Everything is Interesting

Let’s talk subject matter. If you’re having trouble getting started on your next creative project because you think people just won’t be interested in the things that interest you, you should be listening to 99% Invisible.

If you’re not, you’re missing something great. This “tiny radio show about design, architecture & the 99% invisible activity that shapes our world” is inspiring for so many reasons, but one thing that inspires me on a regular basis is the way creator/producer/host Roman Mars picks topics that one would think would be dry and uninteresting–like rebar and sign painting–and turns them into fully engaging sound poems. After listening to an episode, I find myself both delighted and educated.

He keeps most episodes to a deliciously bite-sized 12 minutes.

There’s a nice, brief profile about Roman at Fast Company. He was doing this as his side gig, putting his own money into it because he loves the subject matter and the work. (He’s not even a trained designer or architect.) Then his Season 3 Kickstarter campaign earned four times it’s goal so that Roman could get some help and make the show even better.

So if something is interesting to you, if you work at it, you can make it interesting to your audience. Pick subject matter that is close to your heart and put your heart into it.