The Craft: Exploring the Creative Process

On this episode of The Craft, Carter and Colby read a chapter from Rick Rubin's new book called The Creative Act: A Way of Being and react to it. Send feedback or topic ideas to heycraftpodcast@gmail.com . · · Cover art was designed by Elizabeth Newell. Learn more about her work at elizabethnewelldesign.com or on Instagram @elizabethisadesigner .

In this episode of The Craft , Carter and Colby discuss how new innovations in artificial intelligence intersect with the creative world. They explore the theoretical underpinnings of the claim that AI can "create art," a topic that elicits Carter's phenomenological objection! Moving toward the practical, they discuss how creatives can leverage the incredible generative power of such t...

The Craft explores the cultivation of creativity across multiple disciplines and interests. If you're a writer, music producer, photographer, filmmaker, marketer, designer, illustrator, composer, or just someone who loves to learn about the creative process, this show is for you. Hosted by Carter Davis Johnson (Writer, PhD student) and Colby (Marketer, Music Producer). New episodes drop every...

In this episode of The Craft , Carter and Colby discuss one of their favorite creative books, Austin Kleon's Steal Like an Artist. They explore the book's central concept: the importance and freedom of creating within an artistic tradition and community (i.e. stealing!). As Picasso said and Kleon notes, "Art is theft." They discuss multiple topics within the book such as exploring...

In this episode of  The Craft , Carter and Colby theorize the distinction between a craft and art. They discuss how we use these terms in conversation, exploring how the connotations (and denotations) might demarcate similar and different activities. They arrive at a tentative definition of the craft: the pursuit of artfulness in work; or, an artistic approach to work. These initial definitions co...

In this episode of  The Craft , Carter and Colby discuss building a second brain. They begin the conversation by describing what  is  a “second brain” and its place within the broader realm of knowledge management. They emphasize the importance of saving and organizing information, making your work searchable in the future. Additionally, they discuss Forte’s P.A.R.A. method of digital organization...

In this episode of The Craft, Carter and Colby discuss the role of practice - specifically creative drills - in the pursuit of excellence. They begin by discussing the potential dangers of overemphasizing immediate action and/or publishing. The conversation complicates when considering build-in-public and behind-the-scenes projects. As the issue clarifies, they specifically address the fear of cre...

In this episode of The Craft , Carter and Colby do an end-of-the-year-review. They discuss the development of their crafts by answering four questions: What went well? What went poorly? What did you learn? What inspired you? They also briefly discuss the future of  The Craft . Here is a beefy list of works they mention (in no particular order): Songmaps Dune Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson De...

In this episode of The Craft , Carter and Colby discuss the artist's "subject," a conversation that was spurred by Steven Pressfield's formulation in The Artist's Journey . They parse the differences and similarities between subjects and topics, theorizing about how such subject "threads" develop over time. As an exercise, both Carter and Colby identify and trace subjec...

In this episode of The Craft , Carter and Colby explore artistic concerns that arise around the issue of style. We are often concerned that we don't have a unique style or that our style is too derivative. However, sometimes these anxieties are more exaggerated in our minds than in reality. We don't create in a vacuum, so we shouldn't expect to create art that is disconnected from a br...

In this episode of  The Craft , Carter and Colby discuss artistic taste. The conversation begins by considering how taste is involved in the revision process. We often have a sense that something “works,” but what is that feeling? Perhaps it’s the dictates of taste. The conversation then considers how the concept of taste differs from mere preference. After this groundwork, they engage  how  creat...

In this episode of  The Craft , Carter and Colby finish a series of book reviews on the work of Cal Newport; Colby reviews  A World Without Email . Previously, they discussed Newport’s  Deep Work (Ep. 13) and  Digital Minimalism (Ep.14). They explore points of friction that arise with digital communication and conceptualize how these issues negatively affect our lives. The conversation also engage...

In this episode of The Craft , Carter and Colby discuss the principle of compound interest. They outline how this mathematical phenomenon - often relegated to the financial realm - can have drastic implications for creative work. Colby begins the conversation by summarizing a number of thinkers who have engaged this theme, emphasizing the principle’s interdisciplinary range. Then, they shift towar...

In this episode of The Craft , Carter and Colby discuss the artist’s journey in relation to the hero’s journey. Their conversation combines Steven Pressfield’s The Artist’s Journey with Joseph Campbell’s theory of the monomyth, which Campbell outlines in his predominant book, The Hero With a Thousand Faces . This juxtaposition considers the comparative mythology of Campbell alongside the potential...

The summer is often a time that provides more margin for creative projects, reading, and inspiring experiences. Colby and Carter reflect on their creative life this summer, share books they read, creative projects completed, and what they hope to get done in their creative lives over the next six months. Links mentioned in this episode: Deep Work by Cal Newport A World Without Email by Cal Newport...

In this episode, Carter asks Colby about what he learned from reading Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport. Send feedback or topic ideas to heycraftpodcast@gmail.com . · · Cover art was designed by Elizabeth Newell. Learn more about her work at elizabethnewelldesign.com or on Instagram @elizabethisadesigner .

In this episode of The Craft , Carter and Colby discuss Cal Newport’s Deep Work . The conversation begins with a summary of the book’s main idea: the pursuit of meaningful, deep work. This practice simultaneously represents a marketable skill as well as a way to accomplish personal and creative goals. After contrasting the characteristics of deep and shallow activities, they distinguish the concep...

In this episode of  The Craft , Carter and Colby discuss how technology, specifically social media, interacts and influences our work. The broad conversation is adjacent to Cal Newport’s book  Digital Minimalism . They begin the podcast by sketching common issues that emerge from technology’s place in our lives. Then, the conversation turns toward imagining and exploring a healthier relationship w...

In this episode , Carter and Colby address two central ideas. First, they try to distinguish a “craft” from other activities. Are hobbies crafts? Can someone have multiple crafts? Can anything potentially qualify? Their proposed definition centers on the traditions, skills, and intentions that make crafts a distinct, human activity. After sketching these theoretical contours, they pivot, engaging...

In this episode of The Craft, Carter and Colby discuss the process of generating new ideas. The conversation begins by exploring the often negative pressure to be artistically “original.” They emphasize the importance of working within an artistic context, “stealing” from and responding to a tradition of work. This leads them to discuss creative synthesis and the journey of developing a distinctiv...

In this episode of The Craft, Carter and Colby explore the topic of creative inspiration. They begin by discussing the nature of inspiration, a definition that involves both being gripped by an idea as well as baseline motivation. Their discussion moves to the problem of the creative wasteland: what can you do when the land is barren? In the face of this common creative issue, they share sources o...

In this episode of The Craft , Carter and Colby discuss artistic patience. They explore the difficulty of working through moments of friction and argue that even small amounts of patience can produce significant, worthwhile results. The conversation engages this concept on multiple scales, considering the role of patience in project-related details as well as the long arch of a career. Additionall...

Is the right tool irreplaceable? Or, does a good craftsman never blame his tools? In this episode of The Craft , Carter and Colby discuss the tension between these perspectives. Their conversation explores the difference between artistic tools and gadgets, emphasizing the importance of intentionality and agency. Additionally, they each provide practical examples from their own repertoire of creati...

Whether or not you’re conscious of your creative process, you have certain ways of working on your craft. These processes come in different shapes and sizes, but beneath the idiosyncrasies, they share common denominators. In this new series, “Creative First-Principles,” Carter and Colby theorize the foundational building blocks that underlie every craft. They suggest a framework [Create, Revise, S...

Whether or not you’re conscious of your creative process, you have certain ways of working on your craft. These processes come in different shapes and sizes, but beneath the idiosyncrasies, they share common denominators. In this new series, “Creative First-Principles,” Carter and Colby theorize the foundational building blocks that underlie every craft. They suggest a framework [Create, Revise, S...