What We’re Reading (And Watching and Listening To) Right Now

What We’re Reading (And Watching and Listening To) Right Now

With the holidays coming up, we’re about to find ourselves with a lot of extra time. That means time to read, to write, to step away from our computer screens. It means time to recharge – and get inspired for the year ahead.

Perhaps this holiday season, you too will be killing time in cars or airports while traveling to visit loved ones. Or maybe you’re looking for an excuse to step away from a crowded family gathering (don’t worry, we won’t tell).

These books, podcasts and YouTube channels recommended by the Atomicdust team will help you make the most of your time away from the office.

What We’re Reading:

Do the Work by Stephen Pressfield: Do the Work is Stephen Pressfield’s follow up to one of my favorite books on creativity and motivation, The War of Art. Pressfield inspires the reader to get out of their own way when trying to produce great work. – Mike Spakowski

Sprint by Jake Knapp: This year, we’ve adopted a few different workshop offerings for ourselves and for our clients. The workshops were largely influenced by Google Venture’s design sprints, but modified for the way we work. This book is an amazing resource for teams that are looking for new ways to solve problems and create solutions through the sprint method. — Tara Nesbitt

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: Sure it’s from 2011, but it’s still relevant. Thinking, Fast and Slow is a summary of years of research and insight by Daniel Kahneman, winner of a Nobel Prize in Economics. This book dives into the psychology of how humans operate. And any insight gained into how people think is valuable for all communications – both personal and professional. — Ken Earley

Creative Truth by Brad Weaver: This has been my nervous breakdown support book this year. It’s the story of a building a design agency from the ground up, and lessons learned along the way. – Mike Spakowski

Poke the Box by Seth Godin: Being on a team means being unafraid to take the lead when you have an idea and believe in that direction. Poke the Box is a guide on how to not only realize your potential but how to be unapologetic and stand by your decisions. — Tara Nesbitt

Shape Shift Report from Matte Black: Shape Shift Report is a monthly digital magazine that highlights trends in marketing, design and technology. I love that it’s not only informative and thought provoking, but also beautifully designed. I’m planning to catch up on the latest issue and revisit their archives during my downtime this holiday season. — Danielle Hohmeier

Liminal Thinking by Dave Gray: This is on my list of books to read over the holidays. Dave, who’s from St. Louis, is the founder of the design consultancy XPLANE and the author of Gamestorming. Liminal Thinking has been praised as a book for those looking to change the way they think and approach problems.  — Tara Nesbitt

Grit by Angela Duckworth: Angela Duckworth is a psychologist who explores how passion and perseverance lead to success. In Grit, she interviews everyone from the CEO of J.P. Morgan to the cartoon editor at The New Yorker to gain insight into what keeps them performing at the highest level. — Ken Earley

You Are A Message by Guillaume Wolf “Prof. G”: This is a great book to pick up whenever you have some spare time or are lacking inspiration. Each page is a short prompt – typically just a few sentences – to get you thinking about business, design and life. — Danielle Hohmeier

Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner: To be clear, the title probably isn’t what you think. That is, unless you recognize the authors from their infamous book, Freakonomics. In this follow-up, the authors challenge conventional wisdom to provide a fresh approach to solving problems large and small. In marketing – and in life – we have to solve problems day in and day out. So I always jump at the chance to learn more about finding better solutions more efficiently. (And if this book is anything like Freakonomics, it ought to be pretty entertaining.)  — Ken Earley

Content Inc. by Joe Pulizzi: This is a great book with fresh perspective on content marketing, a subject that has been been beaten to death in our industry. Pulizzi opens up about a big idea in marketing that people sometimes forget – that marketing is about building an audience. – Mike Spakowski

And Watching and Listening To:

StartUp Podcast: StartUp highlights plenty of other companies and business owners, but my favorite episodes are always those focusing on its own founders, Gimlet Media. Over the course of the four seasons, they’ve been transparent in their conversations about org charts, advertising, growing pains and financial concerns. It’s brave and insightful storytelling, particularly the episode “Shadowed Qualities” from the latest season. – Danielle Hohmeier

Young House Love Podcast: Young House Love isn’t anything new, but their adventure in podcast land is. The show is about interior design and also just “handy things to know” when it comes to doing DIY things. While it may not be graphic design, the more we work on interiors, the more interesting it is to learn about. — Jessica Davis

Burning Questions with James Victore YouTube Channel: Every morning I wake up early and write. Sometimes it’s tough to get going, so I find myself on YouTube to jumpstart my brain. There are great channels and resources for designers, creatives, and business owners, and James Victore’s channel is one of my favorites. The MOMA Artist (and St. Louis Design Week speaker) answers questions on topics ranging from creativity to business, and he speaks with honesty, courage and perspective. – Mike Spakowski

BuzzFeed’s Internet Explorer Podcast: As Mike would say, “This Internet thing is really catching on.” But that also means it’s getting hard to keep up with. I started listening to this podcast for a laugh (be warned, much of it is NSFW), but it’s helped me stay up to date on the latest memes, conversations and “weirdest corners of the Internet. – Danielle Hohmeier