The Chase Jarvis LIVE Show

Latest Episodes:

Imagination and The Power of Change with Beth Comstock Sep 19, 2018

Show notes

One of the world's most powerful women in business, Beth Comstock, recently left a 27 year career at GE as their Chief Marketing Officer and Vice Chair to go in a completely different direction - to a new life beyond the enterprise-exec world where her new areas of focus include writing, art, exploration and discovery. Rarely do we see or hear of these evolutions - where someone like Beth who is so accomplished in big business reveals very publicly and vulnerably that she's just excited to "do something new" and figure it all out along the way. It's simultaneously brilliant, empowering, and refreshing all at the same time. And that's in part what makes this episode of the podcast so extraordinary. We talk about this journey she's been on and this is among her very first interviews where she share's key insights from her new book Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and The Power of Change.

If you are interested in transformation, leadership, overcoming fear or the intersection of creativity and business you'll love this episode. Beth's mission and our show aim to stand for the same things- imagination, courage, creativity, and the power of change. Beth shares stories and tactics alike around how she's taking a renewed control over her future and next career, and how you can too. Whether you're and artist, or you work as a middle manager, or you're putting an idea into a niche market for the first time - there's something great in here for you.

In this episode,

If you are like so many of us creators out there, you probably have a bit of a perfectionist mentality. You want your ideas and art to be perfect before releasing it to the world. However, if you don't release anything (be it a song, a painting, or a business idea) until it's perfect, you'll very rarely release anything at all. Get your ideas out into the world and let the feedback that you get help shape it into perfection.
Who are you waiting for to give you permission to make decisions, to speak up, and to take action? Write yourself a permission slip to do what needs to be done.
If you want to make something, you have to learn the skills necessary to build it. In order to learn something, you've got to be inspired enough to put in the amount of work required to learn it. If you aren't inspired by anything, start with your own curiosity. Ask questions that you'd like to know the answer to until you find inspiration. Then start learning… which will lead to making.

Enjoy!

Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world's top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times.

NBA All Star Detlef Schrempf on Success, Community, and his cameo in Parks & Recreation Sep 12, 2018

Show notes

Detlef Schrempf is certainly a hometown hero for myself and my 90's Seattle basketball brethren...but he's also a living example of a self-described "awkward" kid who, after stumbling his way into basketball as a teenager, discovered something he loved...and pursued it. Schrempf went on to play at pinnacle of his sport where he was a 2-time Olympian and a 3-time NBA All Star with the Seattle SuperSonics. That said, we learn in this interview that Detlef won't be defined *just* by his career as a professional athlete... but also by his role as a father, a husband, and a role model in his community. Of course I wanted Detlef on to talk about what it takes to be an elite athlete as the show is always aiming to get insights from the worlds top performers, but what really emerged from this episode is his sagedom on all things personal growth, community and how to think about choosing priorities in life.

In today's episode:

Whether you're playing sports or building a business, your team needs to have the right balance of stars and support players.
It doesn't matter if you're a professional athlete considering buying a $200k ride or a creator considering the latest and greatest gear, being very clear on where the lines are between your financial needs, wants and wishes and choosing to prioritize saving for your needs over spending on wants and wishes will help you be financially successful in the long run.
We all go through different seasons of our life where our priorities shift and we grow as individuals and teammates. Don't think that you can or you should have it all figured out right now. Plan for the future if you have the luxury to, but stay flexible enough to realize that you're going to keep learning and changing along the way.

Enjoy!

An Audience of ONE is All it Takes with Srinivas Rao Sep 05, 2018

Show notes

QUESTION: What if you only made work that YOU loved, and you were certain that you would be paid top dollar if you did...Would you do it? Of course! Most sane creators / entrepreneurs would jump at the opportunity - and such is the topic of Srinivas Rao's new book: An Audience of One: Reclaiming Creativity For Its Own Sake. The problem is, so many of us are watering down our work making it for someone else. In fact, the path to our best work is digging deeper into who you're creating for and what happens when you create art for yourself.

In this episode we also cover…

"If you're going to take the time to learn to use a tool, take the time to make something with that tool…" This is a fascinating POV I'd never heard before, but it keeps us creators in the building mode vs the procrastinating mode.
How to take your art+career+future into your own hands… Srini's view is that we must put our focus and effort into the things that you can control. You can't control follower count, you can't control Facebook's algorithms. You can control your creative process. If you focus on the process, you'll make better work which will lead to better results…
Why those people who live life more deliberately are more likely to find success. Simply by choosing what's important to you (and leaning into it with deliberate force) is quite often the biggest thing that's missing in people's creative lives… Once you find what's important? Pour on the gasoline…and watch out.

Enjoy!

1,000 Paths to Success with Jack Conte Aug 29, 2018

Show notes

When it comes to career trajectories, Jack Conte is my brotha from anotha mothA !! Our paths could not be more similar.... He started his career as a musician, was a YouTuber making videos, and turned tech entrepreneur by co-founding Patreon, an incredible tool for artists to get paid directly by their fans (just like Beethoven used to…)

You are going to love this conversation. Jack's career — be it in music, videos, or business, has been forged by embracing that there's a *different* way to do it all. Today more than ever before, there are a million ways to win at anything your heart desires. The road less traveled isn't a well lit path... you are bound to fall on your face a few times, BUT those who do find success will largely have done it THEIR OWN WAY. In Jack's words, "If you're questioning whether to keep going or if it's time to give up, keep going…" and in turn, give this episode a listen to the end- you'll be glad you did.

In this episode:

Imposter syndrome exists in even the most successful people in the most glamorous of professions. We are all just trying to figure this life/business/art thing out. We cover some VERY SPECIFIC remedies for this
You cannot prevent failure. The best creators, CEO's, whatever - just like the best humans-- recognize that growth and progress comes from making the wrong moves, failing, falling down and getting back up with enthusiasm time and time again.
You don't have to do things the traditional way. There aren't blueprints and models and specific checklists that will lead you to success. The best successes are born from going against the grain and forging unique paths.

Enjoy!

Start Before You're Ready with Humans of New York Brandon Stanton Aug 22, 2018

Show notes

If you don't know Brandon, you definitely know his work. Brandon is the creator of Humans of New York which has accumulated over 20 million followers worldwide and turned into two NYT-bestselling books (Humans of New York and Humans of New York: Stories). It has also spawned an entire genre of similar blogs. Hundreds of aspiring documentarians have followed in HONY's footsteps, telling the stories of countries, cities, and communities across the world.

During a PhotoWeek session we had at CreativeLive, Brandon shared his story from getting fired at a job he hated to selling everything to move to New York to try to be a photographer. Brandon shares what he has learned along the journey of interviewing thousands of people and how they have shaped his storytelling.

If you love this episode, you might also want to check out the video version of this talk to see some of the photos he shares during his talk. You can do that by logging onto creativelive.com and searching "Brandon Stanton".

In today's episode:

There's a subtle but crucial mind shift that needs to happen if you want mental freedom. You need to consciously decide what you're going to spend your brain power on and consciously decide what you're not. Focus on the things that make you feel the way you want to feel and do the things you want to be doing.
You can plan all you want, but you won't know if your plan works until you start executing it. The original Humans of New York plan looks nothing like what the project has turned into today.
Choosing the work that you do is a better goal than not working at all. Following your dreams is hard work, but success is getting to spend every day doing what you want to be doing. Worth it.

Enjoy!

Stop Trying to Get Everyone To Like Your Work Aug 15, 2018

Show notes

Don't make what "everyone" will like or do what "everyone" else is doing. Instead, make/do/follow/lead/create things you love.

In this episode,

As a social being, it's natural for you to want everyone to like you and your work. Reject that natural feeling.
There's a 3 step process for finding success as a creative. 1: Create what you love. 2: Relentlessly share the work that you create. 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2.
If your work is priced appropriately, you don't need 10,000 people to love your work. You can make a living from 10, or 20, or 100 paying customers. Focus on getting people to fall in love with your work, one person at a time.

Enjoy!

Your Inner Critic Is A Big Jerk with Danielle Krysa Aug 08, 2018

Show notes

Danielle Krysa is the author of Your Inner Critic Is A Big Jerk, Creative Block, and Collage, all published by Chronicle Books. She is also the creator of the contemporary art blog The Jealous Curator.

Danielle gave a talk at the CreativeLive studios on the Inner Critic, and shares a particular story that I think many of us can relate to. We all deal with the voice in our life that tells us what what we're creating is not good, will never amount to anything, or how we'll never make any money from it. This talk is a huge inspiration for anyone who's suffered a creative block and battled critics (internal or external). I know you will love Danielle's vulnerability and break through your creative battles with the tactics she has garnered from her personal struggle and prolific creators, alike.

She references her keynote a bit through this talk, so if you want a bit more context be sure to watch the full episode in full living color on CreativeLive https://cr8.lv/2vsQg8d

In this episode,

Your inner critic is a lazy bully. There are only 4 techniques that it has to put you down, and you can fight each one of them with the right tools.
The three techniques professional artists use to fight their inner critic: they dedicate specific energy towards creating whether the work for the day ends up in the Met or in the trash, they create time and space for their work, and they learn to trust their inner voice to guide them towards their best work.
Why you need to translate and rewrite your inner critic's script from phrases like "you're going to fail, so don't bother trying" to "I'm going to fail like all the prolific geniuses before me have failed." Onward.

Enjoy!

Gregory Heisler on Embracing Your Uniqueness Aug 01, 2018

Show notes

You know Gregory Heisler, or at the very least, you've seen his work. Gregory is a prolific photographer best known for his 70 cover portraits for TIME Magazine and has graced the pages of Life, Esquire, Fortune, GQ, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and The New York Times Magazine.

We recently had the pleasure of hosting Gregory in our CreativeLive studios to present his talk on embracing one's own uniqueness. Now, I attend a lot of keynotes, speeches, and presentations. Not often do I stand in the audience yelling "PREACH!" like I was during Gregory's presentation. His thoughts on prioritizing the expression of your own voice, vision and style over technique is spot on and follows the career path of so many professional and prolific creators in my circle. Listen in, take heed, and let me know what you think. If you'd like to see the video version of this talk, you can watch it for FREE here: https://cr8.lv/2v39iS2

A few topics from this episode,

* Making what you can't help but make is how you find your own unique style and it helps you get paid for your art. It'll be easy because you can't help but make it anyways, it'll be your best work because it's what comes naturally to you, and people will hire you to make more of what you can't help but make anyways.

* The three main components of making art are vision, technique, and style. Too many of us get hung up on the technique, but vision and style is what differentiates you from the rest of the pack. Lean into your own vision and develop confidence in your style.

* If you want to be a professional creative, you've got to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Making art is an uncertain path and there will be days where you may not be able to pay the rent or even make a good photograph, but trust and own the process.

Enjoy!

Unconventional Ways to WIN with Rand Fishkin Jul 25, 2018

Show notes

This week on the show we've got serial entrepreneur, marketer extraordinaire and SEO genius Rand Fishkin. Among other things, the guy is an online content legend, having built the legendary MOZ, one of the first online resources / communities helping creators optimize for SEO (yes search engine optimization...aka if you make content, it's helping your people find you on the internet) and now he's got a new company you've gotta know about, and a new BOOK, called Lost & Founder - aimed at helping all of us creators and entrepreneurs find our way. SUCH A USEFUL BOOK. But even more than the "what" Rand does…it's the HOW he does it that I find completely extraordinary. Everything, it seems, has been non-traditional. From college dropout to serial entrepreneur. Join us on this conversational journey as we dispel startup culture tropes, 'best practices' and fight back against "traditional" wisdom.

A few topics from this episode:

* There are three key components to building successful and enjoyable content: build on a medium that you are passionate about, create something of unique value, and put the content where your audience actually hangs out. Sounds easy, but Rand is unapologetic and VERY helpful in guiding us you understand just how to get this right...

* It's been a recurring theme on this show that taking care of yourself with good habits- sleep, exercise, and not overworking yourself actually lead to your best work. The idea that overworking yourself will lead to success and happiness is misguided at best. Rand has solutions for you.

* The most important things to be tracking from potential clients and followers are not Twitter or Instagram followers. It's not likes or shares. It's something else that is a leading indicator to be in control of your business growth on your own terms… the answer? Listen and find out ;)

Enjoy!

The Dirtiest Secret in Photography Jul 18, 2018

Show notes

Today's episode is a little subdued. Stripped down. Straight talk. Just you and me.

We're going deep into one of the biggest secrets I've learned about photography (or really ANY craft). If you're looking to stand out, innovate, or generally get new and fresh ideas, this episode is for you.

In this episode:

* Take your art to the next level by adding something outside of its inherent form. An example would be if you're a photographer, try adding text like stories or poetry that helps connect with your image.

* Use Edward de Bono's design technique to harness creativity on demand by taking elements from a completely disparate subject and injecting it into your art.

* If you don't want to be treated like a commodity, don't act like one.

Enjoy!