The Creative Act: A Practice of Devotion

If you've read any of my previous newsletters, you'll know I find the 'why' most fascinating - especially in relation to myself. It's the deep dive into the subconscious, the revealing of conditioned beliefs, and the awareness to choose that makes the art of creation an infinite game with finite terms... and I love that.

When I set out to create a newsletter at the beginning of 2023, my sole intention was to build a list to monetize, so I thought. In truth, it was only in part about making money. It was primarily because of a desire for significance, which I've talked a lot about in the past, as I'm led to believe believe it was a response to losing my mother at a young age.

As the year progressed and my awareness continued to expand, my writing began to shift:

• Away from: "What can I write about that people will find interesting?" 
• Towards a cathartic "What is significant to me in this moment in time?"

Turns out nobody wants to read about what you think they should know... but people are nosey af.

As I continued down the path of using writing as a creative outlet, I began to enjoy the process.
Topics were no longer hard to come by and it never felt forced.

Instead of creating, I began documenting.

The most fascinating part is the more authentically I revealed my life experience(s), the more engagement I received.
*A big lesson in self-worth for me, and a continuance down the path of absolute acceptance of myself.

This past week I've listened to both Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. on Rick Rubin's Podcast (Tetragrammaton - The Hebrew name of God), and Rick Rubin on Andrew Huberman's Podcast (The Huberman Lab). Both of which discussed the 'why' behind the who and the creation process - which resonated given my Annual Review.

Interestingly enough, Huberman discussed a science-supported journaling protocol in which writing about stressful or traumatic experiences for 15 - 30 minutes on 4 consecutive days has been shown to produce long-lasting effects on physical and mental health. Something to explore deeper here as I've always found my ability to articulate on the page to be strong, and writing to be a very cathartic activity for me. 

Question - Are there any studies on the processing of trauma that are correlated to the creation of hieroglyphics?

A quote from Rick Rubin on his podcast stood out to me was:

"You don’t create greatness in search of an outcome, that’s out of your control.
Greatness comes from a practice of devotion."

In the same breath, he also elegantly summed up the difference between art created by humans and AI.

"What makes art important is the artists point of view."

In my opinion, it's this point of view that connects an audience with it's creator.

Think Fred Again... creating from samples pulled from his own experience. He took the act of creating music from translating an experience to actually including that experience in the music itself.

I write all of this to say, it's been an extremely magical year... and starting this newsletter, which has now become, selfishly, more of a diary than anything else, has provided me hours of introspection and thoughtful articulation. 

I've learned quite a few things extensively examining my psyche during this process... and here are a few:

1: Seek Forgiveness, Never Permission

I've been fairly rebellious most of my life... as I don't believe in rules (they're merely recommendations).

It's a belief I don't share with many - as most seek permission to follow their heart.

"The only rules are the ones dictated by the laws physics."

- Walter Isaacson

By sharing your story you give others 'permission' to do the same...

... and maybe, just maybe, they'll step forward into creating the life they desire.

2: It's All In Your Breath

Last week I shared my Out on a Limb experience at Miraval Arizona.

It could be recency bias, but the lesson obtained from that experience unlocked something new for me.

11 words accurately summarized my life up until this point.

The depth of your breath is the depth of the experience.

3: Live Life For A Living

This past year has been, quite literally, the time of my life... and the best is yet to come.

I played with the idea of alignment a lot this year, which has allowed me to alter how I show up in the world.

No longer do I feel the need to control the outcome of my life in entirety... only to remain in alignment presently.

String together enough aligned days and you'll live a life that is better than anything you could have ever imagined.

Quote On My Mind:

"The idea is not what is scarce.
It's people that have the courage and ability to execute it."

﹣Naval Ravikant

We often assume good ideas are a dime a dozen.

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In CASE YOU MISSED IT

In last weeks edition, I wrote about my Annual Review process and the seven questions I answered:

1. What did I change my mind on this year?
2. What and whom created energy this year?
3. What and whom drained energy this year?
4. What or whom held me back this year?
5. What did I not face because of fear?
6. What were my greatest hits and worst misses?
7. What did I learn this year?

I shared very candidly in this one.

Tap here to read the full article.