Daily Creative with Todd Henry

This week, we celebrate a major milestone... 20 years of the podcast! The first episode of The Accidental Creative launched in December 2005. While this is episode 88 of the re-branded version, Daily Creative, this is something like episode 1,398 of the podcast. We take a reflective journey back to where it all began, unpacking the origin story of the show and the creative work that continues to shape everything we do.Todd shares the challenges of being a young creative director attempting to help a team thrive under relentless pressure, while also confronting his own ambitions and the ever-present risk of burnout. He digs into the early days of creative community-building (over coffee in Cincinnati), the revelation that healthy, productive creativity was possible, and the pivotal experiments that inspired him to share our ideas through the newly emerging medium of podcasting.We revisit the genesis of “The Accidental Creative,” recounting the surprise of discovering a growing audience, and how the podcast became a launching pad—not just for a community, but for books, company invitations, and interviews with creativity legends.Todd also breaks down crucial moments behind his most influential books, including how a single candid conversation with a publisher unlocked the process for Die Empty, and why Louder Than Words remains a favorite despite modest sales. Through it all, Todd highlights the non-obvious lessons that define a creative career: trusting the work, letting your audience find you, and embracing friction as an ally rather than an obstacle.To the listeners, supporters, and creative pros who have joined us week after week—thank you. Here’s to the past 20 years, and the decades to come.Five Key Learnings from This Episode:Success Is Layered, Not Linear: The “big deal”—whether it’s a book contract or viral moment—is only the true starting line. Real creative progress builds in stages and unexpected iterations.Experimentation Unlocks Opportunity: Sharing what we were learning (even when unsure or new) was the secret to resonance and growth. Community comes from honest experimentation.Outside Perspective Is Essential: Creative pros often get stuck in their own heads. Inviting editors, mentors, or collaborators can break patterns and unlock genuine progress.Let the Work Find Its Audience: Not every project will land where we expect, and that’s okay. Sometimes our work will deeply impact people we never predicted—and that’s its own success.Friction Fuels Growth: Instead of removing all obstacles, thoughtful creators learn to leverage friction—slow down, synthesize, and let intuition do its work.Get full interviews and bonus content for free! Just join the list at DailyCreativePlus.com.

In December 2025, we celebrate something special—twenty years of this podcast, which first launched as Accidental Creative in December 2005. We reflect on how starting, even with imperfect beginnings, is an essential part of a creative journey. In this episode, we draw insights from the book Daily Creative, sharing a series of thought-provoking essays designed for creative professionals navigating the end of the year.We explore themes from balance and priorities (Rubber and Glass Balls), beginner’s mindset (Just One Song), the power of working from what’s known (The Edge Pieces), and the importance of knowing what “actual work” is (When You’re Working). Each essay comes with a practical application question to help leaders and creative pros pause, reflect, and reset for the coming year.If you’re looking for a ritual or rhythm to keep your creative juices flowing and your mindset sharp, this episode is packed with reminders and prompts to help you refocus and get ready for fresh challenges ahead.Five Key Learnings:Starting Imperfectly Is Essential: Early creative work will rarely be polished, but the act of beginning is what opens the door to growth and excellence.Protect the Fragile Elements of Life: Not everything rebounds after a setback; relationships, health, friendships, and spirit deserve proactive care and attention.Approach Work Like a Beginner: Tackling each project with fresh enthusiasm and curiosity ignites new insights, regardless of past experience.Solve Problems Starting With What You Know: Like edge pieces in a puzzle, letting your certainties frame the unknowns brings clarity to complex creative challenges.Distinguish Busyness from True Work: Knowing which activities actually create value helps redirect energy away from distraction and toward your core genius.Get full interviews and bonus content for free! Just join the list at DailyCreativePlus.com.Mentioned in this episode:Apply for Creative Leader Roundtable Every creative team needs a leader who's brave, focused, and brilliant, but none of us get there alone. The Creative Leader Roundtable is your place to connect with peers, sharpen your leadership craft, and stay inspired for the long haul. We're about to launch with a brand new group of leaders. So, if you're interested, visit CreativeLeader.net to learn more and to apply. Great leadership is a practice, not an accident.

In this episode of Daily Creative, Todd Henry explores the subtle ways in which we avoid true commitment to our creative and professional ambitions. Todd discusses the concept of "escape hatches"—the backup plans, excuses, and rationalizations that prevent us from risking real vulnerability and discovering what we’re truly capable of. Drawing from personal stories and practical frameworks, we unpack three common escape hatches that undermine creative and leadership excellence: procrastination and last-minute work, dilution and divided attention, and backward rationalization of success.Todd also digs into actionable strategies to help you spot these patterns in your work, close escape hatches, and move forward with greater intentionality. Whether you lead teams, dream of launching a business, or simply want your creative efforts to have more impact, this episode offers practical, non-obvious guidance for getting braver, more focused, and brilliant every day.Five Key Learnings from the Episode:Escape hatches often feel like wisdom, but are usually just disguised fear. We tend to rationalize delay or avoid commitment under the guise of being "prudent," when in reality it is keeping us from meaningful progress.Procrastination and last-minute work protect us from knowing what our best effort truly looks like. Setting step goals and using time blocking can counter the urge to push everything to the last minute and drive more consistent creative output.Dilution and divided attention dilute impact. By focusing on your "Big Three" priorities and carving out protected space to pursue them, you ensure that your energy is devoted to what matters most—and can actually achieve excellence.Backward rationalization undermines growth. Defining what success looks like in advance and creating external accountability removes the temptation to justify poor outcomes, fostering honest self-assessment and improvement.Real creative progress requires closing escape hatches, even though they seem safe. The real safety comes from confidence in your ability to adapt, not from having endless backup plans.Get full interviews and bonus content for free! Just join the list at DailyCreativePlus.com.Mentioned in this episode:Apply for Creative Leader Roundtable What if you had a space every month to sharpen your leadership edge without the fluff? The Creative Leader Roundtable is where smart, driven, creative leaders gather to exchange ideas, solve real challenges, and grow together. So if you lead a team of thinkers, makers, or dreamers, this is your lab. We're launching soon with a new group of leaders. So, if you're interested, check it out and apply at CreativeLeader.net.

In this episode, we take a step back from our typical interview format to reflect on something many creative leaders are feeling right now: a subtle but persistent sense of drift amidst uncertainty. Drawing from recent conversations with leaders worldwide, Todd Henry digs into the changing dynamics of organizations, shifting marketplaces, and the unique challenges and numbness that come with these times.Instead of providing easy answers, Todd shares five uncomfortable—but essential—questions designed to provoke deep reflection for anyone with influence, whether you lead a team, guide clients, or simply shape decisions in your organization. He explores how apparent success can mask underlying misalignment, the dangers of leading from within an echo chamber, the paralyzing fear of looking foolish, the temptation of ego-driven systems, and the fine line between creating stability and fostering complacency in teams.This episode is an invitation to wrestle with the deeper work of leadership, sense-check our motives, and create environments where honest conversations and breakthrough ideas can flourish.Five Key Learnings:Success Can Be a Trap: Achieving goals and hitting metrics doesn’t always equate to true progress if we lose sight of our original purpose. We must vigilantly check what we’re really optimizing for.Truth-Telling is Essential: Leadership naturally creates distance. If we don’t intentionally invite honest feedback (even if it stings), we risk operating in a false sense of alignment.Risking Embarrassment Fosters Innovation: Many great ideas die because we’re afraid to look foolish. Innovation demands courage, and that courage is strengthened by sharing bold ideas in safe, trusted circles.Ego vs. Mission: It’s easy to unconsciously build systems that feed our ego under the guise of excellence or mission. The real test: Would we do the work if nobody noticed?Stability Isn’t Safety: Teams crave both challenge and stability, but protecting them too much can lead to complacency. The goal is to create security so that bold, meaningful risks—and growth—are possible.Get full interviews and bonus content for free! Just join the list at DailyCreativePlus.com.Mentioned in this episode:The Brave Habit is available nowMy new book will help you make bravery a habit in your life, your leadership, and your work. Discover how to develop the two qualities that lead to brave action: Optimistic Vision and Agency. Buy The Brave Habit wherever books are sold, or learn more at TheBraveHabit.com.Apply for Creative Leader Roundtable Leading creative people is rewarding, but it can also feel isolating. That's why I've started Creative Leader Roundtable, a private community where leaders like you connect monthly to get practical insights, honest feedback, and real encouragement. You'll leave every round table with fresh perspective and tactical ideas. You can apply right away. So if you lead a team of talented people, go check us out at CreativeLeader.net, because creative work deserves brave leadership.

In this episode, we explore the unconventional story of Yvon Chouinard, the “dirtbag” climber who became the founder of Patagonia and ultimately gave away his billion-dollar company to protect its mission. In conversation with David Gelles—New York Times journalist and author of Dirtbag Billionaire—we dig into the paradoxes of success, the power of awareness, and the ongoing tension between principle and profit. We discuss how Chouinard’s love for the outdoors led him to create climbing gear out of necessity, and how his refusal to ignore the negative impact of his products shaped Patagonia’s legacy of environmental stewardship and values-driven leadership.We reflect on how meaningful work often reveals itself not through grand visions, but through paying attention to the patterns and tensions within our everyday actions. The episode challenges leaders and creatives to reconsider what it means to act with integrity and to recognize the marks—both good and bad—we leave through our work. Chouinard’s story offers a blueprint for leading with conviction, making hard calls in service of a greater purpose, and understanding that values build momentum over time.Five Key Learnings from the Episode:Calling is Revealed, Not Found: Purpose often unfolds through the work we’re already doing, showing itself in the problems we care about and the frustrations we can’t ignore.Principle Over Profit: True leadership is measured not by stated values, but by the sacrifices made when those values clash with financial incentives—as shown when Patagonia prioritized environmental impact over sales.Awareness Precedes Change: Staying attentive to the second- and third-order effects of our decisions is essential for creating lasting positive impact and avoiding unintended harm.Success Requires Restraint: Responsible growth means not chasing expansion at all costs, but deliberately throttling progress to ensure alignment with core mission and sustainable practices.Legacy is Built Through Consistent Integrity: Values-driven decisions compound over time, creating an enduring legacy that outlasts individual achievements or wealth.Get full interviews and bonus content for free! Just join the list at DailyCreativePlus.com.Mentioned in this episode:Apply for Creative Leader Roundtable Leading creative people is rewarding, but it can also feel isolating. That's why I've started Creative Leader Roundtable, a private community where leaders like you connect monthly to get practical insights, honest feedback, and real encouragement. You'll leave every round table with fresh perspective and tactical ideas. You can apply right away. So if you lead a team of talented people, go check us out at CreativeLeader.net, because creative work deserves brave leadership.