
The Create Unknown
287 episodes — Page 2 of 6

We’re Back
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’re back at long last! Where have we been, you ask? Find out in today’s episode. Have you missed us? We kick off a return with the only way we know how: talking about… fruitcake. We compare America’s indulgent pastry culture to international traditions as we try to figure out whether or not bigger and sweeter really means better. Next, we break down a viral tweet claiming meal prep is a “hyper-individualistic capitalist construct.” If you couldn’t already guess, we certainly have some thoughts. Then, Kevin takes us behind the scenes of the Polavision documentary project we did over on Popular Science. He shares how we stumbled upon Doc Caps in Vienna and the wild challenges of working with outdated tech. From logistical nightmares to unexpected roadblocks, he breaks down how we overcame it all. After that, we lay it all out on the table. We come clean about the struggles of keeping up with our regular podcast recordings while juggling the documentary, reflecting on the impact of equipment failures, tight schedules, and other setbacks that disrupted our usual routine. Last but certainly not least, we share our plans for getting back on track, including long-awaited interviews with special guests. Big thanks to everyone for tuning in, we’re happy to be back! More to come soon. You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is it Cool to Care Anymore?
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown This week’s episode kicks off with Matt sharing his recent trip to Vegas, where he had a run-in with COVID. From there, we take a trip down memory lane and touch on the fascinating evolution of slot machines. Next, we dive into Rick Beato’s latest video, where he makes a bold claim about kids today and their interests. With Google Trends showing some surprising data, we can’t help but wonder if he’s onto something. But can we trust Google Trends as an accurate measure of interest? We discuss whether our online behavior is skewing the data, thanks to platforms and algorithms tailoring content for us. We also discuss the lost art of small talk and how it feels like we’ve lost common ground for casual conversations. Could looking to the past help us find more meaningful connections today? After that, we shift our attention to some troubling trends about reading comprehension and memory among the youth. This ties into a broader discussion about Dunbar’s number and our cognitive limits – how much can we really keep track of? Kevin jumps in with some practical advice about the importance of picking something to get interested in. Sometimes, diving into a niche might yield more reward than you realize. We wrap things up with an inspiring story from the UFC world. We focus on Alex Pereira’s journey, and how the power of things like passion and dedication can really help in our day to day lives. Thanks to everyone who joined us live, and a special shoutout to our amazing patrons. We’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are Movie Theaters Really Dead?
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown This week’s episode kicks off with some news from the front in Kevin’s war on kidney stones. From there, we jump into some exciting news – Smiling Friends has been renewed for Season 3! We’re pumped to see more of this quirky show and can’t wait to discuss what might be coming next. We also chat about the latest and greatest in Rick and Morty bongs. Yep, you read that right – bongs. Next, we dive into a fascinating discussion inspired by Red Letter Media’s take on the decline of movie theaters. We compare how their take stacks up to some wisdom from TCU alumnus Rick Beato on how kids today experience music. Then, we get right down to brass tacks; is the business model of movie theaters just plain outdated? With TVs getting better and home theaters more common, it seems like it. We explore why home theaters are becoming the go-to for many people and what movie theaters might need to do to keep up. Kevin shares his scathing opinions on the current state of cinema, despite not really being a film snob to begin with. Matt talks about the failings of the Hollywood studio system and why, more often than not, today’s movies don’t hit the mark for him. We finish things off with a discussion on movie length – are films just too long now? We toss around some ideas on what would actually make us excited to go back to the theaters, and whether or not that’s even possible anymore. Big thanks to everyone who joined us live, and a special shoutout to our awesome patrons. We’ll be back next week with more fun discussions and updates! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Reality of the Gamer Economy
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown In this episode, we tackle the recent struggles of Square Enix and the disappointing numbers behind one of their most recent titles. We explore the current state of the video game industry, the surprising adversity to understanding economics, and the tweet that inspired it all. After that, we dive into the importance of purchasing power and the surprising difficulties game developers face competing against “infinite” and free games. Whether you realize it or not, investors play a crucial role in shaping the media landscape. We break down how their demands influence not only the type of games being developed, but the gaming industry overall. Matt fuels his frustrations with gamers while we reflect on the complexities of innovation marketing and how issues like these affect everything, right down to the Taco Bell Big Cheez-It. We round out the episode with a haul from Kevin’s latest dumpster diving expedition, and a nugget of invaluable food-related wisdom from Matt. Thanks to everyone who tuned in, and a big shoutout to our dedicated patrons. We’ll see you next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We Don’t Know What We’re Doing
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown It’s natural to think a good story starts with a rich and vast premise or idea, but as it turns out, that might not be the case. Today we dive into the truth of the matter on how a good story can come from the most seemingly insignificant places. We kick things off with some famous literary examples of this approach, and how we implement them into our own Popular Science videos! We also talk about the faith and willpower it takes to research a new topic. Not sure where that research is taking you? Turns out that most times, it’s better not to know. For the second leg of this week’s episode, we take another stab at Apple for the release of their “Top 100 Albums of All Time” list. We discuss criteria, or lack thereof, and try to understand why the list was written the way it was. We wrap up the episode by discussing which heavy hitters are missing from this list, and entire genres that were just glossed over. Thank you to everyone who joined us live this week, and a special shout out to all of our supportive patrons. We’ll be back again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why Execution Matters
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown The state of comedy has drastically changed over the last decade alone. From the death of the comedy films to the failure of commercialized memes. This week we dive into exactly what happened. We also talk about another commercial failure, Apple’s most recent iPad commercial. We dive into the importance of marketing, the “framing effect” when trying to convey a message to your audience, and where Apple completely dropped the ball. From there we discuss the critical importance of execution, and the surprising challenges can get in the way of properly conveying your creative vision. We also get into the unforeseen challenges, balances, and realities of collaboration under bureaucracy. To top it all off, we explore why any of this even matters in the first place! Thank you to everyone who joined us live this week, and a special shout out to all of our supportive patrons. We’ll be back again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your Goals Should Bore You
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Oftentimes, we set goals for ourselves without ever following through. It happens. But this week, we’re bringing some wisdom to the table from Akira Kurosawa himself to try to help YOU break the cycle. We talk about the true meaning behind “It’s the journey, not the destination” and what it means to be truly driven by your love of working. Kevin gives us some “boner-killing” advice on how to get to the top of the mountain, which leads us to discuss the over-romanticization of reaching your goals. We also dive into the non-linear path of goal-reaching, and the importance of resigning yourself to something useless. Speaking of uselessness, we talk about the uselessness that AI voiceovers would have in our videos, despite the accusations that we’ve been receiving as of late! We wrap up the episode by discussing the fact that frankly, most people don’t know how anything works, and we ruffle some feathers by debunking the myth of work/life balance. Thank you to everyone who joined us live this week, and a special shout out to all of our supportive patrons. We’ll be back again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Executive Producer: Ben Webster Editor: Spencer Vann "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Should Tech Reviewers Lie?
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown If you’ve been on Twitter at all in the past week or so, you’ve probably seen the controversy surrounding TCU alum Marques Brownlee and his most recent tech review. Well, we’ve seen it too, and we have some thoughts. Recently, Marques posted a review of the Humane AI Pin, and it was pretty honest. If you haven’t seen it yet, go check out his video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TitZV6k8zfA&ab_channel=MarquesBrownlee If you’re anything like us, you’re probably thinking this isn’t anything out of the ordinary. But as it turns out, one person in particular didn’t feel the same way. We dive right into the backlash Marques faced, and how it relates to the actual purpose of reviewing something in the first place. This isn’t the first time Marques has given out some harsh criticism to a tech company, though, and it’s actually gone pretty well for him in the past. We talk about the change his reviews have been able to make in the past, the incredible amount of honesty and integrity that go into his reviews, and the importance of potential in developing ANYTHING. After that, we talk about one of the main points of issue that this Twitter critic took with Marques’ video – the title. We get into the lack of understanding people have for what goes into a successful YouTube title, the differences between independent content and major publications, and the major issue with some larger brands, particularly in the game review scene. We round off the episode on a hopeful note, emphasizing the hope Marques actually has for the product. We talk about the insane value a bad review can provide a company, the problem with “shooting the messenger,” and Matt even gives us an incredibly relevant story about his beginnings as a writer. Thank you to everyone who joined us live this week, and a special shout out to all of our supportive patrons. We’ll be back again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The True Cost Of Time (The Lieber Method)
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown For the past few episodes, Matt has been delivering some WISDOM from his reality TV findings. This week, we’re passing the baton off to Kevin to give us some insight into the coveted LIEBER METHOD, and just how important it can be to your everyday life. Kevin is obsessed with a lot of things. From hot dogs to JRPGs, the list is near endless. But there’s one obsession of his that stands above the rest – TIME. Kevin tells us about the constant scheduling calculus he does on a daily basis and the pitfalls of multitasking, and Matt shares some economic knowledge about the undeniable importance of opportunity cost. Then, we get into Kevin’s next deceptively simple step – avoiding problems. You might think you have that one figured out, but there’s a lot more to it than you might think. We talk about the difference saving future time can make, the crucial importance of preparation, and the roads to enriching your life. These steps aren’t without fault, though, and we highlight a few cases where this stuff can really go wrong. Matt talks about the everyday applications of marginal benefit, Kevin tells us a story about sunk costs in a repair job, and we dive deep into the paradoxically expensive nature of trying to save a buck. For every failure, though, there is a Lieber Method success story that makes it all worth it. We talk about a friend’s recent struggles with a raise in rent and apartment hunting, the surprising solution that wound up working out in the end, and how “mortgaging” your future time can actually be beneficial. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week, and thanks especially to all of our patrons. You really make this show happen. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What Is "Trying"? Seriously.
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown If you thought we were done talking about “My 600-lb. Life,” you thought WRONG. Turns out, there’s still plenty more wisdom to be found with this show, and this week we’re back again to dispense some more of it. Matt starts us off by highlighting another critically important concept to the show – trying. It’s a lot harder to define than you might think, but Kevin hits the nail right on the head. We also get into the incredibly famous Yoda quote that’s probably been floating around in your mind already, and the sheer number of different varieties of “trying” there really are. We talk about the importance of mentors, and the dramatic increase in their availability in the internet age. After that, Matt delivers his final big point. His “602-lb.” point, as he calls it. He tells us about the biggest fallacy of all when it comes to, not just weight loss, but trying in general – the cheat day. We talk about the real implications of cheat days, how they apply to real human relationships, and even how they relate to the famous “creator burnout” that seems to have magically disappeared. Then, if you can believe it, we bring together two of the world leaders in “trying:” mechanics, and GAMERS. We talk about the indifference that comes with car trouble, the roadblocks of losing a level, and how navigating those obstacles is crucial to all this. We finish out the discussion with an age old paradox for us here at The Create Unknown – is it actually better for things to be worse? We dive into the value of difficulty, the paradox of choice, and how this all fits into the new work on Popular Science. Matt even gives us another tidbit about his “gamer’s journey.” Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and thank you to all of our patrons who support the show. We’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Wisdom of My 600-Lb. Life
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Recently, Matt went on a little bit of a knowledge binge, but probably not where you’d expect it. This week we’re back to talk about the wisdom of reality television, and how shows like these can really help you learn how to be HUMAN. We kick off the episode with a discussion about the uniquely useful window that reality TV provides to observe actual, real human behavior. While some shows are definitely more narratively driven and sensational than others, shows like “My 600-Lb. Life” tell a different story. After that, we dive right into the thick of it. Matt emphasizes one of the two key pillars of understanding shows like these: motivation vs. discipline. We talk about the shocking simplicity of “motivation,” the very real difficulty of sacrifice, and the part that’s really important in all this – discipline. Then, Matt drops the second key point to really understanding the wisdom of the show: language and accountability. We get into the ironically incorrect nomenclature of the show, the truth about the uselessness of manifestation, and the balance between caring for yourself and others. We round out the episode by bringing it all together and discussing how inseparable these ideas really are. Shows like these might seem like an excuse to gawk at the extreme scenarios of someone’s life, but there’s really more to it than that, and we talk all about the rich vein of knowledge something like 600-Lb. Life can be. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and thanks especially to all of our supportive patrons. We’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kevin Turns in his Gamer Card
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown After another fight with an old friend, Kevin is back with us this week, and he has some grave news… he’s turning in his gamer card. Well, not exactly. If you’ve been listening intently to the show over the past couple months, you probably remember the time Kevin CHEATED DEATH. Or, at least overcame the trials and tribulations of having a kidney stone. Well, turns out that little urinary pebble had some fight left in him, and Kevin was back in the hospital yet again. He tells us about the process of dealing with it again, the likely cause, and his bittersweet breakup with energy drinks. Then we hold a sort of “in memoriam” for Kevin’s long history with energy drinks. He tells us how they fit in his daily routine, WHY they fit in his daily routine, and the happy ending to this sorrowful story. After that, Matt dives into a serious discussion about caffeine, and the deceptively sinister effects it has on all of us. You’re probably wondering, what does ANY of this have to do with creativity? Well, we tie it all together with a theme we’ve been harping on for quite a while now – YOU are the problem. We get into all the ways you might hinder your own productivity, how quitting energy drinks helped Kevin more than he ever imagined, and how Matt’s prescription switch up really changed things for the better. We finish out the episode with a discussion on the near-paradoxical nature of finding the REAL solution to your problems, the shocking amount of control you actually have over outside influences, and the absurdity of… DoorDashing your breakfast. Matt even gives us a useful lesson on food economics at no extra cost. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week, and thanks especially to our patrons. You really do make this show happen. We’ll be back again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our Future with Popular Science
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’ve been away for a little while, but it was for a very good reason. If you haven’t seen the news, we’ve taken over the YouTube channel for POPULAR SCIENCE, and this week we’re here to talk about it. First and foremost, we’d like to thank everyone for the overwhelming support on the first two videos that dropped. You guys really are the best. If you haven’t already seen them, check them out here: https://www.youtube.com/popsci Now if you’ve tuned in to any of the past few TCU episodes, you might think this is our version of the “creator quitting” we’ve been seeing a lot of lately – and you’d be dead wrong. We talk about the slate of new Vsauce2 videos on the way in addition to the new PopSci content, as well as our plans for the TCUniverse going forward. After that we dive deep into our PopSci discussion. We talk about the storied history of the brand as well as our memories of it, the fascinating nature of invention, and the process that went into developing the new logo. Matt even gives us an anecdote about the place that PopSci had on the literal hearth of his childhood home. Then we get into the “Butler in a Box,” and the insane history of the man who made it. We talk all things Gus, the paradoxical nature of the box itself, and the actual use cases for this Amazon Alexa predecessor. This new chapter with Popular Science also got us reflecting on the past, and we finish out the episode with a discussion about the idea of “YouTuber” being a career. We talk about the volatile nature of putting all your eggs in the “creator basket,” the lack of any real barrier to entry, and Kevin shares some stories from his past about moving to the platform full time. Thanks to everyone who joined us live in the Discord, and a special shout out to all of our patrons. We’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Crossroads of Creativity
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’re back again this week for some real INDUSTRY TALK. We talk a lot about the YouTube side of the creative world, but we rarely touch on the more traditional spaces, and this week we’ve got the perfect way in. If you’ve been paying attention online at all recently, you probably noticed one of the biggest additions to the line of “YouTubers quitting” – Rhett and Link. We start off by diving into their unique take on the situation and the surprising new trajectory they’re taking, and we define the two prevailing paths of creativity that seem to be popping up these days. After that, we get into the WHY. It’s no secret that Rhett and Link have been titans of the YouTube world for over a decade at this point, and they’ve made plenty of appearances in traditional spaces as well. We get into all the factors at play when it comes to shifting your creative focus, and there really is more going on than you’d probably think. Then, Matt and Kevin tell us about some of their own expeditions into the traditional world, and just how easily these things can go awry. We talk about the lack of creative control, the expectations of different studios, and the real driving force behind it all. We close out the episode with some advice for people who ARE looking to get funded, and it just so happens to be pretty much in line with all the advice we’ve been dishing out over the past 220 episodes. We talk about the importance of demonstrating value, some TCU alumni who have proven it, and Kevin’s own career plans for the future. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and a special shout out to our patrons. You really make this show happen. We’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Thing We Never Talk About
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown By this point, you’re almost certainly familiar with “The Hero’s Journey.” Even if you don’t know what it is, you’ve seen it a thousand times. Well, this week, we’re here to tell you that it’s FAKE, and the kinds of real stories that nobody seems to talk about anymore. Kevin kicks things off with his recollection of an old episode of Intervention that he saw. Here’s the tl;dr – one man built a business empire for his family, and they were all living pretty comfortably. But then, as all people do, the man passed away and the entire empire crumbled because no one was really able to take up the mantle. We talk about how this kind of story is much more common than you’d think, despite the way we see it on screen. That leads us into a discussion about the very short list of movies and television that come to mind that portray these kinds of stories. Things like The Godfather and Succession come close, but never really hit the mark. Turns out, it’s been quite a long time since anything has. Then we talk about the inevitability of change, and how things you love can fade away without even realizing it. Matt reminds us of his undying love for PsychicPebbles despite his YouTube presence being almost nonexistent after the smashing success of Smiling Friends, and we talk about how unpredictable these situations are despite them being incredibly common. After that, Kevin talks about the astonishing number of people who do good and go completely unrecognized, and Brock Purdy springs to mind yet again. We talk about how The Hero’s Journey is all about saving the world, and how that’s actually much easier than you get led to believe. Matt talks about the importance of transferring values when you do this type of good, and how an interaction during one of his annual grocery store runs showed the kind of spectrum that these good deeds lie on. We round out the episode with a big discussion on RESPONSIBILITY. When you’re in a sort of keystone position like the patriarch of the Intervention family, how much responsibility do you have to keep it going after you’re gone? This sort of thing is crucial to football, relationships, and even writing YouTube videos – it really is everywhere. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week, and a special shout out to all of our supportive patrons. We’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The World is Fake
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’re back again this week, and for this episode we figured we’d tackle a nice easy topic – THE WORLD. Everybody has their own experiences and perceptions of the world around them, but more often than not, those perceptions are just not based in reality at all. This week, we’re here to find out why. We kick things off with a special shout out to long time patron NRM who has really been popping off with his channel “Bear Bites” recently. Check him out here: https://www.youtube.com/@BearBitesShow/videos After that, Kevin plunges us right into the thick of the discussion. We start off by talking about the controversial quarterback that inspired this discussion: Brock Purdy. We talk about the perception of his talent, his ACTUAL talent, and the uniquely quantitative nature of sports. Then, Matt wants to get to the bottom of it all. We talk about the factors that come together to make this disconnect from reality possible, the shockingly common misinterpretation of fairly common terms, and how that all relates to the political climate of today. We touch on the effects of the “tailored experience” that the internet and social media create pretty often on this show, and it’s more relevant now than ever. Matt talks about the critically important difference between this and the idea of an “echo chamber,” the difficulty that comes with finding people with well-rounded perspectives, and the unfortunate reality of wanting to care about any of it in the first place. We close out the episode by SUFFERING. Well, kind of. We talk about the Russian idea of “feeding on suffering,” and the surprisingly optimistic outlook that can provide for you. Matt relates that to his rekindled fixation on the Roman Empire, and Kevin shares some of his recent tea frustrations. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and thanks especially to our supportive patrons. We’ll be back again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Lost Art of Listening
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Have ever tried to hold a conversation with someone and noticed that they haven’t actually been listening to you? Or maybe you’ve noticed you haven’t actually been listening yourself? Well, this issue runs a lot deeper than you probably realize, and this week we’re here to talk about it. Matt kicks things off with a FOUR HOUR conversation he had with some of our patrons in the discord after last week’s recording. He tells us about the general state of conversations today, and the impressive communicator he met at an event that sparked this train of thought. We talk about the shift in how we talk to people across the board, and the growing list of things that don’t even require human interaction anymore. Then Kevin highlights the absolute WORST way to interview someone, and the clear similarities that has to everyday interactions. We talk about the critical importance of listening and how that should shape conversation, and we relate that to our near five-year run in doing just that on this show. Unfortunately, though, there may not be a whole lot we can do about it – not deliberately at least. Kevin emphasizes the need for natural change, Matt talks about the loss of community activities, and we come to some tragic realizations about how it shapes storytelling today. After that, Matt tells a uniquely personal story about bowling and ice cream, and we talk about how experiences like that shape artists. We dive into the apparent lack of writers with those kinds of experiences, and how that shows up in pretty much all popular media these days. We round out the episode by talking about the importance of surprise and discomfort, the tragic inability to “tickle yourself,” and the surprising importance of HANDS. It all makes a lot more sense than you might think, trust us. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live, and a special shout out to all of our patrons. You make this show happen. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kevin Cheats Death
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Fitting right in with our all-too-common theme of “life-stopping interruptions,” we had to take a little time off last week. Why, you might ask? Because Kevin single handedly CHEATED DEATH. Kind of. Kevin starts off his story by describing the “odd twinge” he felt one day, and the increasingly unbearable pain that accompanied him on the drive to the hospital. Matt digs to get into the gritty details, and Kevin talks about his unexpected difficulty in the emergency room. Then we talk about the surprising difference between morphine in the movies, and what actually happens in real life. Kevin gets a CT scan, and along with it a surprising diagnosis: a kidney stone. He talks about the process of getting the scan, and the deviously deceptive nature of his symptoms. We round out the episode by talking about the REAL benefit of passing a kidney stone – the amazing conversation starter that comes with it. Matt gives Kevin a new title, and we speculate on how people in the past had to deal with these horrific nuisances. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live, and a special shout out to our supportive patrons. We’ll see you all next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why Are YouTubers Retiring?
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown If you’ve been on YouTube at all these past couple of weeks, you’ve probably noticed the astonishing number of creators announcing their RETIREMENT. People like Meat Canyon, Tom Scott, and even MatPat of Game Theory fame are all changing directions with their content, or stepping away from YouTube altogether. We’re here to talk about why. We kick off the episode by highlighting some of the major announcements that have been posted recently. Whether they’re about a change in content style, or a complete, formal retirement, they all have one thing in common – these people are at the top of their game. We also talk about the possible “time limit” on a grind-heavy operation like the ones these creators are running. Is there a set amount of time someone can create like this, or is it something else? How much do real-life changes get in the way of things? Why stop at all? In his true scholarly fashion, Kevin has been studying these videos since they started popping up. If you’re just as curious about them as we are, you’re in luck, because he’s prepared a series of six key points that all these announcements touch on. We talk about the entirely unique nature of a career as a YouTuber, the influence of the parasocial relationship, and the role that an artist’s motivation plays in all of it. We round out the episode by looking to the future, but this time it’s not our own. We get into the probable increase in YouTuber retirements over the coming months, and the incredibly strong position that a career as a content creator can put you in. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and a special shout out to all our patrons. You really make this show happen. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Introspection is a Necessary Mess
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown If there’s one thing everyone’s got, it’s an opinion, and you’re probably pretty clear on where you stand for most things. Whether it’s Matt’s laundry-list country songs or the chugging distorted guitars of Kevin’s favorite music, you know what you do like and what you don’t. But have you ever really stopped to think about why? This week, we’re here to get you to at least try. First, though, we kick off the episode by talking about the strange time of year between Christmas and New Year’s that Kevin has given an affectionately vile name. People generally don’t expect much of you during this week-long span, but we talk a bit about the serious grinding we’ve been up to through it all. After that, Kevin starts off our discussion by talking about some of the difficulties he has articulating some of his thoughts. We talk about how easy it is to have an opinion on something, and the surprising lack of people who take that next step to figure out WHY you have it in the first place. Then, we take that and evolve it into the topic at large for this episode – introspection. When you start to think about your motivations for liking a thing, it gets a whole lot easier to understand not just yourself, but the world around you as well. We get into just how important that process can be, how it relates to famous auteurs like Wes Anderson, and how much of a difference it makes when you inevitably face some change in your life. We round out the episode by looking into the new year, and how we can apply all this going forward. You really have to think about whether or not you’re even trying to know who you are, or if you’re not even interested at all. Kevin talks about the mental exercises required to grow that “muscle,” and Matt gives us a clear set of steps that’ll help you reach the optimal end-goal. Thanks to everyone who supported the show in 2023 – exciting things to come in the new year! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our Losing Battle With YouTube
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown After Kevin’s miraculous recovery from an intense bout of the flu, we are BACK to talk about a controversy that slammed the Vsauce2 channel recently. This week, we’re recounting the epic tale of Kevin’s battle against YouTube’s age restriction. To get the full story on what we’re talking about this week, take a look at the infamous video on Soviet Science that sparked the controversy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhSBQOTW018&ab_channel=Vsauce2 If you’ve already seen it, the gist of the whole debacle is this: YouTube age restricted the video. That meant the only people that could see it were people who were above the age of 18 AND were signed into their YouTube account. Why did they restrict it? We have no idea. We talk about the complete lack of shocking content in the video, the ACTUAL demographic it catered to, and the colossally negative impact age restriction can have on a video. Then, we get into the nitty gritty about this particular struggle. We talk specifics about receiving a flag on a video, the intricacies of post-COPPA regulations, and the actual process of getting your video reviewed – this time, YouTube dropped the ball on all of them. Naturally, Kevin tried to reverse the restriction. He details the shocking number of hoops he had to jump through just to get a response from YouTube, and the incredibly underwhelming result when he finally got it. We get into all the fixes we tried to remedy the situation, what actually worked, and the inevitable fallout that came with it. During this entire process, Matt fired back on Twitter with a thread showcasing an absurd number of videos with much more graphic content that received zero restrictions whatsoever. Kevin talks about the incredibly incorrect reasoning YouTube gave for the restriction, and Matt emphasizes the real-life consequences of an ordeal like this. We do finish out the episode on a somewhat positive note, though, as we look to the rapidly approaching new year. Kevin talks about overcoming his content-halting illness, Matt talks about the increasingly efficient process of his voiceover work, and we briefly look back on the catalog of content we released this year. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and a special thank you to our supportive patrons. We’ll be back again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

YouTube's Plagiarism Problem
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown If you’re at all tapped-in to the YouTube “drama” scene, then you’ve probably watched (or at least heard about) hbomberguy’s latest video: “Plagiarism and You(Tube).” This week we’re here to decide – is it really the big issue everyone thinks it is? Check out hbomberguy’s video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDp3cB5fHXQ&ab_channel=hbomberguy We start off the episode by discussing the state of plagiarism on the platform today, and there’s a lot more to it than you might realize. We talk about the challenges that come with telling a story that’s been told before, Matt tells us about his extensive career as an editor, and we tie all that into a video Matt did with the Foundation for Economic Education recently. Then, Matt officially coins a term he’s been using a lot lately. A lot of creators who write their own content tend to be, as he calls them, “Wikipedia readers.” We talk about the difficulty of actually doing worthwhile research, the importance of providing context, and how all that can really set your content apart. After that, we provide some real-world examples of the types of plagiarized content we’ve been seeing over the past few years. There are some cut-and-dry instances of this type of theft in your “reaction” creators of the world, but there are also people like James Rolfe (aka AVGN) and Internet Historian whose stories are a little more nuanced. We finish out the episode by talking about how unfortunately easy it can be to get caught in this cycle, even if you’re not aware of it. From small examples like recipe disputes to gigantic ones like running for President of the United States – this stuff really comes up everywhere. We also talk about the seemingly decreasing level of weight accusations of plagiarism seem to carry anymore, and whether or not most people care at all. Thanks to everyone who joined the live recording this week, and a huge shout out to all of our supportive patrons. We’ll see you again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

YouTubers Are Hitting The Wall
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown If you fall into the trap of kicking the can down the road on your ideas (like most people do), this week’s episode might be a bit of a rude awakening for you. Why’s that, you might ask? Because TIME IS RUNNING OUT, and “the wall” of creativity is approaching faster than you think. But before we spell out your IMPENDING DOOM, we kick off the episode with a huge shoutout to TCU alum Andrew Bowser for the release of his new movie “Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls.” If you’re looking for an example of making something and meaning something, go listen to our episode with Andrew and snag yourself a copy of the movie. You won’t regret it. (Check out our episode with Andrew here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoJAfgmi07M&ab_channel=TheCreateUnknown) After the well-deserved round of congratulations, Kevin drops this week’s bomb: the creative wall. He kicks it off with a conversation he had with Adventure Time producer Fred Seibert, who likened the creatives of the world to a burning fuse. A lot of people have a hot, burning passion for their projects in their twenties – not many people can keep that passion going. Then Kevin compares that idea to his own YouTube career, as well as the careers of the creators he’s worked with for years now. Matt draws a pretty clear sports comparison, and we make it pretty clear that this is all much more motivational than it is cautionary. After that, Matt steers the conversation in a pretty important direction. Sure, the wall is inevitable. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the END. We talk about the necessity of changing your trajectory as your life does. From professional athletes to successful novelists, and even our very own producer Ben – this happens everywhere. We finish out the episode with a pretty hard pivot to the new Squid Game show on Netflix, and the controversy surrounding it. There’s been a lot of discussion about the real meaning behind the original series, and the seemingly ironic spin Netflix has put on the new game show version, but it looks like most people across the board are getting the wrong takeaway. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and a huge shout out to our supportive patrons who make this show possible. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stop Dreaming, Start Doing
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown This week, we’re back to CRUSH YOUR DREAMS. Well, maybe that’s a little extreme. But we ARE here to tell you to get those dreams out of your head and into reality. Kevin kicks off the episode by bringing up a tweet from friend of the show Justin Whang that sparked this discussion. Whang recently talked about the types of people who consider themselves to be “creatives,” and whether or not they actually make anything. We take that one step further to develop an all new category of person: the dreamer. After that, Matt rattles off a few strong examples of the types of dreamers he’s encountered in his life, and how he avoids becoming one himself. From writers, to gamblers, and even entrepreneurs – this idea extends much further than just making content for YouTube. Then we think back on another TCU alumnus whose increasingly impressive fitness journey exemplifies our newfound theory: Art from TheGamerFromMars. Matt talks about the different levels of intentionality in this whole process, and Kevin ties it all together with some recent NFL heckling on Twitter. There is one nice thing about being a dreamer though – you never have to stop feeling good about your ideas. And while that might be true to a degree, there are some pretty major pitfalls that a line of thinking like that can lead to. You never know what you’re missing out on until you actually DO THE THING. Kevin finishes off the episode with a discussion about the surprising lack of employment in a lot of industries these days, and how that compares to the strong aversion to ‘grind culture’ that has popped up in the last couple years. We talk about the importance of a solid workflow, the primer shortage for ammunition in the US, and Matt even manages to work in a solid Ayn Rand reference. Thanks to everyone who tuned in on Discord this week, and thanks especially to our ever-supportive patrons. We’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do One Thing A Day
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown If you’re a long time listener of this show, you know we tend to get pretty conceptual with our advice. Well this week we’re doing the opposite, and Kevin’s got a new rule that’s simpler and more effective than ever. Before we get to that, though, Matt kicks things off with a continuation of his discussion from last week’s after-show chat. Have you ever wondered when and where the highest concentration of diarrhea on US soil was? Me neither. But Matt’s got some theories. Then, Kevin delivers his new golden rule: do one thing a day that you don’t have to. There’s probably a lot of tasks in your life that are far from pressing, and that you really don’t want to do in the first place – but we’re here to tell you to GET THEM DONE. We talk about the importance of a clean room, the extreme conditions of Hoarders, and Matt’s latest woodworking woes. After that, Kevin gets one of his latest gripes off his chest, and it couldn’t be a better example of what we’re talking about here. He’s noticed an astounding lack of light switch covers in houses lately, on TV or otherwise, and he can’t help but ask – what’s stopping you from getting one? We talk about the ease of a lot of these tasks, and the shocking reality of the “you live like this?” meme. Matt highlights the slog that comes with working on something, even if you’re passionate about it. We talk about the writer’s aversion to writing, the grind of making YouTube content, and where the payoff really fits in to all of it. We round out the episode by emphasizing that you don’t really know the importance of doing a task until you actually DO IT. From wearing safety glasses to changing a license plate, or even writing a compelling “wacky neighbor” in a sitcom – you just don’t know what the risk/reward is going to be until you actually do the thing. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week, and a special shout out to each and every one of our patrons – you really make this show happen. We’ll be back again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Invest in Useless Stuff
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown When you watched the latest Vsauce2 video, did you notice something a little out of the ordinary in the intro? Maybe the Vietnam War-era BOMB? How did we get our hands on something so useless? Why do we have something like that in the first place? Well, that’s exactly what we’re here to tell you this week. Matt kicks off the episode with the surprisingly eventful story of how he got his hands on the old deactivated bomb in the first place. Public radio, political intrigue, a daring escape – it has all the makings of a lackluster Bond movie. Then he tells us about how the bomb sat dormant for 19 years, and all the failed plans he had for it. Then Kevin talks about the difficulty of implementing it in the latest video. First of all, it’s huge. Like 3-4 feet. So fitting it in frame was a hurdle in itself. Then he talks about the challenges that came with attaching a fuse to the bomb, which leads to a shocking discovery that I promise you’re not ready for. So, what does Matt’s old scrap metal sarcophagus have to do with anything? It might seem like it was a useless acquisition, and that’s because it was up until this video – but that’s the point. From there, we dive into a discussion about the critical importance of doing USELESS THINGS, because you really never know when they could turn out to be incredibly useful. Kevin leads the discussion with a classic comparison to The Karate Kid, and the profound wisdom of Mr. Miyagi’s tutelage. Matt talks about the necessity of useless stuff to actually deal with anything at a high level, Kevin highlights the REAL failure of the US education system, and we get into how all this fits into just talking to people in general. We round out the episode by talking about critical thinking, and according to Matt, it’s a total MYTH. We talk about the necessity for seemingly unrelated knowledge, the mind games of poker, and we even touch on human consciousness. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and a special shout out to our Patrons. This show couldn’t happen without you. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why We Disappeared
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown After an unprecedented month-long hiatus, we are BACK, and this week we’re here to tell you exactly why we took a break. Sometimes life gets in the way, and lately Kevin has had to do some serious chainsaw juggling to get his affairs in order, but luckily there’s a big lesson to be learned in all of this. So – why were we gone? Well, the short answer is that Kevin moved, and he’s got a fancy new studio to go along with it. But the new pad isn’t the only thing on Kevin’s plate, and we dive deep into how vitally important it is to get your life in order when it comes to doing ANYTHING creative. We talk about the importance of having a stable life foundation if you want to truly make something and mean something. Matt talks about the necessity of having as much freedom from problems as possible. You can be an absent, cluttered, Hemingway-type alcoholic all you want – just as long as you’ve got your life TOGETHER. Then Kevin tells us about what, to him, has been a surprising lack of understanding about all this. Turns out, most people just don’t understand how crucial it is to just get things done before you get to what you REALLY want. He also gives us an inside look into his life as a “clean creator,” and we talk about how important having a good, consistent setup has been to that lifestyle. After that, Matt talks about the importance of creating the right conditions for yourself to be able to create at all. Sure, we can talk about thumbnails and CTR all day, but none of that matters if the rest of your life isn’t set up to support that. Good habits go an unbelievably long way, and if you’re not in control of yourself, you’re not in control of anything at all. We round out the episode with a story from Matt about his recent forays into hiring, and how his criteria have shifted dramatically toward completely non-technical attributes. We talk about the qualities of a person that go mistakenly overlooked, and we also develop a much more dicey tagline for the show. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live after our much-needed break, and thanks especially to the patrons who continue to support us through it all. You guys are really the best. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why Experience Matters
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown The Create Unknown is a podcast BY creatives FOR creatives, so it’s probably no shock that the process of coming up with an idea is on our minds pretty often. This week, we’re getting to the root of that process, and diving into the undeniable value of EXPERIENCE. Matt kicks off the episode with some discussion on literacy, and the deceptively simple similarity that can be drawn to idea generation. You might not think about it much, but just having some real world experience is incredibly crucial to just being able to understand whatever it is you’re reading. Knowing the difference between “basketball” and “pickleball” gets substantially easier as you age. Then Kevin ties it into our bigger theme of IDEAS. Much like reading, it’s a whole lot easier to come up with ideas if you have a pool of experience to draw from. Matt and Kevin get into the experiences that put them out of their comfort zone, including Kevin’s surprise Christmas Eve eviction, and we dissect the value that came from each of those endeavors. After that, we circle back around to a topic that spanned multiple episodes this past summer – the risk aversion of Gen Z. Kevin tells us about a thread he saw dissuading kids from riding the bus to school, and we talk about the importance of new experiences, especially in the formative years of a person’s life. We close out the episode with some more experiences that shaped Matt and Kevin. We talk about the simplicity of log splitting, the benefits of eating dinner with another family at a sleepover, and ARMING THE YOUTH. Thanks to everyone who joined the live show this week, and a huge shout out to all of our patrons. You really make this show happen. We’ll see you again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do People Like Things Anymore?
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown This week we’re addressing a seemingly simple question: do people like anything anymore? You might think you have the answer, but there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye. We kick off the episode with a discussion about Twitter/X, and how it relates to this supposed lack of enjoyment everyone seems to be feeling. We talk about the effect your interactions have on a platform like Twitter, and Kevin gives us a guide to achieving perfectly curated content like his. Then Kevin tells us a bit about what HE enjoys. He talks about the sheer joy things like the NFL and UFC bring him, and the surprisingly hilarious community that those sports foster. He also talks a bit about his love for gaming, and the unfortunate circumstances that led him to distance himself from gaming content online. If you’re not really interested in anything, though, it might not be your fault. The more we think about it, the more we realize that things may just not be as interesting as they used to. Tech is becoming less groundbreaking, movies are bombing at the box office, and even bowling is starting to lose Matt. But why is that? And what do we do about any of it? Then Matt drops some hard, introspective knowledge, because as it turns out, the problem might just be you. It may have been easier to enjoy things in the past, but that doesn’t make it impossible to enjoy things now. We finish out the episode by talking about the changing responsibilities in navigating these issues, how to actually seek out your interests, and the shockingly crucial role that self confidence plays in all of this. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and thanks especially to our patrons. You really make this show happen. We’ll be back again next week, see you then! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why YouTube Videos Are Getting Longer
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’re BACK after a brief week-long break to discuss the reason for our hiatus: LONG FORM CONTENT. Kevin and Matt recently uploaded a full 50 minutes of educational goodness over on Vsauce2, and if you haven’t taken a look at that yet, you should do so RIGHT NOW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okOfvMY5wOI&t=17s&ab_channel=Vsauce2 Kevin kicks off our discussion by talking about the near-180 he’s taken when it comes to conceptualizing just what a YouTube video should look like. We talk about the rapidly changing tastes of the average online consumer, and what it takes to actually get a long video like this RIGHT. Then we dive into a conversation “Kitchen Nightmares,” and it’s actually a lot more relevant than you might think. We emphasize the importance of change, and just how crucial it is to continued success. Kevin talks a bit about the difficulty he had embracing change on Vsauce2, and how it actually paid off in the end. We’ve been talking for a while about quantity when it comes to making videos, but now it’s time to talk QUALITY. Sure, making a long form video can be tough in and of itself, but making sure there’s actually some worthwhile meat on the proverbial bones is where it really gets hard. Matt and Kevin talk about the extensive research that goes into the Vsauce2 production process, and how important it is to the finished product. We close out the episode by highlighting some of the logistical difficulties that come with making longer content, how important it is to fill out your niche so that you can “rise to the top,” and Matt and Kevin recount the tale of the stolen wedding Slim Jims. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and a huge shout out to our ever-supportive patrons. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Remembering Cripp Daddy
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown A few days ago, we unfortunately lost our dear friend, ultra-talented comedian, and TCU alumnus Donavan, a.k.a. “Cripp Daddy.” This week, we’re celebrating his life the way he would have wanted. By joking about Eric Clapton’s son. Donavan absolutely exemplified the TCU mission of “make something, mean something.” We highlight all of his truly amazing accomplishments over the past few years – from building a twitter empire to touring the country performing his comedy, and still working on killer collaborations with other creators in the process, Donavan truly did it all. Kevin also shares a story about his trip to the dump in his Donavan x Ricky Berwick “Disabled and Violent” shirt, and the hilarious interaction that ensued. We also dive into Donavan’s iconic “Clapton” jokes, and we can only imagine the kind of fun he’s having with them right now. Then we get into the insane level of difficulty that comes with doing stand up comedy, and Matt shares some stories of his days attending open mic nights. That kind of comedy is tough to break into, let alone be good at that, but Donavan really did crush it. There’s no clear reason at all to do stand up comedy, but when somebody like him chooses to do it anyway and knocks it out of the park, it stands as an inspiring testament to overcoming that self-doubt that we all have. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week to celebrate Donavan. He was a friend to many in the TCUniverse, and without a doubt one of the funniest people out there. Check out his episode with us here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0LRX3vHpSo&ab_channel=TheCreateUnknown You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Dystopia
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’ve done a pretty substantial number of these solo episodes now, with topics ranging from AI, to NPCs, and we’ve even imparted out patented TCU “rules for success.” But there is one topic we haven’t touched on yet, and it’s ironically the one that Matt and Kevin discuss the most – food. We kick off the conversation by highlighting a new disturbing phenomenon in the culinary world that is the Cinnamon Toast Crunch craze. If you can think of a way to eat CTC, odds are pretty good that it already exists. We talk about the cost that comes with consuming these products, the apparent disappearance of monitoring food intake, and the willpower required to overcome it all. After that, we dive into the diversification of the food market at large. Matt brings us back to the old days of eating like rabbits, and how that compares to the McDonald’s salads of today. Kevin highlights the duality of junk food decisions, and we get pretty honest about some of the food-related misinformation that exists out there. You may be wondering, “what does this have to do with anything at all?” Well, it turns out the answer is EVERYTHING. We talk about the enormous impact your diet has on everyday things like productivity, your general health – even your ability to just be creative, and all of this only gets more true as time marches on. Look, all of this seems pretty bad, and it’s only getting harder by the day. But there’s a pretty massive silver lining here that almost makes it all worthwhile, and Kevin outlines exactly that. We finish out the episode with some serious positives for being conscious of these issues that go so much deeper than just vanity itself. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and a special shout out to all of our patrons. You really make this show happen. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why Kindness is a Rarity
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown This week, we’re diving into a virtue that has become a surprising rarity these days: kindness. Whether it’s mowing back the weeds on the side of the road, or helping someone tow their car hours out of your way, acts of generosity seem to be getting fewer and farther between – but we’re here to get to the bottom of it. Kevin kicks off the episode with a couple recent examples of this that took him by surprise. He tells us about these shocking feats of generosity, and Matt relates with a recording breaking run from Boston, MA to Cooperstown, NY. There are some valid reasons to be apprehensive about being so giving, though, like the likelihood of being taken advantage of, and we explore that exact possibility as it happened to Matt in his travels. There’s also much more of a dynamic at play to these things than people realize, and how you receive help can be just as important as giving it. After that, Kevin gives a topical answer to relate it all to the creator space through Captain Dissolution. He’s been making videos for years on YouTube debunking various visual effects, and we go deep into the core philosophy of the motivations required to do something like that. People aren’t always grateful for your help, though, and Matt gives us a perfect example from his vigilante days in Whales. Kevin highlights the importance of contributing in a culture of receiving, and we highlight the importance of actually executing on your ideas. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and a special shoutout to our supportive Patrons who make this show happen. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our 200th Episode
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown After over four years, we’ve finally made it to our 200th episode.Thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way, and to those who continue to support us as we go deeper into the Unknown. This week, though, we’re tabling our big celebration and saving it for a better day. We start off the episode by sharing some memories of Paul Reubens (aka Pee Wee Herman) who recently passed away. Matt claims him as the “last surviving pride” of Oneonta, NY and shares some vivid childhood memories, and we also come to the conclusion that he would be a massive success if he were creating content on YouTube today. Then we do a brief retrospective on the past few years of The Create Unknown. Matt distills 200 episodes of advice into one nugget of wisdom, Kevin shares the expectations he had for the creative landscape, and we discuss the surprising pushback that we’ve received. We finish off the episode by highlighting some TCU alumni who have gone above and beyond, how best to encourage people to go that extra mile, and the importance of finding motivation from others, not just yourself. A big thank you to everyone who has entered The Create Unknown with us over these past 200 episodes, and thanks especially to our wonderful patrons who make it all happen each and every week. Here’s to another 200! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Increasing Frailty of the Human Mind
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’ve noticed a pretty weird trend in the Twitter/X world recently, and we’re not quite sure what to make of it, but we have come to one conclusion – people are getting frail. Kevin kicks off the episode with the tweet that inspired this discussion. It shows a screenshot from a TikTok about someone who doesn’t have as much of a grasp on genetics as they might think, and there are a shocking number of people that agree with her. All this raises a number of questions like, do these people have others around to filter them? Is it all just well-placed bait? And how does freedom of expression on these platforms fit into it all? Then we dive into the role that responsibility plays, and just how far refusing to take it can set you back. That leads us into another example about supposed “bodybuilding” that takes a surprising turn midway through. Kevin talks about selection bias, Matt details how he specifically curates his Twitter feed, and we discuss the time honored tradition of slapstick humor. We finish things up by looking back on the hilariously bad auditions for shows like American Idol and The X Factor, and the sheer confidence those people exuded. We talk about the ever-growing art of being confidently wrong, and Matt talks about his most recent online spat. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live, and thanks especially to our supportive patrons. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPC TikTok - Dumbest Content Ever?
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Over the years, online content has had its fair share of strange evolutions – but nothing comes close to this. This week, we’re dissecting a very specific and strange TikTok from a user who reacts to viewer donations at record speeds, and trying to figure out just what it means for the future of content. First, we try to figure out exactly what it is that makes this content so strange. We come to the conclusion that it’s essentially the next step in childrens’ content. But what is the actual demographic for these things? How long are people watching? Does it have any sort of longevity at all? This TikTok also sparked a pretty strong connection to Kevin’s youth, as he draws the comparison to Richard Pryor’s hit 1982 film “The Toy.” We talk about the shocking similarities to the plot of that movie, as well as some clear comparisons to Mr. Beast’s content. Sure, this type of content can be pretty easy to laugh at or brush off – but is it valid entertainment? Why do people like it? Is it just a sign of generational change? How does it compare to things like mukbangs, or even Family Guy? We finish off the episode by talking about the different evolutions of media over the generations, and how people react to them. Things like this seem pretty dumb now, but the past may not have been as scholarly as you think, as evident by the hit song “There’s a Skeeter on my Peter.” We talk about a possible shift in the perception of this content, ways it could evolve, and the overall agency of these creators at large. Thanks to everyone who tuned in this week, and a big shout out to our patrons. You really make this show happen. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Get Comfortable Being Weird
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Nearly every successful person ever has had one thing in common – they’re all WEIRD. If you’re looking for any kind of success, or if you’re just looking to stand out, you’re gonna need to get used to being weird too. But don’t worry, that’s where we come in. Kevin starts things off by touching on a video from Mark Manson that inspired today’s discussion. If you haven’t seen it yourself, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZJpU43NA0c&ab_channel=MarkManson After a brief detailing of Matt’s history with magazine subscriptions, Kevin tells us about the early days of his YouTube career. YouTube wasn’t really much of anything back then, let alone a career, so it’s no shock that people thought he was weird for investing so much time into it. Matt also tells us about his own weirdness around the same time as he gallivanted across the European continent for no discernible reason. Then we transition to some actionable advice. Kevin gives some killer tips on how to be comfortable in accepting your strangeness, Matt lets us in on the secret to shrugging off the criticism, and we talk about the shockingly small size of the “tiny weirdo club.” After that, we get serious – literally. We talk a bit about what it actually means to lead a serious life, and how confronting that reality can be tough. We mention some of our most deceptively serious TCU alumni, and we highlight some of the common misconceptions about getting serious altogether. We finish off the episode by discussing just how important it is to GET OUT into the real world and experience all these things first hand. It really does bring a different meaning to it all that you just can’t find anywhere else. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week, and thanks to our ever-supportive patrons. We’ll be back again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why AI Can’t Wipe Us Out
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown There’s a lot of doomer talk that goes on when anybody brings up the subject of AI. But don’t worry, dear listener, because we’ve got some hard evidence that will put those fears to rest – and it all stems from… a 90s TV show. Kevin kicks off the episode with an in depth exploration of the show that inspired his latest revelation: American Gladiators. We get a brief history of the show, why it was popular, and why it ultimately failed. As it turns out, that failure serves as pretty solid evidence in the case against AI dominance. Then we talk about one of the most critical components of any creative endeavor – the human element. We talk about how crucial that element was to American Gladiators, the importance of characters in the narrative of life, and even the rationale behind weather forecasting fame. We finish out the episode by tackling some of the heavy-hitter topics, like how much do people actually need to care? Do they really want an authentic experience? Would you pay millions of dollars for a Picasso fart? Thanks to everyone who tuned in for the live show this week, and thanks especially to our patrons. You make this show happen. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is YouTube Becoming a Listening App?
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown For years now, YouTube has been the premiere source of visual entertainment online – but is all that changing? This week we’re talking about this apparent shift on the platform, and how many more people are LISTENING to their content, rather than watching. Kevin kicks off the episode by reminiscing about his diner lunch with TCU alum Art (aka TheGamerFromMars) that sparked this entire conversation. Matt tells us about his viewing/listening habits, and we dive into the kinds of content that fit for each. Then we talk about the colossal rise in long-form videos on Youtube, and how that compares to the philosophy of making videos five years ago. We get into the process of making cuts for a video, uploading highlights, and what all that looks like in the new YouTube ecosystem. Kevin rounds out the episode with his “Rick Beato hypothesis” on why people prefer to listen to YouTube over watching it, and it makes a shocking amount of sense. We also emphasize the astonishing popularity of longer videos, and how that trend is showing up on Vsauce2. Thanks to everyone who joined us this week, and to our patrons who make this show happen. We’ll see you again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Zoomer Responds To Our Boomer Worries
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’ve been talking a lot about ZOOMERS the last few weeks, but for this episode we figured it was high time we had some boots on the ground. Producer Ben returns to The Create Unknown this week to give us his perspective on the supposedly “risk averse” youth, and whether or not there’s any truth to it. We kick off the episode by responding to some of the comments on our previous podcast. If you’re not the best, is it better to be the worst? Is being creative a waste if no one is around to see it? Where does Matt get his tree jerking machines? All very great questions, and we encourage you all to leave more! Then we examine Ben’s life a little more. When he’s not working on this podcast, he’s studying at a University, producing TV shows, and traveling around playing rock concerts. So we want to know – why does he do things? Are the people around him any different? Is it as bad as people say? We also try to pick apart Ben’s brain to figure out exactly WHY he is the way he is, and he explains the intriguing blend of small-town living, podcast producing, and outside pressures that brought him to where he is today. We talk a lot about zoomers AVOIDING risk, but there might actually be some things that are more dangerous than ever before. We dissect the intricacies of using things like instagram and twitter, the consequences things like that might have, and whether or not it’s actually detrimental to young people today. We finish off this episode with more questions than we’ve ever had. How do you teach someone to be ambitious? How do you handle things completely out of your control? How can you explain the importance of something you can’t even conceive of? We try our best to answer those questions, and Ben gives us his simple three-step plan for success. Thanks to everyone who joined us this week, and to our patrons who continue to make this show happen. We’ll be back again next week, see you then! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have We Reached Peak Success?
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Over the years, the number of resources available to creatives has grown at an absolutely astounding rate. So… why isn’t anyone doing anything? This week we’re diving into exactly that, and trying to answer one simple question: have we reached peak success? We kick things off with an anecdote from Kevin’s early days as a YouTuber. He anticipated that, in the future, good talent on the internet was going to be a dime a dozen. In reality, though, things didn’t really shake out that way, and we pick apart why we think that is. Then we talk a bit about the possibility of peak success, and what that might look like. We get into the incentive and motivation to create in a world full of people more successful than you, and what you can do as a creator to create your own path. We round out the episode by dunking on MILLENNIALS and their seemingly non-existent knack for storytelling. Matt goes on another famous rant about classic literature and its importance in the modern age, and Kevin gives some valuable insights on the current creative landscape. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and thanks especially to all of our supportive patrons. We’ll be back next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Owning A Business Can Suck
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown There’s a lot of fist shaking that goes on when you talk about business owners. And sure, the Jeff Bezoses and the Elon Musks of the world might have it coming. But we’re here to talk about the real harsh realities of owning a business – because most of the time, it sucks. We kick off the episode by talking about the people who are truly successful, the 1% of the 1%, and how hyper rare that actually is. Then we shed a little light on the rest of the business owners, and how almost all of them wind up getting nowhere near that level of success. Then we get into the economic nitty gritty of it all, and how revenue can be pretty deceptive when talking about the success of a business. We talk about the entrepreneurial mindset, the volatile nature of success, and how all of that relates to most of the creatives we talk to on this show. Kevin tells us about his recent Shark Tank habits, and how the realities of the show inspired this whole conversation. We also talk about the endgame of owning a business to begin with, and how important it is to balance those goals. We finish off the episode by talking about just a fraction of the risks involved with business ownership, and how critical it is to be able to handle them all. We talk about the strain it can put on all aspects of your life, and the dramatic increase in responsibility that comes with it. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week, and thanks especially to our supportive patrons. We’ll see you again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AI is Scamming YouTube
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown Over the past couple years, artificial intelligence has drastically changed the online landscape. Now, it’s finally hitting Kevin’s home turf – YouTube science content. This week we’re diving into the new trend of AI generated science videos, and what that might mean for the future of content on YouTube. This whole conversation started from a recent Kyle Hill video where he lays out the problem exactly. If you haven’t seen that yet, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McM3CfDjGs0&ab_channel=KyleHill You might expect lower effort, lower quality videos to get buried in YouTube’s algorithm, but you’d be wrong. We talk about the insane numbers some of these videos are doing, how they’re being promoted on the platform, and the kinds of accounts they’re getting served to. Sure, things might look a little bleak right now, but what about further down the line? Is there a future for this kind of content? Is YouTube going to do anything about it? SHOULD YouTube do anything about it? Then, we finish out the episode by talking about one of the main concerns when it comes to AI generated content – misinformation. When you’re letting a computer make your video from start to finish, and your main concern is putting out as much content as possible, it can be pretty easy to have some factual slip ups. But then again, being wrong isn’t just exclusive to AI. Thanks to everyone who joined us live, and thanks especially to our patrons who make this show happen each and every week. We’ll see you next time! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How To Get Ideas
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’ve got another solo episode for you this week, and this one’s for all our creatives out there. Coming up with an idea can be deceptively difficult, but fear not, because we’ve got some tips on how to generate them. This whole topic came around from Kevin’s unfulfilled promise – his weekly cartoons. A while back, he set a goal to draw one cartoon a week, and for a while he was going pretty strong. But recently, due to LIFE SUCK that was completely out of his control, he stopped. We talk a bit about how to get back into the swing of things when that happens to you, and more importantly, how to start coming up with IDEAS again. Sure, coming up with an idea is tough. But what’s even more difficult is actually following through with it. We talk about the slippery slope of getting consumed by an idea, loss of potential, and how to avoid those pitfalls. Then we give a nod to TCU alum Marques Brownlee, who had a tweet recently talking about how, oftentimes, your best ideas come to you when you can’t write them down. We talk about why things like “shower thoughts” come around, the importance of creative oases, and even a little about the philosophies of Arnold Schwarzenegger. We round out the episode with what might possibly be the most important pillar of creativity – limitations. Matt gives one of his famous rants about how limitations can help you, how they come into play in his own life, and how The Eagles’ Don Felder inspired it all. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week, and thanks to our patrons who make this show happen. We’ll see you again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Death of Skills
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’ve got another knowledge-filled solo episode for you this week, and it’s actually a pretty solemn one. We’re having a bit of a memorial service for the death of SKILLS. In a world of rapidly advancing tech and artificial intelligence, a lot of talents that used to be a necessity for everyday life aren’t so essential anymore. We start off the episode with a discussion about AI, and the effects it could have on the arts in particular. Kevin dives into the newly emerging world of AI music, and Matt talks about how this sort of tech is turning everyday essentials into fringe hobbies. Matt also talks a bit about the slowly disappearing skill of DRIVING, and what sort of effects that might have on the world of tomorrow. Lots of skills have gone away already, but what are the implications of things like that disappearing forever? We also get into the general shift in mentality that has come with the death of these skills. Kids aren’t playing guitar like they used to, nobody knows how to find a date without Tinder or Hinge, and people just straight up have a harder time communicating when it isn’t on their own terms. Then Kevin brings up a surprising shift in the opposite direction – the near-paradoxical rise in live entertainment. In this internet age, shockingly enough, nobody wants to watch sports from the comfort of their home anymore. Live music has seen a boom like never before, and even content creators are getting a piece of the action with events like Creator Clash. Matt also brings his wild dystopian theory about all this to the table, and if you haven’t started training already, you better start now. We round out the episode by talking about this push to “return to tradition” with things like these live events, and even tangible stuff like vinyl records. We talk about how important it really is to have skills, and how that can help you find real purpose in life. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week, and thanks especially to our patrons. You really make this show happen. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Stop Being Useless
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown This week we’re back with another Matt and Kevin solo episode, and we’re here to drop some more hard knowledge on you all. There has never been a time throughout all of human history where it has been easier to be USELESS. But don’t worry, we’re here to tell you how to avoid all that. We kick off the episode by talking about these unprecedented times we live in. Things that might have been shameful even as recently as twenty years ago aren’t exactly so shameful anymore, and now more than ever, it’s pretty easy to do essentially nothing at all. We talk a little bit about how you can provide value in your life, and how it can improve pretty much everything you do. Then we get perhaps our longest and most detailed Matt rant to date, and it all starts with a wojak meme. We dive deep into the myth of how things were “simpler” in the past, and how returning to tradition is supposedly going to fix everything. We finish out the episode with a little lesson about what money ACTUALLY is, and how it goes a little deeper than just simply buying and selling. We talk about exactly where real value comes from, and Kevin leaves us with some parting advice about misplaced rage. Thanks to everyone who joined us for our special WEDNESDAY recording this week, and a huge shout out to our patrons who make this show happen. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your Appearance Matters
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown We’re back again with another Matt and Kevin solo episode, and this week we’re tackling a topic that’s been on our minds for over a decade now – appearance. How much does what you wear matter? Do you owe it to anyone to change how you look? What does your appearance communicate to the people around you? We dive into all this and more, so buckle up folks. Kevin kicks off the episode with a story from his time working in a Manhattan office. He thought he was dressing casually, but his boss thought he was a SCHLUB. We talk about how what you wear sends signals to the people in your life, and how to handle the consequences of all of it. You may not think too much about what you wear, but in reality, you’re putting on a sort of “costume” every day. It’s not as bad as it might sound, though, and we talk about how you can actually use that to your advantage. All of this is a game, and everyone’s playing it, it’s just a matter of taking control. Then we talk a little bit about some situations where other people are making these decisions for you. Matt brings up the strangely specific dress code of the New York Yankees and Kevin gives us a baseball story of his own. These restrictions are far from arbitrary, though, and we explore all the questions that these types of guidelines set out to answer. We round out the episode by discussing the parts of your appearance that you may not have as much control over, and how those can impact your daily life. Kevin comments on the importance of fairness in all of this, and we talk about the real implications of counter-signaling that everyone has to deal with. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week, and thank you to our patrons who make this show happen. We really enjoy bringing our conversations to everyone with these solo episodes, and we hope you all take as much away from it as we do. We’ll be back again next week, see you then! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Individuality is a Lie
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown After our first hiatus in a long time, we’re BACK. Matt and Kevin are both finally on the mic together again, and we kick off the episode by explaining just why we’ve been so absent lately. Sometimes life just sucks, and there’s not much you can do about it. The “life suck” did bring about some interesting questions, though, and it got us thinking about one topic in particular – individuality. We talk a lot on this show about being yourself when it comes to creating content, and we stand by it. But, as it turns out, individualism is a LIE. Matt starts off by telling us the story that kicked this train of thought off for him. He’s had the same pair of boots since 1998, and they’re still going strong. As it turns out, his father wore the exact same pair of boots. And so does his uncle. And so do many members of the Tabor family, even though none of them have ever had a conversation about boots at all. We dive into why that sort of thing happens, and just how much influence the world around you has on you as a person. Then we drop a harsh truth on you all – you have way less control over yourself than you might think. We talk about how that might not actually be a bad thing, especially in the creative space, and how much of this might be influenced by just your genetics alone. There is an aspect of individuality to this all though. Not everything is entirely out of your hands. Kevin talks about the importance of potential, and how that plays into your true identity. There are a ton of outside factors that influence who you are, most of which you probably don’t even know about, but it’s what you do with those circumstances that matters. We round out the episode by getting existential. Or rather, getting critical of being existential. We talk about the idea that we’re all just “stardust floating on spaceship earth,” and how unhelpful that perspective can actually be. Thanks to everyone who joined us this week after our much needed break, and thanks especially to our patrons who continue to support us. You guys really are the best. We’ll be back next week, see you then! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Final Fantasy & The Future of Nintendo w/ HappyConsoleGamer
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown In a world of video game negativity, Johnny Millenium from HappyConsoleGamer shines above the rest. This week, he’s re-entering The Create Unknown for his THIRD appearance to talk games with Kevin, and just be an all-around good time. We kick off the episode with some discussion on the monolith that is the Final Fantasy franchise, and the ups and downs it’s had over the years. Kevin and Johnny share some of their favorites (as well as some low points), and get into JRPGs at large. Then Kevin talks about his recent forays into Playstation 1 remasters, and his hopes for the future of that style. We also talk about the sheer number of SNES-style RPGs out there today, and just why there are so many of them. We also dive into the world of the COLLECTOR’S EDITION, and how they just aren’t what they used to be anymore. We talk about the saturation of these special editions of games, Kevin and Johnny’s impressive collections, and the absolutely staggering price of things like that today. We round the episode out by looking to the future, specifically for Nintendo. We talk about the surprising decision they made to release Breath of the Wild 2 on the current Switch, as well as some speculation into what the next hit Nintendo console may look like. Thanks to everyone who tuned in live this week, and to all of our patrons who make this show happen. We’ll see you all again next week! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Worst Era of Film w/ The Kino Corner
Thanks to MAINGEAR for speeding up everything for us. Check out the VYBE line that’s making up the core of Matt’s new studio -- and use code CREATE for a free additional year of warranty on desktops: https://maingear.com/ref/656/ Join Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecreateunknown The art of film has undergone many changes over its relatively short history, and it seems that’s true now more than ever. In an age of superhero blockbusters, subpar comedy, and more streaming services than you can count, you might think that art form is getting lost somewhere along the way. Our guest this week disproves that fact, and for years now his dedication to both the craft and YouTube alike have given him a perspective that few others have. This week, The Kino Corner returns to The Create Unknown to bestow some of that knowledge onto all of us. We kick things off by discussing the meteoric rise Kino has seen on his channel lately, and how one video popping off really can do wonders for an entire channel. He also dives into the process behind his “Literally Me” series, and the deceptively simple premise that drives the genre of films he covers. Then we get into a little social media talk, and about its influence on the world of cinema. Kevin talks about the shared experience platforms like Spotify can provide and the lost art of the Blockbuster “staff pick,” and Kino highlights the true importance that going to the cinema really has. There’s an idea out there these days that old film = bad film, and Kino detests it. He discusses his recent tweet encouraging people to watch the films of yesteryear, the recent shift in comedic boundaries, and the difference between bad films of the past as compared to bad films of today. The past ten years of film has generally been pretty bleak, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel. Kevin and Kino sing the praises of the recent “Banshees of Inisherin,” and we highlight the return to form being seen even in recent blockbuster films like “Top Gun: Maverick.” We finish the episode with some questions from our patrons who want to know more about Kino’s analysis of Banshees, the process for becoming a script doctor, and general advice about breaking into the world of cinema. Thanks to everyone who joined us live this week, and a special shout out to our patrons who make this show happen. We’ll see you all next week for the return of HappyConsoleGamer! You love anime. You love tea. Get 10% off your order with code CREATE at The Dragon's Treasure: https://www.thedragonstreasure.com/ Buy our T-shirts: https://www.thecreateunknown.com/store/ Join our Discord to talk with artists, creators, and fans of the finer things in online life: http://discord.gg/tcu Apple: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownApple Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownSpotify Google Podcasts: http://bit.ly/TheCreateUnknownGooglePodcasts CREDITS: Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor Produced and Edited by Ben Webster → https://twitter.com/benwebsterTCU "Created in the Unknown" theme by Basswaite: https://linktr.ee/Basswaite Theme by Mega Drive → http://megadrivemusic.com Opening Animation: Kidmograph City Animation: Eric Langlay "The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media. CONNECT WITH US: » Chat with us on DISCORD: https://discord.gg/qAQV3Jw » Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/createunknown » Follow us on INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/thecreateunknown » Follow us on FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/thecreateunknown » View our website: https://thecreateunknown.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices