Like lots of you creatives out there, I do my best work when I’m plugged into my trusty iPod. When I’m in the studio without it, I feel like an appendage is missing. Now, I love me some good dance music - from the Jackson 5 to Pharrell, you will find them all in heavy rotation at home. The trouble is that I can’t seem to keep my seat once I hear those beats, and I’ve unfortunately learned that flailing about with a live torch is not a good plan. (Seriously. Don’t do it). So, for my auditory happiness at work, it’s all about the podcasts - the nerdier, the better.

Podcasts

I love me some NPR podcasts, ESPECIALLY the ones that involve dorky games, like Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and Ask Me Another. Other personal faves include Freakonomics, The Moth, Radiolab and This American Life (duh.).

I canvassed my fellow CBL members to see what podcasts they are listening to (and also so I can add to my own ever-growing rotation). Kendra dorks out alongside me with Professor Blastoff (have you listened to this? YOU SHOULD) and is possibly the biggest TEN (TBTL podcast acolyte) in the Bay Area. Sharon shares my adoration for 99% Invisible, and Alyson goes food nerd with Cooking Issues, hosted by Dave Arnold.

Music

Now it turns out that my fellow CBL folk are not as wont to set themselves on fire when listening to music in the studio, and they had some great faves to share.

Pandora appears to be the medium of choice for music listening at work. Alana gets down to the Hip Hop BBQ station ( I can attest to the fact that this is LEGIT) and spices it up with a little Black Keys radio. Sharon mixes Neil Young and Rhianna in her musical cocktail. Alyson hits the Motown station, and Kendra kicks it old school, listening to an ACTUAL RADIO (KFOG 104.5, in case you’re wondering)

How about you, creatives at large? What are your favorite things to listen to while working?

The life of a solo creative can feel, well, kind of solo. Sometimes you need a little background entertainment while you create or work on repetitive office tasks. And of course watching movies, videos, and television shows are amazing decompression tools. Here’s a little a glimpse at what the ladies of CBL have been watching as of late.

Sharon

I have been into the show The Hour, about a BBC news show set in the 1950s. I'm a sucker for most period pieces, but this one is especially well written and engaging. Also, True Facts about the Octopus on You Tube. Either this one escaped my attention the first time that I devoured the entire series, or it's a new addition. Either way I'm happy.

Samantha

Crisis, the new J.J. Abrams drama Believe, Resurrection, The Following, and Giants baseball

Kendra

Oh man. The real truth: we've been taking a mini break from the X-Files to become obsessed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Before you make too much fun of me, all seasons of both shows are free on Amazon Prime and Netflix. Plus, they're a little bit scary- but not too scary to watch before bed (I'm looking at YOU Game of Thrones!)

Marja

I've been on a bender of the TV show Mind Of a Chef. It's wonderful. It follows a particular chef through the foods/inspirations/areas that are important to his or her work. You really get a sense of the love these chefs have for food and cooking. The episodes that I have been watching feature David Chang of Momofuku in NY (Season 1), and Sean Brock/ April Bloomfield (season 2). I've fallen in love with all three of these chefs, especially Sean Brock, who is just so devoted to the history and culture of southern cooking, and April Bloomfield, who is freaking adorable and just devoted to all things pig. The series is narrated by Anthony Bourdain, who is not really my favorite, but he's not much of a feature, so that is nice.

Alana

I haven’t been watching much business-related media but I'm loving Game of Thrones, Sherlock, Walking Dead and Justified. As for recent movies, Her.

Liz

Naked and Afraid. I totally think we would all kick ass at making shelter, clothing, tools, etc. out of objects found in the natural environment. (Although maybe not so much the starving and dehydration parts)

Also this video of baby elephants taking a bath at the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage at Nairobi National Park. My husband Ben will hopefully get to visit during his upcoming trip to Kenya.

Alyson

Hour-long television dramas that my husband won’t watch, like Parenthood and Grey’s Anatomy are staples while I paint. I’ve also been working on an Arrested Development piece, so the whole series has been on repeat in the background often.

Outside of watching-while-working, I just devoured the first season of Rick and Morty, a hilarious and disturbing semi-futuristic cartoon by Dan Harmon. Kind of like if Futurama and Family Guy mated and made something even weirder. V Sauce, Crash Course, and Mental Floss videos are greedily consumed the day of release. All are accessibly nerdy with engaging hosts about an incredibly wide variety of topics. Highly recommend.