Micromanaged By AI (GWTW911)

I left the theater stunned. The film lived up to the hype, but I just couldn't shake the deep feeling of despair. In my silence, my wife asked if I was okay. "What am I doing with my life?" The response was guttural, but not close to the truth. It would take days to unpack what the feelings were and what they meant. This is what happens when we allow art to wreck our creative spirit. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it hurts. I question my past, present, and future. Doubt and despair shove awe and wonder aside. The meticulously crafted facade starts crumbling. When do I stop it? Or is this the moment when it's time to let it all go and see what's next? The power of art doesn't just provoke us with questions to explore, it shows us what we need to let go of, and most importantly, what we have ignored. My Values as of 11/2026: Handmade Creativity: My creativity is best expressed through the iterative process of making work by hand and the intentional manipulation of ideas, stories, mediums, and techniques. Profound Curiosity: The search for meaning and impact is always beyond the surface level of life and demands a dedication to asking questions and reflecting upon the answers in the moment and through time. Work That Lasts: I don't want to capture people's attention with cheap content, I want to produce work that awakens the soul of a single person. Even if it's just me. Laughter is Medicine: It's okay to laugh at yourself, to be silly, and have weird obsessions. Leading with those is medicine to a world that worships conformity. Community Over Isolation: As a solopreneur, a team of one, I've prided myself on the career I've built working by myself. The promise of AI is that I can have even more and work less. But at what cost? Isolation is never a worthy substitute for a creative community. Go to the gallery openings and premieres, visit the open studios and buy the art when you can. Have lunch, drink wine, eat cheese, pet dogs, and mourn losses. It's the opposite of productivity, but rich in the experiences that fuels art. Show Links LAIKA Studios VeggieTales (TV Series 1993–2015) Episode photo from Envato Elements: Abstract Blend of Orange Blue and Gray

In the 10 years I've been producing Getting Work To Work, I've had the privilege to talk to and learn from business owners in unexpected industries and niches, but today is a first: business insights from the world of premium chicken coops. Matt DuBoise is on a mission to build the world's best chicken coops alongside his family, employees, and customers at Carolina Coops. In this conversation, he shares what it takes to build a business and the best product possible, while also becoming the best leader for his team. Matt also touches on how competition drives excellence, what entrepreneurs need today in order to build a business of the future, why dreaming harder than you're working is the secret to success, how entrepreneurship has affected his body, mind, and spirit, his creative process and how he works with his team, and the impact fun has on both a team and the end product. Matt is energetic, passionate, and full of wisdom we desperately need in an age of cheap and quick advice. Show Links Carolina Coops Motherhood is universal on Instagram Jungle Jim's Visual Snow Syndrome Episode photo from Envato Elements: Colorful Chickens Gather in a Rural Outdoor Setting

It's 3:00 in the afternoon and I just finished the second leg of my journey to Tredegar, Wales. Initially, the plan was that after the plane and train, a taxi would take me to my hotel. But things were changing fast, so I sat down on a bench and waited to hear from my travel companions. A random stranger sat next to me, and for over an hour, we talked about politics, geography, and classic rock. Leading up to the trip, anxiety kept me up at night. I feared situations like this. But the deeper I got into the trip, the freer I felt. We eventually got to the hotel after planes, trains, automobiles, and a brief tour of an ironworks museum. It was a memorable trip, for a lot of reasons, but don't worry, I'm not going to bust out the slide projector and share everything. However, I do want to share seven lessons I learned traveling way beyond my comfort zone. 7 Lessons I Learned Traveling Beyond My Comfort Zone: Sometimes you have to leave your day-to-day reality to find a new one. The least likely of places can have a massive impact. Multi-tasking is creative death. Digital connection is great, but it will never be as impactful as being in the same space as your creative mentors, guides, and muses. It's one thing to need isolation to think, write, and produce creative work, it's another thing to isolate yourself from other people entirely. What you can actually control is pretty clear when you are thousands of miles away from your normal life. It's okay if the dream is gone as long as you follow the clues to a new future. Show Links Rules to Live By: How Extraordinary Lives Define What Really Matters by Jimmy Chin Project Spark Studio The Blaenau Gwent Film Academy

It's that time of the year when gough, a blind filmmaker from Australia, rolls out a new project at BeernutsProductions.com and shows up on Getting Work To Work to tell me all about it. With linens and orchids in hand, he makes his 28th appearance on the show to talk about Alien Invasion, an audio piece that showcases an alien's perspective of humans, panda bears, horses, whales, and hyenas, not to mention the absolute absurdity of Earth. We talk about our favorite alien-themed shows, why he normally doesn't have bloopers, why the best comedy is rooted in truth, celebrating 20 years of Beernuts Productions and what he's most proud of, and as always, a glimpse into how he comes up with joke after joke, project after project. Show Links Beernuts Productions on Getting Work To Work Beernuts Productions Alien Invasion Reflections – Where is Chris? Radio 20 Years of Beernuts Productions The World's Greatest Fart Joke! Australia Zoo Paul Hogan Dagwood Dog Deep-fried butter Deep-fried Mars bar Food Network Australian Open Souvlaki Dolma Bluey Brian Henson Ayahuasca Men in Black (1997) ALF (TV Series 1986–1990) ALF's Special Christmas Those Alf Hand Puppets From Burger King Resident Alien (TV Series 2021–2025) Alan Tudyk Paul (2011) The World's End (2013) Absolutely Anything (2015) Douglas Adams The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) Vegemite Groucho Marx Karl Marx Classic Kool-Aid Man Commercial Compilation Mozzarella sticks Stephen Lynch The Social Reckoning (2026) I Play Rocky (2026) How to Rob a Bank (2026) Coyote vs. Acme (2026) Trainwreck (2015) Argylle (2024) John Cena on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Episode photo from Envato Elements: Cosmic Nebula with Bright Orange and Purple Clouds

What does art restoration have in common with the search for meaning, traumatic memories, and writing? Today's guest is Julie Esther Fisher, a fiction writer and poet, and she answers that question through telling stories about her creative journey through writing poetry, short stories, and now a novel. Her latest book, A Pearl is Just an Accident, is a novel-in-stories that, as described on her website, centers on "Eliza James, a paintings conservator whose work restoring damaged art mirrors her search for meaning within the fractures of her own past." In our conversation, Julie connects her curiosity to her childhood and learning to see both for survival and sustenance. She shares her fascination with what lies beneath the surface, the importance and reverence of silence, nature as a refuge, becoming an art restoration apprentice, looking for clues in her work that tell her what it wants to be, the two jobs of writing—explorer and critic—and why they should be separate, how lived experience fuels art, and why the novel-in-stories structure mirrors the way traumatic memory works. No matter what types of creativity you wield, Julie's wisdom in this episode will speak to you and help you find what you need. Show Links Julie Esther Fisher A Pearl is Just an Accident by Julie Esther Fisher Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yoko Ogawa and translated by Stephen Snyder Episode photo from Envato Elements: Variety of Spring Flowers in Natural Light

Where do ideas come from? When do you know an idea is worth bringing to life? What if you aren't qualified? How do you keep going in the face of endless rejection? These are but a handful of questions at the heart of my conversation with inventor, businessman, and founder of Leatherman, Tim Leatherman. His latest project, The Leatherman Book: Stories, Lessons, and Advice from the Inventor of America's Original Multi-Tool, just hit the shelves and it's honestly one of the best business books I've ever read. It's got practical advice that actually helps, stories from Tim's perspective as well as his customers, and that extra bit of encouragement that entrepreneurs need when they set out to bring their ideas to life. In our conversation, Tim also shares insights into writing the book, wisdom he has earned from his own entrepreneurial journey, what we often forget to do when setting goals, and the value of a positive attitude and a sense of humor. Show Links The Leatherman Book: Stories, Lessons, and Advice from the Inventor of America's Original Multi-Tool by Tim Leatherman with Chris Kornelis Leatherman Chris Kornelis Jungle Jim's International Market The Interview – The New York Times Podcast Episode art from Envato Elements: Riveted Metal Texture Background, Abstract Industrial Design

Have you ever read a non-fiction book and wondered, "Why haven't I learned about this before?" Molly Guptill Manning's new book, A Librarian's War: The Man Who Fought World War II with Books and Brought the Joy of Reading to Millions, had me saying that from page one as I learned about Ray Trautman, Chief Army Librarian in World War II, and how he brought books to millions of soldiers in the war. It's the power of books that this conversation is all about. Books not only have a net positive effect on our lives, but a literate and well-read society is essential for the survival of democracy. Molly and I also talk about where her love for reading and history come from, how curiosity, trust, and patience help her to discover overlooked history and unknown stories to write about, why history is relevant to today, why our mind diet is just as important as what we eat, and the value of a good education. Show Links Molly Guptill Manning A Librarian's War: The Man Who Fought World War II with Books and Brought the Joy of Reading to Millions by Molly Guptill Manning When Books Went To War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill Manning Men at War with an introduction by Ernest Hemingway American Library Association PEN America Library Journal The End of Reading is Here by Rose Horowitch Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology by Neil Postman No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN ON THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT (14 DECEMBER, 2015) Episode photo from Envato Elements: Library interior featuring a wall of bookshelves filled with various books. Stockholm

Every episode, I end with the same phrase, "Until next time, may creativity and curiosity fuel your life." Lately, I haven't felt curious and the tank certainly feels empty. So, what's the point of saying that phrase when curiosity seems to have left the building and all that's left is a rut-filled routine? Well, like any affirmation, repeating it helps keep the truth in the forefront of the mind: curiosity is the most valuable action you can take every single day. Asking someone how they're doing, going to the library and checking out a book, staring at the leaves falling to the ground, smelling the heavenly scent of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven, sitting back and hearing the sounds that make up your favorite album, it doesn't take much to break free from obligation and enter into a state of levity and exhalation. That lightness you feel, like you are floating through the sky filled with wonder and delight, that's the value of curiosity and we all need it. Oh, and in case you were wondering what the second most valuable action you need to do every day is, it's stretching and anyone over 40 knows what I'm talking about. Six rules of engagement for curiosity: Curiosity isn't the solution to the problem, it's how you find it. When people lose curiosity in the little things, they lose hope in the big things. Curiosity allows us to try on new possibilities, but unless we use it to also affect change, the status quo remains. Non-monetized curiosity is more valuable than curiosity that's been neutered to meet economic needs. You don't have to be curious about everything, just what you're actually curious about. Your curiosity isn't my curiosity and when we share our curiosities, we grow together. Show Links Episode photo from Envato Elements: Abstract Liquid Art with Blue, Gold and Black

Recently, I called the non-emergency line for my county's sheriff department and guess who picked up on the second ring? That's right, our good friend, the cheerful AI assistant. There might have been a generic name like Claire assigned to the bot—sorry to all the Claires out there, trust me, it doesn't get more generic than Chris—but it took me a minute to realize I needed to say something to move the prompt forward. This interaction, among others, got me thinking about our societal dependence on artificial intelligence. There's a lot of talk about opting out, but when it's already infiltrated into our daily lives, is that even possible? There are endless questions—many of which I hope people in positions of power are asking beyond merely acquiring power and profit—but today, I want to explore a troublesome component of AI that I just now started to experience: micromanagement by AI. It's subtle, and you might not even realize it's happening to you, but it is. Four areas of work you're probably being micromanaged by AI: Communication Critique Creative Direction Assistants Show Links MICROMANAGE on Merriam-Webster Episode photo from Envato Elements: Vintage Toy Robot on White Wooden Surface

For the past ten years, a common theme on this podcast is learning. Whether we are learning something new or diving deeper into our craft, the ability to experiment and evolve our abilities lead to new ideas and expertise. This sounds like a great way to bring a sense of purpose to our lives, but a sobering question keeps me up at night: what if our society no longer values new ideas and expertise? What if original thought and mastery is no longer valued, or even possible, because as a society we can't focus longer than a second, addicted to dopamine and existential whiplash? What will become of us when what takes us months can be done by technology in minutes? Think for a moment what we learn in the months, or even years, working on a project. We try something and fail, over and over, until it clicks. Then we repeat the process until finally the project is done. Yes, it satisfies some business objective, but more importantly, our expertise grows. The sobering reality is that we don't learn in minutes, we learn in months. We learn through failure. So, in a world that worships tools that enable supersonic productivity, the question we must wrestle with is this: How will we learn? Show Links Lake Lady Python CS50’s Introduction to Programming with Python Metallica