In the latest episode of A76 The Human Spark, I chat with Dustin Coleman—Writer, Senior Content Strategist and Co-founder of 12 Acres Creative—about the importance of storytelling as a human craft in an increasingly automated world. With a lifelong love of narrative, Dustin shares how curiosity, observation, and conversation fuel his ideas and why real stories matter more than ever. We explore how Dustin evaluates ideas, why emotional response is his north star and how persistence not convenience leads to the most meaningful stories. This episode is a reminder that the best ideas come from listening deeply, persistently asking questions and staying relentlessly curious. Hope you enjoy. Happy holidays!

Plus, continue to listen to our season 4 ideation playlist here.

~ Noel

"The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.” – Muriel Rukeyser

A76 and its episodes are created by Noel Childs

Season 4 on the Human Spark is produced by Noel Childs
Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs
Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs
Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs

Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig
and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton

The outro was read by Trudie and Storey Childs

If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.
Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod
Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com
And follow us on Instagram

This is a Patreon preview

In the current season of A76, The Human Spark, I’m stepping away from tools and trends to focus on the people behind the ideas. The conversations have been really refreshing and focused on where ideas come from, what everyone does to get unstuck, and how they decide which ideas are worth pursuing. So far, I’ve spoken with researchers, designers, creatives, journalists, artists, and brand leaders—and there’s much more still to come in the second half of the season.

Now I’m opening up my process for Season 5. Check out my preview episode and if you’re an A76 Patreon member, you can:

• Hear my working ideas for next season
• Submit your own idea for the theme
• Vote on which direction the podcast should take next

If you’ve been listening and thinking, “I’d love to influence where this goes,” this is your moment. The A76 community will help shape the show’s future.

Enjoy the holidays & I hope you have some time off. If you have a moment, catch up on Episodes 36–43 in the current season, check out the evolving ideation playlist on Spotify and consider joining the A76 Patreon to support the show. Thanks for being part of the conversation 🎧

A76 and its episodes are created by Noel Childs

Season 4 on the Human Spark is produced by Noel Childs
Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs
Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs
Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs

Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig
and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton

The outro was read by Trudie and Storey Childs

If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.
Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod
Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com
And follow us on Instagram

Frank EE Grubich co-founder and brand director of CX&V is back on the pod to talk Fun, Foam and other F-word frivolity. Among many topics, we chat about what it really takes to generate great ideas while battling time, constraints and real-world complexity. Frank shares how he starts by defining the box before thinking outside of it, why emotion matters as much as intellect and the three filters he uses to choose what to pursue. It's a great conversation as always. Hope you enjoy it.

Plus check out our ongoing ideation soundtrack on Spotify.

~ Noel

A76 and its episodes are created by Noel Childs

Season 4 on the Human Spark is produced by Noel Childs
Season 3 on Scale is produced by Noel Childs
Season 2 on Change was produced by Noel Childs
Season 1 on AI was produced by Casey Hudetz and Noel Childs

Our theme music was composed and performed by Stella Solveig
and mixed and mastered by Abbey Nettleton

The outro was read by Trudie and Storey Childs

If you like what you hear, please give us a rating.
Or become a member of the A76 Patreon at patreon.com/A76designpod
Have a question or comment, email noel@A76pod.com
And follow us on Instagram