EF13 SHOW NOTES
Looking to play or download the episode? Click here… EF13 (S1-E11): The Bloody Fingerprint of Creativity
What is The Source Of Creativity?
The big question driving Episode EF13 is … What is the source of creativity? Everyone wants to use their imagination to create art. But everyone around you seems to be more creative than you. And the same thought lingers in the mind of the person you see as creative. So most never act on the creative impulse and, like a muscle, it atrophies. Without social approval, our creativity doesn’t exist and this creates a false belief you need to be special to be creative.
But art, imagination, and creativity aren’t mystical powers divinely granted to only a few, but instead are a cumbersome process where you need to wake up every day and work hard — just like any other job requiring hard work and years of practice. Although everybody wants to be creative, it’s the will we usually lack. But, unlike some mysterious force we can’t define, the will is more than attainable. Do you have the guts to face the failures you’ll have to endure to attain it?
dedication
DEDICATION: Episode EF13 is dedicated to Paul McCartney. As a founding member of the Beatles, he needs no introduction for most. EF13 is an episode exploring the depths and sources of creativity. Thus, you might assume that the Lennon/McCartney songwriting powerhouse should be enough to justify the dedication. Their career of hard work mixed with seemingly endless creativity resulted in unforgetful pieces of art.
Starting in the Beatles and later moving on with his solo work with Wings, he has continuously created new structures of songs and consistently redefined rock and roll. Either as a Beatles or Wings fan, you might not always like all of what McCartney creates. But it’s hard to deny the talent that’s a result of constant hard work and evolution as an artist.
HOW PAUL MCCARTNEY INSPIRES EPISODE EF13
For fans of the Evolve Faster podcast, you might guess there’s also a more prominent connection causing the episode to be dedicated to McCartney. I’ll give only one hint … there might be a link between the creative alchemy behind one of his most famous songs and the hidden drive of the lead character of Episode EF13.
Here are a few places can find out more about Sir Paul and his creativity, in case you want to find out more about McCartney or the Beatles inventing much of the song structure that underlies rock and roll:
- Paul McCartney Official Website or on Twitter
- McCartney Creating a Song on the Spot
- McCartney Interview on Creativity
inspirations
INSPIRATIONS: William James, a psychologist who made the uncanny connection between a drug, religious and creative experience. Gene Fowler, a famous writer who made us realize all you need to create great work is a couple of drops of blood on the paper. Carl Jung, a psychologist who believed the creative resources are in our subconscious- we just have to dig it up. Steven Pressfield, a writer who put all our creative struggles in a single book in hopes of making it easier. Episode EF13 was further inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Immanuel Kant, James Baldwin, Mark Twain, Kimberley A. Wade, Maryanne Garry, J. Don Read, Stephen Lindsay, Xiaoqing Gao For a full list of data and references, please see the Episode EF13 Show Notes.
Episode EF13 Summary
Facing serious amnesia, Eric Clemens with the help of Dr. Eden Harper tries to recollect his lost memories. Dr. Harper takes an unconventional road not only to help Eric track his
This episode of the Evolve Faster Podcast will investigate what art is and how do we perceive the concept of creating art. Through psychological theories ranging from William James to Carl Jung with a neuroscientific backup, the goal is to demystify the long-living mystery as it turns out–what art is and what we believe it to be are two entirely different ideas. Even more important, people who are capable to create art might not just be a chosen few.
references
C.G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections. 2005, Fontana Press
Immanuel Kant, Critique of the Power of Judgment. 2000, Cambridge University Press
Kimberly A. Wade, Maryanne Garry, J. Don Read, Stephen Lindsay, A picture is worth a thousand lies: Using false photographs to create false childhood memories. 2002, Psychonomic Society, Inc.
Steven Brown, Xiaoqing Gao, The Neuroscience of Beauty. Scientificamerican.com, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-neuroscience-of-beauty/ (accessed: January 26, 2017)
Steven Pressfield, The War of Art. 2003, Warner Books.
William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience. 2000, Adamant Media Corporation
episode quotes
Any of these quotes make you think? If so, please support the show by sharing…
You could even say we are all suffering from existential amnesia by default. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Eleven)
What if you could decide one morning to kill off the part of your identity that isn’t living the life you want, and in its place, replace it with a new one? — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Eleven)
Pain and a bloody fingerprint right in front of my eyes. That’s all I can remember before waking up in the hospital. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Eleven)
Writing is easy Eric. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Eleven)
Each mind is a vast universe unto its own. It’s impossible to discover and understand every single corner. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Eleven)
Creativity may seem like a solo journey; but really, it’s a joint-venture of anyone who decides to take it. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Eleven)
Understanding the objective beauty of life itself as art might open you up to living more creatively. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Eleven)
Art is like philosophy—it is about creating deeper and better questions about life … and what’s possible. — The Evolve Faster Podcast (Season One, Episode Eleven)
Season One, Episode Eleven: Channeling creativity can feel like fighting an internal battle, leaving behind a bloody fingerprint. So if there is a unique brand of art within you, why is creativity treated as something possessed by a lucky few? And is creativity really such a precious human trait anyway?
Season One, Episode Eleven: What is the source of creativity?