EP 431: From Corporate Advertising to Viral Artist: The Yin & Yang of Creativity with James McCrae

When Getting Fired Becomes Your Greatest Gift: The Creative Breakthrough That Changed Everything

What happens when losing your job becomes the catalyst for finding your true calling? Artist and author James McCrae reveals how getting fired from his corporate advertising position launched him from unemployed executive to viral social media sensation, transforming his relationship with creativity and authenticity in the process.

After years as a brand strategist in New York City, McCrae found himself at a crossroads when his entire department was eliminated during a corporate acquisition. Instead of frantically job hunting, he made a decision that would change his life: he sat in meditation and asked what wanted to be born through him.

The Artist’s Journey: From Small Town to Social Media Success

McCrae’s creative journey began in small-town Minnesota, where poetry served as his escape and a way to “create new worlds and explore the universe in much more depth” than his surroundings offered. His path meandered through painting, graphic design, and eventually corporate brand strategy, where he describes “sneaking into the business world through the back door as an artist.”

The turning point came when he started creating social media content and memes that began going viral. Rather than viewing social media as merely a marketing tool, McCrae transformed these platforms into his personal “art gallery of digital art and poetry.”

The Yin and Yang of Creative Expression

McCrae introduces a revolutionary framework for understanding creativity through the ancient concept of yin and yang. He argues that our society has created an overemphasis on “yang” energy (doing, productivity, action) while neglecting the essential “yin” energy (receptivity, stillness, pure potentiality).

“All doing begins with non-doing,” McCrae explains, comparing creativity to farming. “You want to make art, but you can’t start by growing crops. You need to tend the soil, plant the seeds, and water the soil first.”

This approach involves removing distractions and cultivating mindfulness through practices like meditation, spending time in nature, and consuming art. McCrae’s breakthrough came when he began a serious mindfulness practice in New York City, discovering meditation, yoga, and Eastern philosophy that helped him “tune out all the distractions and tune into my own inner being.”

From Ego to Intuition: The Art of Inner Listening

McCrae distinguishes between ego-driven and intuition-driven creativity, describing the ego as speaking “like an alarm going off or like a dog barking,” while intuition whispers quietly “almost more of a feeling than it is a thought.”

His daily practice involves meditating each morning before writing, then “taking dictation from the muse” rather than forcing ideas. He emphasises that creation and editing must be separate processes: “You should not write and edit at the same time. They’re completely different mindsets.”

The Vulnerability Revolution: Why Authenticity Goes Viral

McCrae’s breakthrough moment came when he stopped trying to project a perfect image and started sharing his authentic self. While other self-help authors played it safe, he began posting what he calls “apocalyptic poetry” and “sarcastic existential memes.”

“I’m just going to allow myself full permission to be an artist and express myself however I want,” he decided. The result was explosive: “I started really going viral online. Suddenly, I was getting thousands of followers every day, and people were reposting my memes all over the internet.”

His key insight: “You can be yourself much better than you can be anyone else. There’s only one you.” This authenticity created what he calls intimacy with his audience, proving that “people are hungry for something that’s honest and real and valuable.”

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