#49: I Rewrote the First Five Pages of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and This Happened

Where do ideas come from? How do they grow? How do you know which ideas to pursue and which to save for later? In today's episode, we'll explore those topics and more! From Ramit Sethi's book-buying rule to YouTuber Any Austin's view that you can't make 100 bad ideas, we'll take a deep dive into the foundation of creative projects and have you out before your lunch break is over. Material Mentioned in This Episode: I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit SethiHow To Listen to Jazz by Ted GioiaWhat It Is by Lynda BarryBernadette Mayer's Writing Experiments SUBSCRIBE TO THE ALWAYS CHOOSE ORANGE NEWSLETTER AT:https://www.alwayschooseorange.com

Claire Luxton is a British contemporary multi-disciplinary artist working with photography, immersive installation, and poetry. She works from her rural studio based in East Sussex, and the nature she is surrounded by is reflected in her work. After receiving a BFA from Goldsmiths University of London, Luxton’s practice developed a strongly recognizable aesthetic, which quickly gained her recognition. Her dynamic work explores the delicate equilibrium between humans and nature, the ominous undercurrents oscillate between constructed femininity and alluring vulnerability, seducing the viewer with color, intrigue, joy and uncertainty. Website: https://www.claireluxtonart.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/claireluxtonart/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ClaireLuxtonFineArtFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/claireluxtonart

Kate Woodman is a Portland, Oregon-based commercial photographer specializing in conceptual and narrative imagery. A structural engineer by trade, Kate made the jump to photography after a work transfer to New Zealand got her interested in shooting landscapes, and things spiraled from there. Ten years into her professional career, Kate shoots everything from pharma to fashion and all sorts of things in between. When she’s not photographing, she’s teaching color theory and putting her engineering degree to work by renovating her midcentury house. Website: https://www.katewoodman.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/katewoodman_photo/

Simon Van Booy is the award-winning, bestselling author of more than a dozen books for adults and children, including The Illusion of Separateness, The Presence of Absence, and most recently, Sipsworth. Simon is the editor of three volumes of philosophy and has written for The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Washington Post, and the BBC. His books have been translated into many languages and optioned for film. Raised in rural North Wales, he currently lives in New York where he is also a book editor and a volunteer E.M.T. crew chief. Website: https://simonvanbooy.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonvanbooy/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimonVanBooy/

Rob Bell (New York Times Bestselling author) is back to continue last week's conversation on creativity, the craft of writing, and his latest book, Where'd You Park Your Spaceship? Book Two: There's Only One Noon Yeah. In this episode, Rob compares his experiences with traditional publishing and self-publishing, shares what it was like to watch his plays being performed, and talks about the relationship between structure and spontaneity. He also tells the story of going to Miami and almost interviewing Richard Saul Wurman (legendary information architect and inventor of the TED conference) for his podcast but instead coming away with a powerful reminder of what it feels like to live life in a state of radical amazement. Website: www.robbell.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/realrobbell/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/robbell

Rob Bell is the New York Times Bestselling author of fifteen books and plays which have been translated into 25 languages. He creates visual art that can be seen on his Instagram, makes music in a band called HUMANS ON THE FLOOR, and hosts a podcast called The RobCast. His new book, Where'd You Park Your Spaceship? Book Two: There's Only One Noon Yeah is out now and in this episode, we spend some time discussing how it came together. Rob shares some powerful creative exercises that writers can use to decide which project to focus on, discover the outline of their book, and reconnect with why they write in the first place. We also talk about narrative voice, trusting the creative process, and the comfort and durability of Paul Smith socks. Website: www.robbell.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/realrobbell/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/robbell

One year ago, I released the first episode of Always Choose Orange using my built-in MacBook microphone, a story about a stack of paint samples, and a hilariously obtuse method of generating an RSS feed. Since then, I've learned a few things (well, more than a few) about podcasting, creativity, and how to face fear. Tune into this week's episode to hear the lessons that I've taken away from recording fifty episodes and how they can help you do the same!You'll learn:How I took actionable inspiration from my favorite podcasts such as The Tim Ferriss Show, You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes, the RobCast, and No Skips with Shea Serrano and used it to improve my showWhy we should all stop being afraid of the word "no"The value of having a casual mentorThe importance of promoting your show in a way that's congruent to your values

Creative exercises are one of the most powerful ways to hone your craft, refine your voice, and try out new techniques to see if they fit your process. And, the good news is that they don’t need to take up much time to have a big impact on your art. In this episode, we’ll talk about a fun little writing exercise I did in my writing group last year that involved rewriting the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 20 minutes without looking at the original. Tune in to hear me read my version, reflect on what I learned from the exercise, and decide for yourself if something like this is worth trying.

As of 2024, there are over 100 million songs on Spotify, 3.9 billion videos on YouTube, and tens of millions of books on Amazon — that's a whole lot of content. How do we keep our noses above the proverbial deluge of information that floods us every day? The answer (or part of it at least) is curation.  Tune into this week's episode to explore the idea of thinking like a curator as it pertains to managing and fostering a creative input that builds you up instead of tears you down.And if you feel the call, you can hop over to www.alwayschooseorange.com and get on our weekly creativity newsletter full of tips, insights, and recommendations that go above and beyond the material included in the podcast.Material referenced in this episode: Your Brain is Processing More Data Than You Would Ever Imagine // MinecheckHow to Curate (Just About) Anything // Glenn AdamsonAustin Kleon's Newsletter

It may be hard for newer generations to imagine but there was a time when video games were not commonly seen as a legitimate cultural medium. In this episode, Tim from Earbuddies, bravely steps forward to take on a ChatGPT-created straw man in a (mostly) friendly debate about the artistic merit of video games. From claims of excessive violence and sensationalism (i.e. the public perception of Grand Theft Auto upon release) to their (allegedly) over-heavy reliance on technology, it's a battle of words you won't want to miss. And after the matter is settled, Alex and Tim spend an hour discussing their top-three video games based on music, visual design, narrative, and multiplayer functionality. Will they remember to talk about Japan's rich jazz scene? Will they correctly guess each other's preferred fighter in Super Smash Bros. Melee? And most importantly, how many times can one podcast episode reference the Legend of Zelda?