The Design of Everything: Recent Episodes
Kyle Berseth
The Design of Everything explores the creative process of people from all walks of life from art, architecture, and music to science, medicine, and sport. Hosted by comedian Kyle Berseth.
Astrophysicist, Cameron Hummels discusses his greatest creative success and greatest creative failure.
After gaining recognition for his musical talents, Lee Duck dropped out of college, signed with an agent, and began touring with his band full time. At just nineteen years old, he never imagined gaining any level of fame from music and gave even less thought to concert lighting. Dissatisfied with the lighting options that were available to a band on a shoestring budget, he took it upon himself to learn about and design lighting for his own band, drastically changing the trajectory of his career.
Screenprinter and illustrator, Dave Kloc, discusses his biggest failure, what he learned from it and his greatest success.
Dave Kloc’s journey as an illustrator and screenprinter is creative in it’s own right. He’s never had a plan and didn’t even set out to be an artist, but was ushered into his career because of his go with the flow approach to life when he volunteered to create weekly show posters for the wildly successful comedy show, The Meltdown, in Hollywood. As an illustrator his approach is similar; a stream of consciousness on paper resulting in posters that project a surrealist, dreamlike absurdity. Despite his laid back approach, he’s a perfectionist and always wants to put out work he can be proud of believing that learning occurs in the process, but not in the product.
As a former elite sprinter with a Type A personality, coaching didn't initially come easy to USC Director of Track and Field, Caryl Smith Gilbert. She had to learn that while competing requires a somewhat selfish, inward, singular focus, coaching is just the opposite. It demands altruism and self-sacrifice so others may achieve their personal goals. Coach Gilbert's creativity lies in the design of her team; assembling athletes she can mold and motivate to triumph both on the track and in classroom, while ushering them into adulthood with the promise of success well beyond their years as USC student athletes.
Lisa Gaeta is the founder of IMPACT, a self-defense training and personal safety program in Los Angeles. When the news of Harvey Weinstein’s decades of abuse, sexual harassment, and rape broke this week, women took to social media sharing accounts of sexual abuse in their own lives using the hashtag #metoo. The outpouring of stories was alarming, but sadly not that surprising given the frequency of high-profile sexual assault scandals that have dominated the media just in the past year. Reports like these give credence to the importance of Lisa Gaeta's self-defense training which isn't simply about fighting off an attacker, but becoming more assertive though communication in everyday life.
Will we all eventually just live in a virtual reality? KJ Knies and Sara Biel are virtual reality designers, entrepreneurs, and a couple. In the past few years, with the release of various headsets and advances in video technology, virtual reality has become more and more accessible to the public, but as a medium it has had a difficult time becoming mainstream. KJ and Sara are in the midst of creating experiences that make the technology relatable, consumable, interactive, and fun. Hear how they are creating exciting content, navigating a relatively unknown medium, and navigating working together as a couple.
“Everyone’s like, Tony, Why are you so confident that you’re going to succeed? And my response is…someone’s got to.”
While he never thought he'd make a living by doing drag, growing up in rural Illinois, Tony Soto always felt he had a unique voice and point of view that should be shared with the world. His creativity as a drag queen starts exactly where you would expect it. Ya gotta get dolled up baby! After some careful adjustments, he slips on the dress, puts on his makeup, and slides into heels, resulting in a supremely confident 7 foot tall alter ego that can get away with anything she wants to.
Narrative experience and escape room designer, Tommy Honton, discusses his biggest creative failure and biggest creative success.
What goes into a musical performance? For Tucson based performance pianist Ian Houghton, it's a commitment to practice, tinkering, having a singular focus for months on end, and never forgetting that music is supposed to be fun. Classical music can be inherently difficult for many to appreciate on a deeper level and it's Ian's goal to make it a relatable genre within the context of today's contemporary world.
Tommy Honton tells the story of why he was fired from his soul sucking job and how it was the catalyst of his current creative endeavor in designing a narrative experience.
Courtney Nichols discusses her biggest creative success and failure and what it took to embrace her creativity.
How do you design adventure? Tommy Honton is a game and narrative experience designer in Los Angeles. Sometimes known as “escape rooms,” Tommy’s 3-D puzzles with their choose-your-own-adventure-style storylines draw people out of their solo, blue-screen existences and thrusts them into a high-stakes, collective, and dynamic environment. Tommy’s best designs are felt more than they are observed. And while the experience may be manufactured, the users’ excitement, fear, and (hopefully) feelings of accomplishement are very real. But the greatest escape Tommy has designed may be his own. In this part II episode, we hear how Tommy escaped and designed his own career change.
Does the idea of planning a party make you want to curl up in a corner and cry? For Courtney Nichols it took numerous attempts at higher education before she finally embraced the idea that she is a creative person. Once she nurtured her penchant for fun, love of disco and fine dining, plus her wild imagination, Courtney became a visionary behind some of the most unique parties in Los Angeles.
National Geographic Cartographer, Rosemary Wardley discusses her biggest creative success and biggest creative failure.
Did you know there are still things to be mapped? As a cartographer for National Geographic, Rosemary Wardley combines science and art to diffuse geographic knowledge to the masses. Working in a field that precedes the ancient Greeks and Romans requires that she be a servant to the past, while continually using modern technology to design maps that are engaging, enjoyable, educational for the end user.
Are you seeking perfection? Joshua Jayindo became an ordained monk in Thailand, taking a vow of celibacy all in an effort to achieve his full potential as a human being. Since leaving the monkhood he is now incorporating his training into his current pursuits as a chef, masseure, husband and father. His life and creativity are guided by the belief that the mind, body, and earth are all interconnected through the transference of energy.
Emily Biondo is a passionate, process-conscious artist and graphic designer based in Washington D.C. who’s work ranges from large-scale interactive art installations to intricate hand-drawn lettering. In her personal, paid, and pro-bono work she combines digital and physical mediums to create art that pops from a distance, draws you in, and begs for a closer, interactive look. We talked about her process, about working with clients, and why creating “the perfect work” would be a major bummer.
New York City portrait photographer, Alan Winslow, approach to his craft is rooted in minimalism and tradition. Rather than take thousands of shots digitally, in hopes of capturing the perfect picture, Alan prefers to shoot on film, giving him more time to set up the frame and get to know his subject. His creative process is finally completed in the darkroom where he perfects the color balance, the composition of the photograph, and creates a physical print.
Can yoga work for you? It’s about stretching your hamstrings and strengthening your biceps, but it’s also about improving your life. As a Yoga instructor in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Tasha Judson believes that small movements can have an enormous impact on fulfilling your potential as a conscious being. Teaching yoga gives her the opportunity to not only relieve her students of stress, but to express themselves creatively through freedom and happiness.
What's the common ground between cancer treatment and beer? As a successful oncologist, Orion Howard approaches each patient with honesty, compassion, and empathy, providing them with a dignified quality of life. His ability to listen and authentically connect with people has been one of the driving forces throughout his medical career and carried over into his new career as co-founder of Bright Ideas Brewing in North Adams, Massachusetts. Like oncology, brewing is a science that requires careful attention to the appropriate mixture of components in order to achieve success while never losing sight of the needs of the patient or the patron.
One more question for pop culture writer for the Washington Post, Elahe Izadi. How do you know if something you've written is good?
But isn't pop culture just celebrity gossip? Elahe Izadi is a journalist for the Washington Post who uses curiosity to fuel her creativity and fear to catalyze her growth as a writer. Covering pop culture, she writes in an entertaining fashion continuously seeking to explore and reflect the attitudes of society within the greater context of the world.
The very nature of politics dictates that while one group of people will be pleased with you, another group will be utterly disappointed with your performance. My guest this week is Greg Lemon who is a communications director and speechwriter on Capitol Hill. At a time when the news cycle never ends, the emails never let up, and the phone continuously rings, he takes a measured approach to politics applying the old baseball adage, “Keep your highs low and your lows high” and focuses on the greater goals of the team, remembering that growth and forward progress takes time. So this is my conversation with Greg Lemon about the design of political communication.
How did you turn failure into success? Brooklyn artist, Claudia Santiso’s willingness to fail, combined with a love of experimenting with those failures, has been the foundation for her burgeoning art career. Her creative evolution as an artist and distinct, if not somewhat improbable style of painting, is a testament to her non-conformist attitude, curiosity, and years of stubborn exploration.
Ever been stumped by a problem? When all of the potential solutions have been exhausted the people of North Adams, Massachusetts turn to the unique skills of Bill Greenwald. He’s a mechanical engineer, a mushroom grower, a pilot, and an airport manager, but at the heart of all of his talents, he is a problem solver. Whether he’s installing a kitchen sink, helping the local water company remain operational, designing the logistics for a dynamic piece of art, or developing a groundbreaking technique for growing Shiitake mushrooms, Bill’s creativity comes in the form of exploring pragmatic, cost effective, solutions to people’s problems.
What does wallpaper have to do with shoe design? Listen to Senior Design Director of Innovation for New Balance, J.F. Fullum, as we delve into his experimental approach to footwear design. Through collaboration with his design team, he creatively explores the future of running, fashion, materials, and technology. By thinking outside the box and drawing inspiration from other industries not typically associated with athletic shoe design, he continually pushes the boundaries of what is possible.
When most people think about public housing they envision the failed high rise apartment buildings that were constructed in the 1950’s and 60’s. Many of those projects evolved into poorly managed slums and ghettos that were eventually demolished. Amy Winter is a planning administrator for the city of Cambridge Massachusetts, who is determined to not repeat the failures of the past. Through community outreach and innovative approaches, Amy and her colleagues are attempting to change the stigma around low income housing.
Professor emeritus, Dan Jones, has been practicing and teaching landscape architecture for over forty years, consulted on a number of seminal development projects, and mentored countless students who went on to have enormous impacts within the field of landscape architecture. Additionally, he’s extensively explored how creativity and design can be applied within the greater context of one’s surroundings.
When you embark on the journey of a relationship, you do so knowing that there are bound to be arguments along the way. By using a focused, measured approach, and a lot of trial and error, Sean Joyce has become an expert in winning these quarrels. Listen to learn his tried and true fighting methods, so you too can win your relationship.
In an age where people can achieve a sense of accomplishment through likes and shares, there are those on the front lines of motivated, grassroots movements, who are taking creative approaches towards advocating for a better future. Community organizers, Sam Jewler and Katie Ashmore are well aware that change takes time, but have discovered that a combination of anger, optimism, and persistence, results in positive growth in society.
One episode for Jeopardy! champion Andrew Lee wasn't enough! Listen to part 2 of his winning story.
Andrew Lee was training for Jeopardy! since childhood and in the summer of 2016 he finally got the call from Alex Trebek that he had been dreaming of. Not only did he appear on the famed game show, but he won! Listen to find out his design of a winning strategy.
CIA trained chef, Tony DiSalvo's approach to cooking has been an evolution in creativity. During his twenty-six years in the industry he's grown to appreciate the simplicity of ingredients, the exploration of world cuisines, and inspiration provided by nature.
Craig Smith's cerebral approach to basketball extends far beyond the court and his story is a lesson in the power of positive thinking. Despite being a talented player in his youth, he was underrated, undervalued, and overlooked. Not to be deterred,he bought into his own abilities and his vision of what he wanted for the future. That vision started to come into focus during his years at Boston College and eventually came to fruition in 2006 when Craig was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Draft.
Fitness is an essential part of Raneir Pollard's life and his belief is that a person's relationship with fitness never ends. Instead it evolves, adapts., and expands through the continual experimentation of workouts and exercises that each individual can get excited about. Age catches up to us all, but there's no reason we should give in, give up, or relax.
Like most people working in the current Renaissance of tech Andy Lawton's story as a developer started with his involvement in the "Tupac Mp3 Chat Forum", quickly rose to NASA, and now the dating app Tinder. Listen to how his failures in life created a chip on his shoulder that pushed him towards the perfection of his craft.
"Persistence and believing in yourself are the things that you have to keep going back to because if you believe in yourself other people are much more likely to believe in you too." Katy Haas acts as a filter for which people, events, perspective, research and history pass through to produce relatable human stories that evoke something grander about the experiences of a time, place, and the human condition.
Brandon Wardell is a stand-up comedian who happens to also be very funny on social media. While he cringes at the term "social media personality", Brandon has triumphantly used Twitter as a lunchpad to success in Hollywood. With his Comedy Central Snapchat show Hot Takes he's managed to blend stand up, pop culture, and social media into one cohesive art form, but will he be on social media forever?
Camden Unglesbee isn't your "typical" stylist. Looking at him you might think he just destroyed a hotel room after a sweaty concert in a basement, but in reality he probably performed a delicate cut and color with a gentle shampoo. As fringe culture has seeped into the mainstream creatives like Camden help push us all to be a little more rock n' roll and embrace the coolest version of ourselves.
Voltaire said, "The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease", but sometimes it's also about the chicks, beer, and not taking yourself too seriously. In order to become an excellent surgeon Dr. Silverman labored over his craft for the past decade, however one of his greatest skills is understanding people. Connecting with his patients, through empathy, kindness, and humor is a crucial aspect of Silverman's approach to medicine and improving their quality of life.
As a musician Leah Gage's primary focus is connection- with her audience, her bandmates, and her community, but in her early twenties she experienced burnout and stepped away from music altogether. After moving back to her hometown of Washington D.C. six years ago her passion for her craft was nourished by the vibrant DIY music scene and as a current member of the bands North Country, Brnda, and Stronger Sex, Leah is now a powerful performer in the community that reignited her creativity.