Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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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: maingear.com/ref/656

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This week, we’re asking a deceptively simple question: how should creators consume? We revisit the balance between watching, reading, and listening versus actually making. Is it possible to create without first consuming? Or does avoiding influence make your work stronger?

Through stories of building a comedy library on Netflix DVDs, discovering hidden techniques in books, and even the ripple effect of early YouTube creators like AVGN, we explore why consumption in service of creation can be the most powerful tool of all.

Along the way, we dive deep into the tricky territory of originality, subconscious influence, and the role of “craft” in any art form. Is originality just remixing what’s already there? And how do you know when you’re ready to stop studying and finally publish?

Big thanks to our listeners and patrons for being here—we’ll see you next week!

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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 → megadrivemusic.com
Opening Animation: Kidmograph
City Animation: Eric Langlay

"The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media.

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