was, he'd never composed a score before. His background was in...

Dan Millman, author of The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, has a wonderful quote that goes: "Everyone tells you what's good for you. They don't want you to find your own answers. They want you to believe theirs." I think about that in the context of today's world where we're bombarded from all angles what to think. I explore my thoughts on how to counteract this in a healthy way where you don't shut...

Edgar Cortes is a sound designer / sound mixer who I found through Upwork ( https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~0132930b8decf2d504 ) and we connected right away. It was him who took my first feature film Idyll ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12042774/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3 ) and got it over the finish line with the sound. He smoothed out the production sound, cleaned up ADR, added in much needed sound ef...

Mr. Rogers famously advised us to look for helpers in times of trouble. This is advice I've heeded now especially with so many things going on in the world. And it's advice you can use even in your regular, day to day creative life. But, when I started "looking for the helpers" I asked myself, "am I negating the bad things happening?" Good news is, I've learned that you can in fact be both a REALI...

From my experience being the interviewee for jobs, I'M SHOCKED at how little effort many hiring managers put into this job. And they wonder why they don't find the right candidates and end up firing people. It's as if they feel that if they fill the position quickly, that's better. FALSE. I learned from How Google Works, a book by Eric Schmidt, that hiring is ultra important. So I have adopted tha...

In this edition of my vlog, I talk about how I used last week to recharge. I highlight the importance of focusing my efforts and how the Thrive app really helped me accomplish this. In terms of being creative, I point to the idea that we sometimes just need to move the ball forward, however small an increment. I worked on my how-to book for filmmaking, based on my experience making my first featur...

Many times in the past I would schedule creative sessions for one long weekend so I'd be unbothered by other things. Or I'd consider other ideal conditions to be creative, thinking this was solve mental blocks. I have come to learn that this is the domain of the amateur. There are no ideal circumstances for being creative. It really comes down to routine and habit. Putting in consistent work, even...

On this edition of my vlog I update you on my film's sound mix/design ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12042774/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3 ) and the feedback I received from test audiences. I talk about how I'm using my walks with my dogs as a means to be creatively productive and the breakthrough I had with my script. Then I transition into the idea that there is no timeline for creativity—it's all self impo...

Raymond Chandler, author of novels such as The Big Sleep, had a unique writing method. He used to write on index cards. Why? So that his writing was dynamic. If nothing happened on the index card he finished writing on, he scrapped it. Each index card had to have something significant happen. That gave his novels energy and kept readers hooked. I love this technique. It totally aligns with the not...

Screenwriting software such as Final Draft or Celtx can be costly, especially for up-and-coming filmmakers. Plus, from my experience, they're not as collaborative as I'd like them to be. As such, I dug and found a way to turn Google Docs into a screenwriting software! For FREE! Here is the link: https://gsuite.google.com/marketplace/app/screenplay_formatter/351965757287 . You just download the ext...

I am a HUGE fan of audio dramas (my favorite ones include Wolverine, MARVELS, Deadly Manner & Hadron Gospel Hour). And in the current context of the world, I've been thinking more and more about them, namely because I think they offer a viable creative outlet to indie filmmakers. Indie filmmaking was always an uphill battle. But with Coronavirus, filmmaking in the foreseeable future will be ev...

In this edition of my vlog I discuss how I'm bridging my social justice efforts with creativity. I talk about the various movies and books I'm checking out to educate myself as well as my involvement in Vote Save America's Adopt a State effort. Also, I talk about how there is no ideal day for creativity and how I've been restarting my creative efforts. Specifically, I talk about the sound design p...

Chelsea Galicia is not only a dear friend, but she is a financial coach whose methods have set me up to weather the storm of 2020’s uncertainties. Recently, she came out with a book called S.A.V.E. Yourself: Develop the financial fitness to Spend in Alignment with your Values, not Ego. In the book, she shares her time tested insights and strategies to become financially fit. Today she joins me to...

Are you an indie filmmaker looking to submit your film to multiple film festivals? Perfect - THIS LESSON IS FOR YOU! Back in the day, there used to be Without A Box, but that service is no longer active. Enter http://FilmFreeway.com ! I admittedly discovered this service after submitting my film to the Cannes Film Festival but now that I have, it's amazing and simplified my life. All I have to do...

If you're a novelist but don't have an agent like me, I encourage you to learn about #PitMad. The hashtag is the original Twitter pitch event, where writers Tweet a 280-character pitch for their completed, polished, unpublished manuscripts. Agents and editors make requests by liking/favoriting the tweeted pitch. Every unagented writer is welcome to pitch. All genres/categories are welcomed. #PitMa...

Ryan Holiday introduced me to the term "dream hoarding" during Eric Weinstein's podcast ( https://podcastnotes.org/portal-with-eric-weinstein/ryan-holiday/ ). The core of it argues that the upper-middle class has enriched itself and harmed economic mobility. The rich get richer and keep the poor down. Yes, similar to other notions talked about in our times but I like how this notion explores how B...