Unthinkable with Jay Acunzo

In a new story, we try to understand what the heck a "rep" is in creative work, so we can reach our next rep faster, better, and more consistently. 

We hear the story of visual artist Matthew Zaremba …

In this episode, I experiment with something I'm calling "One-Shots."

In this particular One-Shot, "making bad" -- what creative people we admire seem to have in common. 

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Every creative person is trying to make what matters. The projects and jobs they pursue, the bosses or clients they like or dislike, and the works they admire -- it all comes back to that one idea. N…

Your knowledge is finite. Your curiosity is infinite. So why, oh why, do we usually rely more  on our existing knowledge than our boundless curiosity? We live in a society that seems to value the abi…

In this episode, the story of Lisa Schneider, (former) Chief Digital Officer at Merriam-Webster, and their award-winning, President-trolling, brilliant and witty Twitter account, social media presenc…

Standup comedian and comedy writer Sarah Cooper's rise to mainstream fame feels inevitable. Looking at her 2020, she was one of the biggest stories in entertainment and the creator economy more broad…

Tim Urban writes a blog about ... well ... lots of stuff. Understanding ourselves and our relationship to each other and the world, maybe? From making friends to exploring space, cultural and societa…

How does your intent for your work change your results? If your goal is to build something big, does that increase the odds of succeeding? Why, then, do so many stories about huge successes start out…

Jack Conte, CEO of Patreon, has some firm beliefs about making stuff on the internet -- namely, that the economics simply don't reward great, quality, resonant, service-minded creators. Thus, the sen…

Gibi can't use her real name publicly, at least not anymore. Yet her work on YouTube is her calling, it's her everything. Despite the harassment and public criticism for what might ultimately be some…

This is the story of a company which, by today's typical business standards and best practices, shouldn't exist. They're the perfect example of why there is no ONE right way in this work we do. We vi…

We all wish we had the wide open creative field -- total creative freedom. It turns out, however, that creative freedom doesn't work. It may not even exist. Today, two stories about constraints, crea…

Joanna Wiebe never meant to quit her job and start her business, Copyhackers. In fact, she quit Intuit by accident. Blame the boss, or the wine, or the way Outlook was configured. But don't blame fat…

Today, a classic episode from the Unthinkable archives about Erik Devaney, a writer and content marketer, who goes deep inside the emotions and the amusing tale of carving the white whale.

Find Erik's…

A bonus, behind-the-scenes episode originally aired on the popular podcast, The Learning Leader Show.

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Ryan's book, Welcome to Management, is now available on Amazon. You can find his podcast, The L…

Today, a classic episode from the Unthinkable archives about InVision, a software company that made a feature film seem less risky than writing more How-To blog posts. 

If you enjoy these stories, the…

"I Made It" is the podcast I'm creating together with Podia, which sells tools for creators who run their own businesses, helping them sell things like courses, digital downloads, and membership/paid…

Announcing the launch of a brand new podcast I'm hosting and writing, "I Made It," the official show of Podia. You can subscribe wherever you listen, but also join our exclusive community at podia.co…

Today, a reinvented type of episode sharing 5 quick concepts that can help transform your work (or, yanno ... do a little good here and there at least?)

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HELPFUL LINKS:

Book Jay to speak: jayacu…

When you share an idea and others simply don't get it, what's happening? And how can we be more persuasive in presenting our creative ideas so we can do our best work? 

Link to subscribe: marketingsho…