Intro
Steve opens up with a dig at the fall season’s “pumpkin spice everything” fever to which Dave responds in kind with a rant of his own about haters trying to kill the fun.  Dave follows that up with a recommendation for the Audible app and then a discussion of key points from Erik Wahl’s book UNThink: Rediscover your Creative Genius kicks off.

Zero Authority Toolbox:

Dave recommends using the Audible app for listening to audio books (when not listening to the ZA Podcast, of course.)  His days of reading books before bed or on a trip to the beach are long gone and the Audible app allows him to use his commute to work or time on treadmill to consume great books…he’s reading the Steve Jobs biography right now. Simply download the free app and connect it to your Amazon account (they own Audible.)  From there, order an audio book on Amazon and it appears in your Audible app!

Main Topic: Dave’s Review of UNthink by Eric Wahl

Dave has read Erik Wahl’s book twice and has found the ideas shared to be pretty inspiring when it comes to breaking free from convention and embracing creativity.  It’s short, to the point and uses stories well to underscore key points.
Wahl himself has a cool story that kicks the book off.  Successful by all corporate metrics, he was flying high leading up to the dot com bubble bursting and then losing it all.  Feeling an emptiness that extended well beyond the loss itself, he turned to art as therapy. In doing so, he found an outlet for creativity that has propelled him to become one of the most influential performance / graffiti artists of the his time.

While Wahl isn’t suggesting all of us day-jobbers drop everything and become artists, he does suggest in his book that there are ways to tap creativity right within the job we have today that can help us be more successful and live a more fulfilling life.
Sounds good to me!
Dave followed the chapter/section flow of UNThink in his conversation with Steve:
What was right with us 
Do you know any children that DON’T think they’re artists?  Both of Dave’s kids still do at 13 and 10…and Steve’s son Jay (6) is a prolific artist based on some pictures that Dave has seen!
Wahl tells a story of asking room full of kindergarten children how many of them are artists…ALL HANDS GO UP!
As kids, everything is possible and “art” comes as naturally has breathing.
Where we are today

As adults, especially adults like Dave who have been molded by the industrial-age education system and corporate grind, we lose this sense of possibility and creativity.
Wahl mentions asking a room full of executives how many of them are artists…and NO ONE raises their hand.
What we can do (be like PICASSO…an acronym that you  know Steve loves!)

* Be PROVOCATIVE:  Get out of your bubble and be willing to live with some discomfort.  Try things and ask forgiveness instead of permission…and start SMALL!

* Be INTUITIVE:  We are so used to leaning on what we KNOW…do less of that and go with your gut more often.  Loosen some of that process you’ve grown so comfortable with and value discovery as much as data!

* Be CONVICTED:  It’s easy to simply follow the path left for us by those who have been in our shoes.  Blaze your OWN path.  Ask yourself:  what are you known for?

* Be ACCELERATED:  Stop searching for perfection and GO.  There will never be a perfect time, a perfect place, a perfect post.