Day 15- The Secret Tonic of Creativity

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Welcome to DAY FIFTEEN of our new 30-day COMMUNITY PROJECT where we make something with our hands every day in order to improve our mental health. We all realize that creativity heals...it's time to put that knowledge into action.

I'm going to publish an episode for you to follow along with several days of each week (I'll take breaks on Fridays and weekends in order to give you time to catch up as needed). These episodes will exist here, marked with the days numbered, in order for you to follow along at any speed that you like. Miss a day? Doesn't matter. Just pick up right where you left off and keep making things. These episodes will give us all some accountability, but if you need more, pair up with a partner. It really does help!

Join our creative community by making something today, whether it's for five minutes or several hours—your brain will thank you. Let's do this thing together and turn all of this sh*t into something beautiful!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 0 (00:00):
Distance and difference are the secret tonic
of creativity.
When we get home, home is stillthe same, but something in our
mind has been changed and thatchanges everything, jonah Lehrer
.
When I think about beginner'smindset, that curious mind
without ego, open to new ideas,new possibilities, techniques,

(00:24):
paths, discoveries, you name it,I think of travel.
Travel is something that Icherish above any material
possession that you could everthink of Having a trip to look
forward to in the future, evenif it's months away.
It's such a light.

(00:44):
I am not a fancy traveler, I'mnot a pretentious traveler.
I love getting immersed inwhatever culture we visit.
I love just putting on walkingshoes that can take me miles and
miles for hours and hours perday just exploring on foot, and
miles for hours and hours perday just exploring on foot.

(01:05):
I can reach 20,000 steps in oneday, easily, easily if I'm in a
new place and I'm getting toexplore.
I love the comfort of home, Ilove being able to do my daily
walks in this beautiful placethat we live.
But when I get too comfortableand I start to feel that itch, I

(01:25):
know it's time and we startplanning.
If too many things arehappening and we're not able to
plan a trip.
We find an activity to go anddo in LA which is about an hour
and a half away from where welive, and we go find a concert,
a show, a something to get usout of this little bubble and

(01:48):
into a creative environment withcool things to see and to spark
imagination.
But in regards to when you doget that chance to travel, it's
like you get to see the worldwith new eyes.
You're a child, you'reexperiencing everything for the
first time.
It's this beginner's mindset,the free fall.

(02:12):
It's like a free fall into anew world, a surrender to the
unknown.
The passion I have for travelcannot be put into words.
It's ridiculous be put intowords.
It's ridiculous.
Like have you ever noticed howmuch more beautiful a sunset is
in a foreign land than in yourown backyard?
And I live in SouthernCalifornia.

(02:33):
We have some pretty spectacularsunsets during certain times of
the year when we have a littlebit of clouds over the ocean.
But, man, a sunset in a foreignland.
Please do not keep me indoorsif I am traveling during sunset.
Which brings me to the topic ofawe.
My family and I went to Europethis summer and I spent 90% of

(02:56):
my time in just complete awe.
Awe of the colors, awe of theold buildings that had so much
character and beauty.
The doors I am obsessed withdoors, and Portugal is just the
land of doors.
Beautiful doors, colors, shapes, different types of wood.

(03:19):
It is spectacular.
There's a great book that I haveon the topic of awe and it's
called Awe, the New Science ofEveryday Wonder and how it Can
Transform your Life.
It's by Dacher Keltner.
I did do an episode on this along time ago and I don't know

(03:39):
which episode it is,unfortunately.
I'll try and look for it sothat I can somehow point you to
it.
But awe is so important to havein our lives.
It makes a difference in yourmental health, your physical
health, your creativity.
You become a kid again, open,open mind, and awe will just

(04:00):
challenge what we thought weknew about the world.
In Dacher Keltner's book aboutawe he writes about what he
calls the eight wonders that arecapable of inspiring awe.
Those eight wonders I alreadytalked about them in my episode
a long time ago, but I'll namethem again because it's so
important Nature, music, visualdesign, epiphanies, moral beauty

(04:26):
like acts of kindness,spiritual and religious
experiences, the cycle frombirth to death and last, the
collective effervescence.
And collective effervescence isone that I freaking love.
It's like the feeling of unityat a sporting event or a concert

(04:46):
.
One of my favorite moments ofcollective effervescence that I
have experienced recently is oneof my best friend's wedding.
Recently is one of my bestfriend's wedding.
I consider his new husband tobe, oh my gosh, just as

(05:09):
important as he has been for thelast, you know, 25 years of my
life.
So when I say one of my bestfriend's wedding, I mean both of
theirs.
My memories of that day, oh, itwas just so filled with so much
love, so much joy.
The most fun family you haveever seen in your life.
Talk about a room filled withlove.

(05:30):
It does not get any better thanwhat it was that day.
I was so grateful that mydaughter was able to witness
that and to take part in that.
I didn't get up and say anyspeech, but he does listen, so
here's my speech.
So if travel and collectiveeffervescence might be, you know

(05:52):
, one of the most difficult waysto incorporate awe into your
everyday, what are some easierways of finding that?
Nature, music, visual design,creating things, art, looking at
art in person.
Hopefully these things arehealing and for my project.

(06:13):
Today I am going to get out mynew paints and my new paint
brushes that I ordered for thisclass that I signed up for.
Unfortunately, I just I signedup for this class and I thought
it started at the end of thismonth found out that it starts
the end of next month, so I'mjust going to be, you know, free

(06:36):
falling with my own I don'tknow what, until this class
starts, which is fine, right,because we're looking for a
beginner's mindset.
I'm probably just going to lookup a few YouTube tutorials and
things like that to get started,and I'm sure that you've
noticed I sound pretty sick.
So I told you in the lastepisode that I was back and then

(07:00):
, about a day and a half later,I came down with the worst case
of bronchitis.
I mean coughing up a lung, lostmy voice completely, not
sleeping.
I barely have a voice today,but I'm like, oh my God, I'm
trying to do this.
So I am here, I'm back againmany days later.

(07:22):
I do not give up, if that's onething I can say about myself.
I may fall, I may fall hardwhen I fall, but I always get
back up and I always come backand I stick to something when I
make a promise.
So I promise this damn 30 days,and it is going to happen, I

(07:43):
don't know how fast.
Hopefully my voice stays with meafter today, but if I do
disappear, that's why I'm goingto leave you with a quote that I
love so much, that can beinterpreted through the eyes of
travel, but also so much deeper.
It's called the physics of thequest.
If you're brave enough to leavebehind everything familiar and

(08:06):
comforting which can be anythingfrom your house to bitter old
resentments and set out on atruth seeking journey, either
externally or internally, and ifyou're truly willing to regard
everything that happens to youon that journey as a clue, and
if you accept everyone you meetalong the way, as a teacher, and

(08:28):
if you are prepared, most ofall, to face and forgive some
very difficult realities aboutyourself, then the truth will
not be withheld from you.
This sums up the last fiveyears for me Midlife, awakening
our ever-changing politicalclimate, watching the unmasking

(08:49):
of the world around us.
Lots of uncomfortable truths,but also lots of clues.
I'm beginning to feel very wiseand very, very ready to turn 50
in November.
Not too wise, though, don'tworry, I'm aware of how little I
really know.
So until we meet again, whichis hopefully tomorrow, if my

(09:14):
voice allows me, stay curious.