July 8, 2025 • 29 mins
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Award-winning novelist John T Blossom takes us on a journey through the creative process, revealing how his 30-year teaching career prepared him for his second act as an author of young adult fiction. His books—ranging from magical realism set in Hawaii to near-future science fiction about robotic football—showcase the diversity of his creative thinking.
"Creativity is a superpower," Blossom asserts, especially in an age where artificial intelligence handles increasingly complex tasks. What makes human creativity special is precisely what AI lacks: our embodied experience, our connection to the earth, and our unique genetic and cultural histories. While computers can only recombine what they've been given, humans can bring genuinely new ideas into existence through the creative process.
The heart of this creative process, Blossom explains, isn't about having perfect output from the start—it's about giving yourself permission to play. Too often, we focus on the end product rather than enjoying the journey of creation itself. This playful approach applies whether you're writing a novel, composing music, painting, or even performing surgery. The key is recognizing those moments when you're so immersed in what you're doing that time seems to disappear—what psychologists call "flow."
For those who feel their creativity has been stifled—whether they were labeled "weird" in school or simply followed a more conventional career path—Blossom offers hope. The whispers of creativity remain in your subconscious, waiting to be heard. Finding your creative tribe, supporting others in their creative journeys, and taking small steps to explore your interests can reawaken dormant talents at any age.
Ready to unlock your creative potential? Listen now to discover how you can tap into your unique creative gifts, find meaningful expression, and perhaps even discover the purpose you've been searching for all along.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Fatima Bey (00:04):
This is MindShift Power Podcast, the number one
critically acclaimed podcastwhere we have raw, unfiltered
conversations that shapetomorrow.
I'm your host, fatima Bey theMindShifter, and welcome
everyone.
Today we have with us John TBlossom and he is out of Hawaii.
(00:27):
He is a former teacher and amulti-award winning novelist for
Young Adult Books.
How are you today, john TBlossom?
John T. Blossom (00:36):
Oh, I'm doing just.
Great Thanks for having me on,Fatima.
Fatima Bey (00:39):
Thank you again for coming, so I'd like to dive
right in.
So tell us, what are your booksabout?
John T. Blossom (00:45):
Okay, well, I have seven.
Three I released recentlyMahina Rises, the Last Football
Player, and a novel about thetheater called To Be.
Mahina Rises, a young adultcoming of age magical realism
novel set in Hawaii.
It's about a young girl whoinherits shamanistic dreams from
her native Hawaiian family andit's what she does with those
(01:07):
dreams.
It makes for a reallyinteresting adventure story.
The major themes in that bookare how to get along with Mother
Nature and the environment.
The Last Football Player is ayoung adult coming of age
science fiction novel, nearFuture, about a young boy who is
(01:28):
about to become a freshman inhigh school football star in the
Silicon Valley in approximately2040.
However, his father is deeplyconcerned about him getting
injured, so he pulls a bunch ofstrings and gets football banned
instead of telling his son hecan't play, and so now he's very
(01:51):
unpopular and he has to go to atech lab and meet people he
doesn't really like.
But he learns to appreciatethem and together they make a
robotic football team to getaround the ban.
So it's about technology, ai,robots, what the future is going
to be like on the footballfield, but also in our daily
(02:13):
lives.
Fatima Bey (02:14):
I'm sorry but that is so interesting.
John T. Blossom (02:19):
Well, you know, I wrote it for the middle grade
and high school crowd, andwhat's funny is that adults
really enjoy it too.
They think it's just a kick,because everybody you know
either played football or theyliked football.
Not everybody, but many peoplehave football memories in it,
(02:39):
and it's a lot about whatfootball is really about.
What's the essence of it?
Because they have to teach therobots to play, and so in order
to do that, you have to knowwhat football really is about,
and so I won a couple of sportsbook of the year awards, and I
can understand why because it'snot just your usual hero goes
(03:02):
and plays football and gets thecheerleader yeah, that's been
done over and over again.
Fatima Bey (03:10):
One thing I will say that I notice about your books
is the themes are not all thesame and they're just so unique.
A lot of times we see storiesand it's kind of like
regurgitated the same thing overand over again.
Yours aren't?
They really aren't, yeah.
John T. Blossom (03:26):
Well, that's one of the advantages of being a
retired teacher, because, youknow, I don't.
I'm not trying to make a living, and many, honestly many
writers make a living by writinga popular book and then turning
it into a series becauseeverybody wants the next book in
the series, and I do have twobooks that will have two books
in the series.
I guess you could technicallycall them series, but that's not
(03:50):
my interest.
My interest is in writing booksthat have themes that relate to
high school kids, based on myand middle school kids, based on
my experiences as their teacherfor 30 years.
Fatima Bey (04:03):
And that's fascinating to me, because a lot
of times, people write a bookjust based on, maybe, their own
childhood, you know, which isunderstandable as well, but the
fact that you took your teachingexperience and now you've
turned it into something, evenyou know something different.
Tell us, how did you become awriter?
Yeah, tell us, thank you.
How did you become a writer?
John T. Blossom (04:24):
Well, as I mentioned, I was a teacher for
many years, and so I was anEnglish teacher and also a
ceramics teacher.
So my interest was in teachingkids to think like writers, to
be able to read perceptively,and one of the ways you learn to
(04:49):
read perceptively is to tryyour hand at writing yourself.
And so for all those years, Iwas making kids write in class,
writing in journals, gradingtheir papers, encouraging them
to write, telling them writingis really exciting.
It's a wonderful thing to do.
And then, when I retired, Isaid okay, I've got a chance to
do this.
I've been telling people thismy whole life.
I better put up or shut up, andit's been an unbelievably fun
(05:14):
way.
I'm more busy now than I everwas when I was a teacher, and
I'm doing something I reallylove and yeah, so it's kind of a
dream come true for me.
Fatima Bey (05:26):
You are living proof of something I talk about a lot
on this podcast, which is Italk about careers and you know,
future things and related tothem, but I also talk about the
fact that it is okay to havedifferent careers in your life.
Very often, we're taught thatokay, if you're going to be a
doctor, you have to be that forthe rest of your life.
No, you don't, you can.
You're a teacher, and then youswitched on over to writer
(05:46):
Beautiful, and you're doingsomething that you love and and
that is something I want everysingle young person listen to
follow in your footsteps.
On that principle, do what youactually love, and it's okay if
you do something for a seasonand then switch.
I'm glad that you enjoy whatyou're doing.
So tell us what is creativity?
John T. Blossom (06:09):
Oh well, can you ask me some easier questions
?
Fatima Bey (06:13):
No, this is your favorite topic, so go ahead and
tell us.
John T. Blossom (06:20):
You know it's something I've discovered my
whole life because I've been acreative person and people say
you're very creative and I neverreally had a moment in my life
where I wasn't.
So I guess you know it's hardfor me to compare myself to any
time when I wasn't creative inone way or another.
And I'm pretty sure that it'snot a thing, but that it's a
(06:48):
process and that, yes, itresults in art and yes, it may
result in music or dance orwhatever the medium writing, or
even culinary or woodworking orautomobile shop or whatever.
Yes, it produces art objects,but that's not ultimately the
whole story.
(07:09):
I think what a lot of peopleforget to talk about when they
talk about creativity ordefining creativity, is that it
really is the permission thatyou give to yourself to be
playful in order to bringsomething new into the world.
(07:30):
And that element of play is hardfor us to embrace in ourselves
as we get older.
No-transcript product.
(08:17):
But if you're thinking aboutthe end product too much in the
beginning, it'll just stifle youbecause without that element of
play, of play, you don't tapinto your true nature Like I'm
thinking, like my cat is behindme while we're talking and she's
very calm and most of the timeshe sleeps.
(08:37):
But every once in a whileshe'll pick up a you know a toy
and toss it in the air and playand run around and be ridiculous
.
True to herself.
There, in that moment of play,she's not thinking about whether
I'm going to yell at her orwhether I'm saying something,
(08:59):
whether she's violating somerule.
She's just in the moment,enjoying her physical body and
her playfulness.
And I think that's the key.
If you have the impulse insideof you to do those kinds of play
in that kind of way, you shouldhonor that and give yourself
(09:22):
permission to do that, becausethen you might discover
something that really ismeaningful in your life.
(09:43):
So what I hear you saying is ifsomeone feels under pressure to
create a piece of art and bedone with it and create it
perfect the first time, that'snot necessarily the way to go
about it.
Yeah, it's a way your time andenjoying the process of creation
toward that end goal.
Because like take, for instance, when I'm writing one of my
(10:04):
books, if I'm sitting down to mycomputer and I have 10 chapters
to go, or maybe I'm halfwaythrough and I think, oh, I've
got to get done with this book,how am I going to get from here
to the end?
And I'm not thinking about thescene I'm in at the moment.
That scene is going to suck.
I have to focus on that moment,those characters, that
(10:28):
situation, immerse myself in theprocess, play with the scene in
my mind, get things down on thepaper just for fun, see where
it goes, and then eventually youdo that over and over and
eventually you have a novel.
And then you go back and youhone it, for you hone the
project in the editing process.
(10:52):
But the initial creativity isall about the cat-like
playfulness, the why not?
That you have in your brain.
Fatima Bey (11:04):
So I'm going to reword some of what you said and
apply it to different mediums.
So if you want to be a musician, you got to play with notes.
If you want to be a guitarist,you're going to have to play
with all kinds of different waysof what you're going to make
some horrible sounds and somegreat sounds.
If you want to be an artist,you're going to have to make,
paint, a lot of differentpictures, play with it and not
(11:25):
be afraid to make something thatlooks crazy.
If you want to be a makeupartist, you're going to have to
play on some faces and see whatworks and what doesn't.
If you want to be a hairstylist, you're going to need to play
with some mannequins or yourfriend's heads and see what
works and what doesn't.
I can go on and on.
It's okay to play, because Icompletely agree with you on
(11:47):
that If we don't play, we can'treally what's the word I'm
looking for develop thegreatness of our creativity,
Because there are a lot ofpeople I see that are just
amazingly creative.
But if we sit inside the box ofwell, you can't do this, you're
supposed to think this way,you're supposed to think that
way, that is a trap, a prisonfor your creativity, Would you
(12:11):
agree?
John T. Blossom (12:12):
I completely agree and I think you expressed
that very articulately.
I don't think I could have doneit better.
Thank you, yeah.
Fatima Bey (12:20):
I try to do that intentionally, because I know
that people listen differently.
So I will often rephrase whatmy guests say, not because you
didn't say it right in the firstplace, but I know that people
listen differently, sorephrasing.
John T. Blossom (12:34):
Well, I wish that I'd had you when I was
teaching.
I could have had you in myclassroom, kind of interpreting
what I was saying to the kids.
Fatima Bey (12:44):
I would have been cracking jokes too, so it
might've been too much fun.
John T. Blossom (12:49):
No, no, it should be.
It should be a joy.
English and art it should be ajoyful activity.
You know, people take it soseriously they kill the fun of
it.
I mean, reading is fun andcreativity is fun.
Yes, it's hard.
Sure, it's challenging.
(13:11):
Yeah, sometimes you really, youknow, get upset with yourself
because it doesn't come out theway you want, but you try again
because essentially, the processis just lots of fun.
So try.
Fatima Bey (13:20):
I mean yes Go ahead, go ahead.
John T. Blossom (13:25):
No, I was just thinking that you know,
oftentimes artists, if someonehas an art orientation, they,
you know, they're not reallymainstream.
You know they're, maybe they'renot as popular as other kids or
, uh, you know, as they don'tget as many likes on social
media or or whatever, becausetheir minds are are thinking
(13:49):
differently, they're, they're,they think differently and and
they can't help it becausethat's the way they're wired.
And if they get too much, oh,you're a weirdo, or whatever.
That can discourage them fromdeveloping their superpower.
And, oh my gosh, it'screativity a superpower.
In fact.
(14:10):
I've come to believe, like Istopped teaching before AI
really took over, but I havecome to believe that in the age
of AI, a lot of the mundanetasks of writing and math and
other things and business andall that this is going to get
(14:32):
taken over and done by computers.
What's left?
The only thing that's left, ishuman creativity, because
computers and I go into this inthe Last Football Player but
computers don't have a humanbody, so they don't have the
same connection with the earth,they don't have the same
creative history that's in theirgenetics.
(14:54):
They only have what we've giventhem and AI is a regurgitation
tool, right.
It only gives what we'vealready given to it.
So if 99% of the people aredepending on AI to write their
emails and to do their businessplans, the 1% of the people who
(15:18):
are creative are going to standout, and they're the ones who
are going to be successful.
Fatima Bey (15:24):
Yes, I want to back up to something you said a
moment ago, because that's a keypart of the conversation that I
really want to convey today theweirdos, the ones who are
marked as or labeled as weirdos,as strange, because they don't
think inside the tiny little boxthat our society says we're
supposed to think inside of, andthat's where 90% of the
(15:45):
creative minds are.
They're outside the box andvery often I completely agree
with your statement Very oftenthe greatest minds, the greatest
creative minds, get stifledbecause they're forced and
shoved into a conformity box andit kills their creativity.
(16:09):
Did you find that happeningwith you when you were younger?
John T. Blossom (16:13):
with you when you were younger.
Sure, to a certain extent I hadsort of a different upbringing
in that I had to be veryself-sufficient early on in my
life.
My family life was kind of amess, so I had to pull myself up
by the bootstraps and my onlysalvation was school.
(16:34):
And my only salvation wasschool and at school I found
supportive teachers becauseteachers liked my creativity and
they liked that I was a goodstudent.
Much about the other kids onlybecause I had spent my whole
(16:55):
life being independent in myfamily.
So I was kind of aself-sufficient kid.
But for someone who perhapswasn't that self-sufficient and
maybe stands out in their familyfor being creative and they go
to the school and maybe they'vehad siblings who are football
players or maybe a little bitmore conventional in their
(17:18):
thinking, they might feel alittle self-conscious and people
say, oh, you're nothing likeyour brother.
I mean, what's up now with you?
And then they feel horribleabout themselves, which is
really too bad, because increative people have the
advantage.
So my advice to those kids ifyou find yourself in that
(17:42):
position where you're gettingput down for being kind of
socially awkward or thinkingoutside the box, or maybe you
have interest in things thatother people don't have interest
in and you're a deep dive andthey give you a hard time about
it.
My advice is to find your tribe.
Find the other people who areoutcasts like that and be their
(18:06):
friends.
Be the person who's emanatinglove and creativity, not the
person who's using creativity toput other people down.
You know we're gettingdefensive and that can be tough
advice to take, becauseteenagers are insecure and we
all want to be accepted.
(18:26):
But I can guarantee, you know,in a high school or any kind of
school, from 10 on up to 2,000,10%, maybe 15%, are going to
have an arts-oriented creative.
Maybe they're theater people,maybe they're art people, maybe
(18:47):
they're music people, andchances are they're fairly quiet
about it.
Chances are they're feeling thesame way you feel, uh, about
maybe not revealing um, your,your talents, uh, those are the
people to make friends.
Sit down with them at thelunchroom, you know.
Ask them.
You know.
Oh, I see you're drawingsomething.
Do you mind showing me whatyou're drawing?
(19:08):
Because I really like drawingtoo, you know, and all it takes
is is one or two friends likethat and wham.
Your high school experience isso much better.
Fatima Bey (19:22):
Yes, yes, yes, I agree.
I love the advice that you just, I was just going to ask you to
give, and there you go givingit, the advice that you give to
those who are feeling that wayright now, because there's a lot
of them who are differentthinkers, and I love the
different thinkers because Ithink that's where a lot of
buried treasure is, andcreativity, I think, is the
(19:43):
buried treasure.
It's a buried treasure in a lotof people, and there's some
adults who are listening rightnow, john, who are like you know
what.
I could have been him when Iwas younger, I had all this
creativity, but I stifled it,pushed it down, and now I'm just
a corporate robot.
Is it too late for them to dosomething about that?
John T. Blossom (20:04):
No, because those whispers are still in your
subconscious.
For the adults in thatsituation is to take some kind
of meditative practice, somekind of quiet time just with
yourself, where you're not onyour cell phone, where you're
(20:25):
not worrying about the tickertape and you're just focusing on
your breath and your body andwhat is inside your soul.
Start listening to those innervoices, because the voices of
inner creativity are whispers.
(20:46):
They're not a hurricane,despite what some people say,
you know.
Oh, I had to play the violinand the symphony because I just
couldn't do anything else in mylife.
Well, unlikely, more likely,they had violin lessons.
It was hard at first and thenthey had a teacher who was
encouraging and they found sometalent and then they got
(21:11):
reinforced and then it becamethe hurricane impulses that you
have, especially when you're ateenager.
Gosh, you know, man, that was apretty cool drawing I saw on
Mary's notebook.
Maybe I can do a little drawing.
Well, then you just do it.
You have to listen to thosewhispers and try a little
(21:33):
drawing in your notebook.
Try to post a meme.
If you see a meme that's reallyclever, somebody posted, you
know.
Just maybe post one foryourself and just try it.
You never know what's going tocatch fire in your soul.
And for older people, you know,it's easy for them to think,
well, I'm just not creative.
(21:54):
But no matter what job they did, they had to bring some level
of creativity to it.
Like I had a doctor come to mybooth where I sell my books and
he said, oh, I'm not a creativeperson.
And I said, well, what do youdo?
So I'm a surgeon, I'm a heartsurgeon.
I said you tell me that whenyou go into somebody's heart and
you look and every person's alittle bit different, you're not
(22:15):
applying just even a little bitof creativity of how to fix
this person's, you know, aortaor whatever.
And he said, no, no, no, I justfollow procedures.
And I said, well, I kind ofdoubt that, I kind of doubt it.
I think you're more creativethan you give yourself credit
for yeah because kind of theopposite, even, within the
(22:40):
procedures you need creativity,yeah.
I think so.
I mean, maybe he wouldn't admitto that because you know, if
somebody died under his, youknow watch they said well, you
weren't following procedures,you were being creative with my
body, right?
So maybe he just has to coverhimself, you know, by saying
(23:02):
that that is true, that is true.
Fatima Bey (23:05):
Well, john, I love talking to you, even off air.
We talked for a long timebecause you're very interesting
to talk to, and I just want togive you one more opportunity to
give the audience.
One last word of advice for allthe young listeners in the
world Anything you want, whatadvice would you give them?
John T. Blossom (23:31):
I think that the advice that I would give to
someone is to, no matter what,always give yourself permission
to play, play.
A mindset of play, a mindset ofenjoyment, a mindset of diving
(23:55):
in and trying things playfully,is how you're going to find your
tribe, it's how you're going tofind your mentors and it's how
you're going to find the purposein your life, the things that
you do in your life that put youin the flow state where you're
(24:15):
so involved in what you're doingthat you can't even, you don't
even realize that the time isgoing by.
Those are the magical momentsof connection with love, with
the earth, with your own nature,with other people.
Those are the ones that themost satisfied people in the
world seek out, and it comesthrough that process of
(24:39):
creativity, of play, leading toserious purpose.
So I guess that's what I wouldsay and try to support other
people.
Try not to get sucked into the.
Oh, she thinks she's a musicianand she sucks.
Look at the way she plays theclarinet.
She can't even make a note.
(25:00):
Try never to get into that,because this is a person who's
playing at becoming herself and,um, you know, and every person
deserves your support in love.
Uh, and the more you give it toother people, the faster you'll
find your tribe and the fasteryou'll be able to do something
that gives you meaning in life.
Fatima Bey (25:22):
How can people find you?
John T. Blossom (25:26):
Well, all my books are on Amazon or wherever
you buy fine books.
It's under John Blossom andit's also under JT Blossom.
My early pen name was JTBlossom.
I have four books under thatname and the three I mentioned
before under John Blossom.
I have four books under thatname and the three I mentioned
before under John Blossom, andthen my website lists all my
books and has links to places tobuy them and information about
(25:51):
them at jtblossomcom.
Fatima Bey (25:59):
And I hope that with this met, with this episode
today, you helped othercreatives to blossom.
Ha ha, dad joke, I just made itup.
You know that there are more.
John T. Blossom (26:14):
There are more dentists named Dennis than any
other name, so I think there issomething to that.
I really do.
I didn't know that and in do.
And in fact, the dream that wasthe basis for Mahina Rises was
me flying through my orchardwhen it was my apple orchard
(26:37):
when I was a kid in Milwaukee,Wisconsin, when it was in full
bloom, when I was a kid inMilwaukee, wisconsin when it was
in full bloom.
So yeah, I think that names dohave a little bit of influence.
I'm not saying it's the onlyreason why I'm creative, but if
(27:00):
my name had been Steelheart oryou know, or let's see some
other, I don't know Brick Wall,if my last name was Brick Wall.
Fatima Bey (27:12):
I'm not sure I would have been quite as a creative a
person.
John T. Blossom (27:15):
I don't know about that.
All those people out therenamed Brick Wall are going to
get mad at me, so I take thatback.
Fatima Bey (27:22):
I don't know any Brick Walls.
Thank you once again for forcoming on.
It has been a pleasure talkingwith you and I really do hope in
that we've opened up the mindsof some truly quiet creatives
who need to branch out.
John T. Blossom (27:37):
Me too, Fatima.
If we did it for one person, itwas worth our time.
Thank you.
Fatima Bey (27:42):
Amen, amen, amen.
And now for a mind-shiftingmoment.
I want you to think about this.
Creativity is actually a gift.
It's a talent and it comes inmany different forms.
(28:03):
Do you have a creativity giftthat you've been suppressing
because it doesn't fit in to thebox?
You've been told to climb inand stay in Because it doesn't
fit in with your corporatesurroundings.
Do you have a creative giftthat you've been suppressing?
Maybe it's time to explore,have fun with it, because one
(28:26):
thing I do know if you weregiven a creative gift, it wasn't
by mistake.
Your creativity is there tobless the rest of us, but that
can't happen unless you firstdevelop it.
So take a chance today,starting today, and develop your
(28:49):
creativity.
The world is waiting.
You've been listening toMindShift Power Podcast.
For complete show notes on thisepisode and to join our global
movement, find us atFatimaBaycom Until next time.
Always remember there's powerin shifting your thinking.
This is MindShift Power Podcast, the number one
critically acclaimed podcastwhere we have raw, unfiltered
conversations that shapetomorrow.
I'm your host, fatima Bey theMindShifter, and welcome
everyone.
Today we have with us John TBlossom and he is out of Hawaii.
(00:27):
He is a former teacher and amulti-award winning novelist for
Young Adult Books.
How are you today, john TBlossom?
John T. Blossom (00:36):
Oh, I'm doing just.
Great Thanks for having me on,Fatima.
Fatima Bey (00:39):
Thank you again for coming, so I'd like to dive
right in.
So tell us, what are your booksabout?
John T. Blossom (00:45):
Okay, well, I have seven.
Three I released recentlyMahina Rises, the Last Football
Player, and a novel about thetheater called To Be.
Mahina Rises, a young adultcoming of age magical realism
novel set in Hawaii.
It's about a young girl whoinherits shamanistic dreams from
her native Hawaiian family andit's what she does with those
(01:07):
dreams.
It makes for a reallyinteresting adventure story.
The major themes in that bookare how to get along with Mother
Nature and the environment.
The Last Football Player is ayoung adult coming of age
science fiction novel, nearFuture, about a young boy who is
(01:28):
about to become a freshman inhigh school football star in the
Silicon Valley in approximately2040.
However, his father is deeplyconcerned about him getting
injured, so he pulls a bunch ofstrings and gets football banned
instead of telling his son hecan't play, and so now he's very
(01:51):
unpopular and he has to go to atech lab and meet people he
doesn't really like.
But he learns to appreciatethem and together they make a
robotic football team to getaround the ban.
So it's about technology, ai,robots, what the future is going
to be like on the footballfield, but also in our daily
(02:13):
lives.
Fatima Bey (02:14):
I'm sorry but that is so interesting.
John T. Blossom (02:19):
Well, you know, I wrote it for the middle grade
and high school crowd, andwhat's funny is that adults
really enjoy it too.
They think it's just a kick,because everybody you know
either played football or theyliked football.
Not everybody, but many peoplehave football memories in it,
(02:39):
and it's a lot about whatfootball is really about.
What's the essence of it?
Because they have to teach therobots to play, and so in order
to do that, you have to knowwhat football really is about,
and so I won a couple of sportsbook of the year awards, and I
can understand why because it'snot just your usual hero goes
(03:02):
and plays football and gets thecheerleader yeah, that's been
done over and over again.
Fatima Bey (03:10):
One thing I will say that I notice about your books
is the themes are not all thesame and they're just so unique.
A lot of times we see storiesand it's kind of like
regurgitated the same thing overand over again.
Yours aren't?
They really aren't, yeah.
John T. Blossom (03:26):
Well, that's one of the advantages of being a
retired teacher, because, youknow, I don't.
I'm not trying to make a living, and many, honestly many
writers make a living by writinga popular book and then turning
it into a series becauseeverybody wants the next book in
the series, and I do have twobooks that will have two books
in the series.
I guess you could technicallycall them series, but that's not
(03:50):
my interest.
My interest is in writing booksthat have themes that relate to
high school kids, based on myand middle school kids, based on
my experiences as their teacherfor 30 years.
Fatima Bey (04:03):
And that's fascinating to me, because a lot
of times, people write a bookjust based on, maybe, their own
childhood, you know, which isunderstandable as well, but the
fact that you took your teachingexperience and now you've
turned it into something, evenyou know something different.
Tell us, how did you become awriter?
Yeah, tell us, thank you.
How did you become a writer?
John T. Blossom (04:24):
Well, as I mentioned, I was a teacher for
many years, and so I was anEnglish teacher and also a
ceramics teacher.
So my interest was in teachingkids to think like writers, to
be able to read perceptively,and one of the ways you learn to
(04:49):
read perceptively is to tryyour hand at writing yourself.
And so for all those years, Iwas making kids write in class,
writing in journals, gradingtheir papers, encouraging them
to write, telling them writingis really exciting.
It's a wonderful thing to do.
And then, when I retired, Isaid okay, I've got a chance to
do this.
I've been telling people thismy whole life.
I better put up or shut up, andit's been an unbelievably fun
(05:14):
way.
I'm more busy now than I everwas when I was a teacher, and
I'm doing something I reallylove and yeah, so it's kind of a
dream come true for me.
Fatima Bey (05:26):
You are living proof of something I talk about a lot
on this podcast, which is Italk about careers and you know,
future things and related tothem, but I also talk about the
fact that it is okay to havedifferent careers in your life.
Very often, we're taught thatokay, if you're going to be a
doctor, you have to be that forthe rest of your life.
No, you don't, you can.
You're a teacher, and then youswitched on over to writer
(05:46):
Beautiful, and you're doingsomething that you love and and
that is something I want everysingle young person listen to
follow in your footsteps.
On that principle, do what youactually love, and it's okay if
you do something for a seasonand then switch.
I'm glad that you enjoy whatyou're doing.
So tell us what is creativity?
John T. Blossom (06:09):
Oh well, can you ask me some easier questions
?
Fatima Bey (06:13):
No, this is your favorite topic, so go ahead and
tell us.
John T. Blossom (06:20):
You know it's something I've discovered my
whole life because I've been acreative person and people say
you're very creative and I neverreally had a moment in my life
where I wasn't.
So I guess you know it's hardfor me to compare myself to any
time when I wasn't creative inone way or another.
And I'm pretty sure that it'snot a thing, but that it's a
(06:48):
process and that, yes, itresults in art and yes, it may
result in music or dance orwhatever the medium writing, or
even culinary or woodworking orautomobile shop or whatever.
Yes, it produces art objects,but that's not ultimately the
whole story.
(07:09):
I think what a lot of peopleforget to talk about when they
talk about creativity ordefining creativity, is that it
really is the permission thatyou give to yourself to be
playful in order to bringsomething new into the world.
(07:30):
And that element of play is hardfor us to embrace in ourselves
as we get older.
No-transcript product.
(08:17):
But if you're thinking aboutthe end product too much in the
beginning, it'll just stifle youbecause without that element of
play, of play, you don't tapinto your true nature Like I'm
thinking, like my cat is behindme while we're talking and she's
very calm and most of the timeshe sleeps.
(08:37):
But every once in a whileshe'll pick up a you know a toy
and toss it in the air and playand run around and be ridiculous
.
True to herself.
There, in that moment of play,she's not thinking about whether
I'm going to yell at her orwhether I'm saying something,
(08:59):
whether she's violating somerule.
She's just in the moment,enjoying her physical body and
her playfulness.
And I think that's the key.
If you have the impulse insideof you to do those kinds of play
in that kind of way, you shouldhonor that and give yourself
(09:22):
permission to do that, becausethen you might discover
something that really ismeaningful in your life.
(09:43):
So what I hear you saying is ifsomeone feels under pressure to
create a piece of art and bedone with it and create it
perfect the first time, that'snot necessarily the way to go
about it.
Yeah, it's a way your time andenjoying the process of creation
toward that end goal.
Because like take, for instance, when I'm writing one of my
(10:04):
books, if I'm sitting down to mycomputer and I have 10 chapters
to go, or maybe I'm halfwaythrough and I think, oh, I've
got to get done with this book,how am I going to get from here
to the end?
And I'm not thinking about thescene I'm in at the moment.
That scene is going to suck.
I have to focus on that moment,those characters, that
(10:28):
situation, immerse myself in theprocess, play with the scene in
my mind, get things down on thepaper just for fun, see where
it goes, and then eventually youdo that over and over and
eventually you have a novel.
And then you go back and youhone it, for you hone the
project in the editing process.
(10:52):
But the initial creativity isall about the cat-like
playfulness, the why not?
That you have in your brain.
Fatima Bey (11:04):
So I'm going to reword some of what you said and
apply it to different mediums.
So if you want to be a musician, you got to play with notes.
If you want to be a guitarist,you're going to have to play
with all kinds of different waysof what you're going to make
some horrible sounds and somegreat sounds.
If you want to be an artist,you're going to have to make,
paint, a lot of differentpictures, play with it and not
(11:25):
be afraid to make something thatlooks crazy.
If you want to be a makeupartist, you're going to have to
play on some faces and see whatworks and what doesn't.
If you want to be a hairstylist, you're going to need to play
with some mannequins or yourfriend's heads and see what
works and what doesn't.
I can go on and on.
It's okay to play, because Icompletely agree with you on
(11:47):
that If we don't play, we can'treally what's the word I'm
looking for develop thegreatness of our creativity,
Because there are a lot ofpeople I see that are just
amazingly creative.
But if we sit inside the box ofwell, you can't do this, you're
supposed to think this way,you're supposed to think that
way, that is a trap, a prisonfor your creativity, Would you
(12:11):
agree?
John T. Blossom (12:12):
I completely agree and I think you expressed
that very articulately.
I don't think I could have doneit better.
Thank you, yeah.
Fatima Bey (12:20):
I try to do that intentionally, because I know
that people listen differently.
So I will often rephrase whatmy guests say, not because you
didn't say it right in the firstplace, but I know that people
listen differently, sorephrasing.
John T. Blossom (12:34):
Well, I wish that I'd had you when I was
teaching.
I could have had you in myclassroom, kind of interpreting
what I was saying to the kids.
Fatima Bey (12:44):
I would have been cracking jokes too, so it
might've been too much fun.
John T. Blossom (12:49):
No, no, it should be.
It should be a joy.
English and art it should be ajoyful activity.
You know, people take it soseriously they kill the fun of
it.
I mean, reading is fun andcreativity is fun.
Yes, it's hard.
Sure, it's challenging.
(13:11):
Yeah, sometimes you really, youknow, get upset with yourself
because it doesn't come out theway you want, but you try again
because essentially, the processis just lots of fun.
So try.
Fatima Bey (13:20):
I mean yes Go ahead, go ahead.
John T. Blossom (13:25):
No, I was just thinking that you know,
oftentimes artists, if someonehas an art orientation, they,
you know, they're not reallymainstream.
You know they're, maybe they'renot as popular as other kids or
, uh, you know, as they don'tget as many likes on social
media or or whatever, becausetheir minds are are thinking
(13:49):
differently, they're, they're,they think differently and and
they can't help it becausethat's the way they're wired.
And if they get too much, oh,you're a weirdo, or whatever.
That can discourage them fromdeveloping their superpower.
And, oh my gosh, it'screativity a superpower.
In fact.
(14:10):
I've come to believe, like Istopped teaching before AI
really took over, but I havecome to believe that in the age
of AI, a lot of the mundanetasks of writing and math and
other things and business andall that this is going to get
(14:32):
taken over and done by computers.
What's left?
The only thing that's left, ishuman creativity, because
computers and I go into this inthe Last Football Player but
computers don't have a humanbody, so they don't have the
same connection with the earth,they don't have the same
creative history that's in theirgenetics.
(14:54):
They only have what we've giventhem and AI is a regurgitation
tool, right.
It only gives what we'vealready given to it.
So if 99% of the people aredepending on AI to write their
emails and to do their businessplans, the 1% of the people who
(15:18):
are creative are going to standout, and they're the ones who
are going to be successful.
Fatima Bey (15:24):
Yes, I want to back up to something you said a
moment ago, because that's a keypart of the conversation that I
really want to convey today theweirdos, the ones who are
marked as or labeled as weirdos,as strange, because they don't
think inside the tiny little boxthat our society says we're
supposed to think inside of, andthat's where 90% of the
(15:45):
creative minds are.
They're outside the box andvery often I completely agree
with your statement Very oftenthe greatest minds, the greatest
creative minds, get stifledbecause they're forced and
shoved into a conformity box andit kills their creativity.
(16:09):
Did you find that happeningwith you when you were younger?
John T. Blossom (16:13):
with you when you were younger.
Sure, to a certain extent I hadsort of a different upbringing
in that I had to be veryself-sufficient early on in my
life.
My family life was kind of amess, so I had to pull myself up
by the bootstraps and my onlysalvation was school.
(16:34):
And my only salvation wasschool and at school I found
supportive teachers becauseteachers liked my creativity and
they liked that I was a goodstudent.
Much about the other kids onlybecause I had spent my whole
(16:55):
life being independent in myfamily.
So I was kind of aself-sufficient kid.
But for someone who perhapswasn't that self-sufficient and
maybe stands out in their familyfor being creative and they go
to the school and maybe they'vehad siblings who are football
players or maybe a little bitmore conventional in their
(17:18):
thinking, they might feel alittle self-conscious and people
say, oh, you're nothing likeyour brother.
I mean, what's up now with you?
And then they feel horribleabout themselves, which is
really too bad, because increative people have the
advantage.
So my advice to those kids ifyou find yourself in that
(17:42):
position where you're gettingput down for being kind of
socially awkward or thinkingoutside the box, or maybe you
have interest in things thatother people don't have interest
in and you're a deep dive andthey give you a hard time about
it.
My advice is to find your tribe.
Find the other people who areoutcasts like that and be their
(18:06):
friends.
Be the person who's emanatinglove and creativity, not the
person who's using creativity toput other people down.
You know we're gettingdefensive and that can be tough
advice to take, becauseteenagers are insecure and we
all want to be accepted.
(18:26):
But I can guarantee, you know,in a high school or any kind of
school, from 10 on up to 2,000,10%, maybe 15%, are going to
have an arts-oriented creative.
Maybe they're theater people,maybe they're art people, maybe
(18:47):
they're music people, andchances are they're fairly quiet
about it.
Chances are they're feeling thesame way you feel, uh, about
maybe not revealing um, your,your talents, uh, those are the
people to make friends.
Sit down with them at thelunchroom, you know.
Ask them.
You know.
Oh, I see you're drawingsomething.
Do you mind showing me whatyou're drawing?
(19:08):
Because I really like drawingtoo, you know, and all it takes
is is one or two friends likethat and wham.
Your high school experience isso much better.
Fatima Bey (19:22):
Yes, yes, yes, I agree.
I love the advice that you just, I was just going to ask you to
give, and there you go givingit, the advice that you give to
those who are feeling that wayright now, because there's a lot
of them who are differentthinkers, and I love the
different thinkers because Ithink that's where a lot of
buried treasure is, andcreativity, I think, is the
(19:43):
buried treasure.
It's a buried treasure in a lotof people, and there's some
adults who are listening rightnow, john, who are like you know
what.
I could have been him when Iwas younger, I had all this
creativity, but I stifled it,pushed it down, and now I'm just
a corporate robot.
Is it too late for them to dosomething about that?
John T. Blossom (20:04):
No, because those whispers are still in your
subconscious.
For the adults in thatsituation is to take some kind
of meditative practice, somekind of quiet time just with
yourself, where you're not onyour cell phone, where you're
(20:25):
not worrying about the tickertape and you're just focusing on
your breath and your body andwhat is inside your soul.
Start listening to those innervoices, because the voices of
inner creativity are whispers.
(20:46):
They're not a hurricane,despite what some people say,
you know.
Oh, I had to play the violinand the symphony because I just
couldn't do anything else in mylife.
Well, unlikely, more likely,they had violin lessons.
It was hard at first and thenthey had a teacher who was
encouraging and they found sometalent and then they got
(21:11):
reinforced and then it becamethe hurricane impulses that you
have, especially when you're ateenager.
Gosh, you know, man, that was apretty cool drawing I saw on
Mary's notebook.
Maybe I can do a little drawing.
Well, then you just do it.
You have to listen to thosewhispers and try a little
(21:33):
drawing in your notebook.
Try to post a meme.
If you see a meme that's reallyclever, somebody posted, you
know.
Just maybe post one foryourself and just try it.
You never know what's going tocatch fire in your soul.
And for older people, you know,it's easy for them to think,
well, I'm just not creative.
(21:54):
But no matter what job they did, they had to bring some level
of creativity to it.
Like I had a doctor come to mybooth where I sell my books and
he said, oh, I'm not a creativeperson.
And I said, well, what do youdo?
So I'm a surgeon, I'm a heartsurgeon.
I said you tell me that whenyou go into somebody's heart and
you look and every person's alittle bit different, you're not
(22:15):
applying just even a little bitof creativity of how to fix
this person's, you know, aortaor whatever.
And he said, no, no, no, I justfollow procedures.
And I said, well, I kind ofdoubt that, I kind of doubt it.
I think you're more creativethan you give yourself credit
for yeah because kind of theopposite, even, within the
(22:40):
procedures you need creativity,yeah.
I think so.
I mean, maybe he wouldn't admitto that because you know, if
somebody died under his, youknow watch they said well, you
weren't following procedures,you were being creative with my
body, right?
So maybe he just has to coverhimself, you know, by saying
(23:02):
that that is true, that is true.
Fatima Bey (23:05):
Well, john, I love talking to you, even off air.
We talked for a long timebecause you're very interesting
to talk to, and I just want togive you one more opportunity to
give the audience.
One last word of advice for allthe young listeners in the
world Anything you want, whatadvice would you give them?
John T. Blossom (23:31):
I think that the advice that I would give to
someone is to, no matter what,always give yourself permission
to play, play.
A mindset of play, a mindset ofenjoyment, a mindset of diving
(23:55):
in and trying things playfully,is how you're going to find your
tribe, it's how you're going tofind your mentors and it's how
you're going to find the purposein your life, the things that
you do in your life that put youin the flow state where you're
(24:15):
so involved in what you're doingthat you can't even, you don't
even realize that the time isgoing by.
Those are the magical momentsof connection with love, with
the earth, with your own nature,with other people.
Those are the ones that themost satisfied people in the
world seek out, and it comesthrough that process of
(24:39):
creativity, of play, leading toserious purpose.
So I guess that's what I wouldsay and try to support other
people.
Try not to get sucked into the.
Oh, she thinks she's a musicianand she sucks.
Look at the way she plays theclarinet.
She can't even make a note.
(25:00):
Try never to get into that,because this is a person who's
playing at becoming herself and,um, you know, and every person
deserves your support in love.
Uh, and the more you give it toother people, the faster you'll
find your tribe and the fasteryou'll be able to do something
that gives you meaning in life.
Fatima Bey (25:22):
How can people find you?
John T. Blossom (25:26):
Well, all my books are on Amazon or wherever
you buy fine books.
It's under John Blossom andit's also under JT Blossom.
My early pen name was JTBlossom.
I have four books under thatname and the three I mentioned
before under John Blossom.
I have four books under thatname and the three I mentioned
before under John Blossom, andthen my website lists all my
books and has links to places tobuy them and information about
(25:51):
them at jtblossomcom.
Fatima Bey (25:59):
And I hope that with this met, with this episode
today, you helped othercreatives to blossom.
Ha ha, dad joke, I just made itup.
You know that there are more.
John T. Blossom (26:14):
There are more dentists named Dennis than any
other name, so I think there issomething to that.
I really do.
I didn't know that and in do.
And in fact, the dream that wasthe basis for Mahina Rises was
me flying through my orchardwhen it was my apple orchard
(26:37):
when I was a kid in Milwaukee,Wisconsin, when it was in full
bloom, when I was a kid inMilwaukee, wisconsin when it was
in full bloom.
So yeah, I think that names dohave a little bit of influence.
I'm not saying it's the onlyreason why I'm creative, but if
(27:00):
my name had been Steelheart oryou know, or let's see some
other, I don't know Brick Wall,if my last name was Brick Wall.
Fatima Bey (27:12):
I'm not sure I would have been quite as a creative a
person.
John T. Blossom (27:15):
I don't know about that.
All those people out therenamed Brick Wall are going to
get mad at me, so I take thatback.
Fatima Bey (27:22):
I don't know any Brick Walls.
Thank you once again for forcoming on.
It has been a pleasure talkingwith you and I really do hope in
that we've opened up the mindsof some truly quiet creatives
who need to branch out.
John T. Blossom (27:37):
Me too, Fatima.
If we did it for one person, itwas worth our time.
Thank you.
Fatima Bey (27:42):
Amen, amen, amen.
And now for a mind-shiftingmoment.
I want you to think about this.
Creativity is actually a gift.
It's a talent and it comes inmany different forms.
(28:03):
Do you have a creativity giftthat you've been suppressing
because it doesn't fit in to thebox?
You've been told to climb inand stay in Because it doesn't
fit in with your corporatesurroundings.
Do you have a creative giftthat you've been suppressing?
Maybe it's time to explore,have fun with it, because one
(28:26):
thing I do know if you weregiven a creative gift, it wasn't
by mistake.
Your creativity is there tobless the rest of us, but that
can't happen unless you firstdevelop it.
So take a chance today,starting today, and develop your
(28:49):
creativity.
The world is waiting.
You've been listening toMindShift Power Podcast.
For complete show notes on thisepisode and to join our global
movement, find us atFatimaBaycom Until next time.
Always remember there's powerin shifting your thinking.
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