The Crossroads of Creativity

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown If you’ve been on Twitter at all in the past week or so, you’ve probably seen the controversy surrounding TCU alum Marques Brownlee and his most recent tech review. Well, we’ve seen it too, and we have some thoughts. Recently, Marques posted a review of the Humane AI Pin, and it was pretty honest. If you haven’t seen it yet, go check out his video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TitZV6k8zfA&ab_channel=MarquesBrownlee If you’re anything like us, you’re probably thinking this isn’t anything out of the ordinary. But as it turns out, one person in particular didn’t feel the same way. We dive right into the backlash Marques faced, and how it relates to the actual purpose of reviewing something in the first place. This isn’t the first time Marques has given out some harsh criticism to a tech company, though, and it’s actually gone pretty well for him in the past. We talk about the change his reviews have been able to make in the past, the incredible amount of honesty and integrity that go into his reviews, and the importance of potential in developing ANYTHING. After that, we talk about one of the main points of issue that this Twitter critic took with Marques’ video – the title. We get into the lack of understanding people have for what goes into a successful YouTube title, the differences between independent content and major publications, and the major issue with some larger brands, particularly in the game review scene. We round off the episode on a hopeful note, emphasizing the hope Marques actually has for the product. We talk about the insane value a bad review can provide a company, the problem with “shooting the messenger,” and Matt even gives us an incredibly relevant story about his beginnings as a writer. Thank you to everyone who joined us live this week, and a special shout out to all of our supportive patrons. We’ll be back again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS:  Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor  Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite   Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com   Opening Animation: Kidmograph  City Animation: Eric Langlay  "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media.  CONNECT WITH US:  » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw   » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown   » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown   » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown   » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown For the past few episodes, Matt has been delivering some WISDOM from his reality TV findings. This week, we’re passing the baton off to Kevin to give us some insight into the coveted LIEBER METHOD, and just how important it can be to your everyday life. Kevin is obsessed with a lot of things. From hot dogs to JRPGs, the list is near endless. But there’s one obsession of his that stands above the rest – TIME. Kevin tells us about the constant scheduling calculus he does on a daily basis and the pitfalls of multitasking, and Matt shares some economic knowledge about the undeniable importance of opportunity cost. Then, we get into Kevin’s next deceptively simple step – avoiding problems. You might think you have that one figured out, but there’s a lot more to it than you might think. We talk about the difference saving future time can make, the crucial importance of preparation, and the roads to enriching your life. These steps aren’t without fault, though, and we highlight a few cases where this stuff can really go wrong. Matt talks about the everyday applications of marginal benefit, Kevin tells us a story about sunk costs in a repair job, and we dive deep into the paradoxically expensive nature of trying to save a buck. For every failure, though, there is a Lieber Method success story that makes it all worth it. We talk about a friend’s recent struggles with a raise in rent and apartment hunting, the surprising solution that wound up working out in the end, and how “mortgaging” your future time can actually be beneficial. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week, and thanks especially to all of our patrons. You really make this show happen. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS:  Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor  Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite   Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com   Opening Animation: Kidmograph  City Animation: Eric Langlay  "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media.  CONNECT WITH US:  » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw   » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown   » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown   » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown   » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown If you thought we were done talking about “My 600-lb. Life,” you thought WRONG. Turns out, there’s still plenty more wisdom to be found with this show, and this week we’re back again to dispense some more of it. Matt starts us off by highlighting another critically important concept to the show – trying. It’s a lot harder to define than you might think, but Kevin hits the nail right on the head. We also get into the incredibly famous Yoda quote that’s probably been floating around in your mind already, and the sheer number of different varieties of “trying” there really are. We talk about the importance of mentors, and the dramatic increase in their availability in the internet age. After that, Matt delivers his final big point. His “602-lb.” point, as he calls it. He tells us about the biggest fallacy of all when it comes to, not just weight loss, but trying in general – the cheat day. We talk about the real implications of cheat days, how they apply to real human relationships, and even how they relate to the famous “creator burnout” that seems to have magically disappeared. Then, if you can believe it, we bring together two of the world leaders in “trying:” mechanics, and GAMERS. We talk about the indifference that comes with car trouble, the roadblocks of losing a level, and how navigating those obstacles is crucial to all this. We finish out the discussion with an age old paradox for us here at The Create Unknown – is it actually better for things to be worse? We dive into the value of difficulty, the paradox of choice, and how this all fits into the new work on Popular Science. Matt even gives us another tidbit about his “gamer’s journey.” Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and thank you to all of our patrons who support the show. We’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS:  Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor  Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite   Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com   Opening Animation: Kidmograph  City Animation: Eric Langlay  "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media.  CONNECT WITH US:  » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw   » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown   » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown   » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown   » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Recently, Matt went on a little bit of a knowledge binge, but probably not where you’d expect it. This week we’re back to talk about the wisdom of reality television, and how shows like these can really help you learn how to be HUMAN.  We kick off the episode with a discussion about the uniquely useful window that reality TV provides to observe actual, real human behavior. While some shows are definitely more narratively driven and sensational than others, shows like “My 600-Lb. Life” tell a different story. After that, we dive right into the thick of it. Matt emphasizes one of the two key pillars of understanding shows like these: motivation vs. discipline. We talk about the shocking simplicity of “motivation,” the very real difficulty of sacrifice, and the part that’s really important in all this – discipline. Then, Matt drops the second key point to really understanding the wisdom of the show: language and accountability. We get into the ironically incorrect nomenclature of the show, the truth about the uselessness of manifestation, and the balance between caring for yourself and others. We round out the episode by bringing it all together and discussing how inseparable these ideas really are. Shows like these might seem like an excuse to gawk at the extreme scenarios of someone’s life, but there’s really more to it than that, and we talk all about the rich vein of knowledge something like 600-Lb. Life can be. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and thanks especially to all of our supportive patrons. We’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS:  Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor  Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite   Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com   Opening Animation: Kidmograph  City Animation: Eric Langlay  "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media.  CONNECT WITH US:  » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw   » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown   » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown   » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown   » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown After another fight with an old friend, Kevin is back with us this week, and he has some grave news… he’s turning in his gamer card. Well, not exactly. If you’ve been listening intently to the show over the past couple months, you probably remember the time Kevin CHEATED DEATH. Or, at least overcame the trials and tribulations of having a kidney stone. Well, turns out that little urinary pebble had some fight left in him, and Kevin was back in the hospital yet again. He tells us about the process of dealing with it again, the likely cause, and his bittersweet breakup with energy drinks. Then we hold a sort of “in memoriam” for Kevin’s long history with energy drinks. He tells us how they fit in his daily routine, WHY they fit in his daily routine, and the happy ending to this sorrowful story. After that, Matt dives into a serious discussion about caffeine, and the deceptively sinister effects it has on all of us. You’re probably wondering, what does ANY of this have to do with creativity? Well, we tie it all together with a theme we’ve been harping on for quite a while now – YOU are the problem. We get into all the ways you might hinder your own productivity, how quitting energy drinks helped Kevin more than he ever imagined, and how Matt’s prescription switch up really changed things for the better. We finish out the episode with a discussion on the near-paradoxical nature of finding the REAL solution to your problems, the shocking amount of control you actually have over outside influences, and the absurdity of… DoorDashing your breakfast. Matt even gives us a useful lesson on food economics at no extra cost. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week, and thanks especially to our patrons. You really do make this show happen. We’ll be back again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS:  Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor  Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite   Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com   Opening Animation: Kidmograph  City Animation: Eric Langlay  "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media.  CONNECT WITH US:  » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw   » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown   » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown   » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown   » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’ve been away for a little while, but it was for a very good reason. If you haven’t seen the news, we’ve taken over the YouTube channel for POPULAR SCIENCE, and this week we’re here to talk about it. First and foremost, we’d like to thank everyone for the overwhelming support on the first two videos that dropped. You guys really are the best. If you haven’t already seen them, check them out here: https://www.youtube.com/popsci  Now if you’ve tuned in to any of the past few TCU episodes, you might think this is our version of the “creator quitting” we’ve been seeing a lot of lately – and you’d be dead wrong. We talk about the slate of new Vsauce2 videos on the way in addition to the new PopSci content, as well as our plans for the TCUniverse going forward. After that we dive deep into our PopSci discussion. We talk about the storied history of the brand as well as our memories of it, the fascinating nature of invention, and the process that went into developing the new logo. Matt even gives us an anecdote about the place that PopSci had on the literal hearth of his childhood home. Then we get into the “Butler in a Box,” and the insane history of the man who made it. We talk all things Gus, the paradoxical nature of the box itself, and the actual use cases for this Amazon Alexa predecessor. This new chapter with Popular Science also got us reflecting on the past, and we finish out the episode with a discussion about the idea of “YouTuber” being a career. We talk about the volatile nature of putting all your eggs in the “creator basket,” the lack of any real barrier to entry, and Kevin shares some stories from his past about moving to the platform full time. Thanks to everyone who joined us live in the Discord, and a special shout out to all of our patrons. We’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS:  Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor  Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite   Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com   Opening Animation: Kidmograph  City Animation: Eric Langlay  "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media.  CONNECT WITH US:  » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw   » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown   » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown   » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown   » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’re back again this week for some real INDUSTRY TALK. We talk a lot about the YouTube side of the creative world, but we rarely touch on the more traditional spaces, and this week we’ve got the perfect way in. If you’ve been paying attention online at all recently, you probably noticed one of the biggest additions to the line of “YouTubers quitting” – Rhett and Link. We start off by diving into their unique take on the situation and the surprising new trajectory they’re taking, and we define the two prevailing paths of creativity that seem to be popping up these days. After that, we get into the WHY. It’s no secret that Rhett and Link have been titans of the YouTube world for over a decade at this point, and they’ve made plenty of appearances in traditional spaces as well. We get into all the factors at play when it comes to shifting your creative focus, and there really is more going on than you’d probably think. Then, Matt and Kevin tell us about some of their own expeditions into the traditional world, and just how easily these things can go awry. We talk about the lack of creative control, the expectations of different studios, and the real driving force behind it all. We close out the episode with some advice for people who ARE looking to get funded, and it just so happens to be pretty much in line with all the advice we’ve been dishing out over the past 220 episodes. We talk about the importance of demonstrating value, some TCU alumni who have proven it, and Kevin’s own career plans for the future. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and a special shout out to our patrons. You really make this show happen. We’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS:  Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor  Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite   Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com   Opening Animation: Kidmograph  City Animation: Eric Langlay  "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media.  CONNECT WITH US:  » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw   » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown   » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown   » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown   » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown By this point, you’re almost certainly familiar with “The Hero’s Journey.” Even if you don’t know what it is, you’ve seen it a thousand times. Well, this week, we’re here to tell you that it’s FAKE, and the kinds of real stories that nobody seems to talk about anymore. Kevin kicks things off with his recollection of an old episode of Intervention that he saw. Here’s the tl;dr – one man built a business empire for his family, and they were all living pretty comfortably. But then, as all people do, the man passed away and the entire empire crumbled because no one was really able to take up the mantle. We talk about how this kind of story is much more common than you’d think, despite the way we see it on screen. That leads us into a discussion about the very short list of movies and television that come to mind that portray these kinds of stories. Things like The Godfather and Succession come close, but never really hit the mark. Turns out, it’s been quite a long time since anything has. Then we talk about the inevitability of change, and how things you love can fade away without even realizing it. Matt reminds us of his undying love for PsychicPebbles despite his YouTube presence being almost nonexistent after the smashing success of Smiling Friends, and we talk about how unpredictable these situations are despite them being incredibly common. After that, Kevin talks about the astonishing number of people who do good and go completely unrecognized, and Brock Purdy springs to mind yet again. We talk about how The Hero’s Journey is all about saving the world, and how that’s actually much easier than you get led to believe. Matt talks about the importance of transferring values when you do this type of good, and how an interaction during one of his annual grocery store runs showed the kind of spectrum that these good deeds lie on. We round out the episode with a big discussion on RESPONSIBILITY. When you’re in a sort of keystone position like the patriarch of the Intervention family, how much responsibility do you have to keep it going after you’re gone? This sort of thing is crucial to football, relationships, and even writing YouTube videos – it really is everywhere. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week, and a special shout out to all of our supportive patrons. We’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS:  Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor  Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite   Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com   Opening Animation: Kidmograph  City Animation: Eric Langlay  "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media.  CONNECT WITH US:  » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw   » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown   » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown   » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown   » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’re back again this week, and for this episode we figured we’d tackle a nice easy topic – THE WORLD. Everybody has their own experiences and perceptions of the world around them, but more often than not, those perceptions are just not based in reality at all. This week, we’re here to find out why. We kick things off with a special shout out to long time patron NRM who has really been popping off with his channel “Bear Bites” recently. Check him out here: https://www.youtube.com/@BearBitesShow/videos  After that, Kevin plunges us right into the thick of the discussion. We start off by talking about the controversial quarterback that inspired this discussion: Brock Purdy. We talk about the perception of his talent, his ACTUAL talent, and the uniquely quantitative nature of sports. Then, Matt wants to get to the bottom of it all. We talk about the factors that come together to make this disconnect from reality possible, the shockingly common misinterpretation of fairly common terms, and how that all relates to the political climate of today. We touch on the effects of the “tailored experience” that the internet and social media create pretty often on this show, and it’s more relevant now than ever. Matt talks about the critically important difference between this and the idea of an “echo chamber,” the difficulty that comes with finding people with well-rounded perspectives, and the unfortunate reality of wanting to care about any of it in the first place. We close out the episode by SUFFERING. Well, kind of. We talk about the Russian idea of “feeding on suffering,” and the surprisingly optimistic outlook that can provide for you. Matt relates that to his rekindled fixation on the Roman Empire, and Kevin shares some of his recent tea frustrations. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and thanks especially to our supportive patrons. We’ll be back again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS:  Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor  Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite   Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com   Opening Animation: Kidmograph  City Animation: Eric Langlay  "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media.  CONNECT WITH US:  » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw   » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown   » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown   » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown   » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Have ever tried to hold a conversation with someone and noticed that they haven’t actually been listening to you? Or maybe you’ve noticed you haven’t actually been listening yourself? Well, this issue runs a lot deeper than you probably realize, and this week we’re here to talk about it. Matt kicks things off with a FOUR HOUR conversation he had with some of our patrons in the discord after last week’s recording. He tells us about the general state of conversations today, and the impressive communicator he met at an event that sparked this train of thought. We talk about the shift in how we talk to people across the board, and the growing list of things that don’t even require human interaction anymore. Then Kevin highlights the absolute WORST way to interview someone, and the clear similarities that has to everyday interactions. We talk about the critical importance of listening and how that should shape conversation, and we relate that to our near five-year run in doing just that on this show. Unfortunately, though, there may not be a whole lot we can do about it – not deliberately at least. Kevin emphasizes the need for natural change, Matt talks about the loss of community activities, and we come to some tragic realizations about how it shapes storytelling today. After that, Matt tells a uniquely personal story about bowling and ice cream, and we talk about how experiences like that shape artists. We dive into the apparent lack of writers with those kinds of experiences, and how that shows up in pretty much all popular media these days. We round out the episode by talking about the importance of surprise and discomfort, the tragic inability to “tickle yourself,” and the surprising importance of HANDS. It all makes a lot more sense than you might think, trust us. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live, and a special shout out to all of our patrons. You make this show happen. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS:  Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor  Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite   Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com   Opening Animation: Kidmograph  City Animation: Eric Langlay  "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media.  CONNECT WITH US:  » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw   » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown   » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown   » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown   » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices