Imperfect Creatives

The work of knowing yourself is never over, and our identity, as well as what matters to us, constantly shifts and changes over the course of our lives. In this episode I talk with Paulo André, a former VP of engineering turned leadership coach, about how we can better understand our personal identity, and be aware of common pitfalls that can so often lead to burnout, like allowing our work to consume our identity to the point that we rely on burning dark energy to get by. This episode was like a personal therapy session for me, and we dive into many deep topics such as dealing with anxiety, learning to detach from what we cannot control, and being aware of the narratives that are driving us forwards. We also talk about Paolo’s fantastic newsletter “The Hakagure” plus the practicalities of going from a 9-5 role to starting your own business. I certainly learned a lot in this episode and I hope you will too! CHAPTERS(00:00) Introduction(02:26) From Engineer, to Leader, to Coach(08:20) Why Start a Coaching Business?(14:54) Burning Dark Energy(21:39) Following your Intuition(24:24) Dealing with Anxiety & Doubt(31:36) Journaling (36:13) Personal vs Work Identity(43:12) Self-Worth & The Stories we tell ourselves(48:39) Isolating Personal Identity and Professional Growth(53:11) How to detach(57:54) Understand, then be understood(1:06:40) Focus on what you can control(1:08:29) Connect on a human level(1:10:30) Anxiety is future-facing(1:17:32) Negative visualisation(1:19:45) The different kinds of stress(1:25:49) Take yourself less seriously(1:26:23) Taking action & fearing failure(1:32:50) Nobody’s looking(01:35:15) Key takeaways and Book recommendationsRESOURCES MENTIONEDGood Reasons for Bad Feelings - Randolph M. NesseConscious Business - Fred KaufmanOne from Many: Visa and the Rise of Chaordic Organization - Dee Hock The Courage to Be Disliked - Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga The Upside of Stress - Kelly McGonigalThe Science of Storytelling - Will StorrThe Mind Architect - Peter CroneMORE FROM PAULO ANDRÉPaulo on LinkedInThe Hagakure MORE FROM MIKESign-up to the Imperfect NewsletterMike on LinkedIn

In this episode, I talk with Igor Ranc about his journey as an online creative and writer, from his first online newspaper in 2008 to his newsletter Handpicked Berlin, which now has over 6,000 subscribers. We dive into everything from dealing with fear and the spotlight effect, to Igor’s experience taking an active sabbatical and creating his own startup, to the challenge of “hamster wheel content creation”, and the importance that distribution plays as a creator and entrepreneur. MORE FROM IGOR RANCHandpicked BerlinContribute to the Startup & Salary Survey for 2024EightyFourBook recommendations: The Scout Mindset, Founder Vs InvestorMORE FROM IMPERFECT CREATIVESSign-up to the Imperfect NewsletterMike on LinkedInCHAPTERS (00:00) Introduction(03:34) The origin of Handpicked Berlin(05:26) Defining success & traction as a creator(06:54) The evolution of Handpicked Berlin(09:08) Why keep going?(10:45) Balancing passion projects with full-time work(17:56) Embracing the journey & finding balance(22:53) Survivorship bias & compounding(26:00) Nothing happens without persistence(28:58) Compounding leading to growth(31:40) Community is the key(34:00) How things change when you have an audience(37:20) Metrics and growth traps(39:12) The urge to scale(42:56) The pressure to have side-hustles(45:00) Just start, nobody cares(49:14) Asking is free(52:00) Know the game you're playing(57:40) What to ask companies in interviews(01:01:17) Mastering salary negotiations(01:09:02) Book recommendations & final takeaways

In this episode, I chat with Phil Bennett (Director of Engineering, speaker, and author) about his new book “Punk Leadership”. Taking inspiration from the spikey-haired, loud-mouthed Punks of the 70s, Phil calls on all of us to take a boot to the status quo and fix broken corporations from the inside-out. We dive into the juicy details on what this means and how to do this - figuring out your personal values by building a “personal manifesto”, using Phil’s core pillars (“people, cash, planet”) to build a positively impactful career, and challenging dodgy decisions in the workplace. We also dive into how tech has influenced the creator economy, as well as some practical tips on how Phil tackles writing with Dyslexia. I hope you enjoy the show! - Mike.Chapters(00:00) Introduction(01:09) What is Punk Leadership?(08:20) The influence of punk on creative culture(09:28) The impact of disruption in tech(12:14) Conscious decision making when choosing a job(21:46) How to create a Personal Manifesto(24:57) Challenging decisions in the workplace(33:23) Reassessing your manifesto over time(49:43) Exploring entrepreneurship and indie hacking(52:32) The reality of content creation and the creator economy(56:00) How tech platforms impact the creator economy(01:00:00) YouTube niches and how hard it actually is to be a YouTuber(01:05:19) Tech isolation(01:09:58) Does online privacy matter?(01:16:40) The Prog-Rock phase of the tech industry(01:21:10) The challenges of writing a book with Dyslexia(01:26:53) Balancing a full-time job with creative side projects(01:30:41) Key takeawaysMore from Phil Bennett Buy the Punk Leadership Book here Phil on LinkedinSoftware is Easy, People are Hard - NewsletterMore from Imperfect CreativesSign-up to the Imperfect NewsletterMike on LinkedInAbout the showThis podcast isn't perfect, and neither are you. And that's okay! This show is for imperfect creatives and entrepreneurs who want to embrace shipping their work without the trappings of perfection. Leadership and career coach Michael Carruthers chats with creatives of all kinds - be it engineers, product managers, YouTubers, authors, or solopreneurs - to understand how they grapple with the challenges that come with building a fulfilling creative career, along with all of the glorious imperfection that comes with it.