The Creative Shoofly Podcast

In this episode, I interview some of my fellow participants at this year’s Everything Conference in Minneapolis. We talk about creativity and multipotentiality.
 
Links mentioned in this episode
Everything Conference
Puttyverse
How To Be Everything by Emilie Wapnick
World Domination Summit
Camp Indie
Some of the above are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission.
 
Transcript
Welcome to the Creative Shoofly. I'm Thomas Beutel. This podcast is about exploring the creative journey as an artist. And in this episode, I speed-interview some of the people I met at this year's Everything Conference, which was held in Minneapolis.
The Everything Conference is a semiannual gathering of multipotentialites, and it's styled as an unconference, where everyone is a participant, and the workshops and experiences are led by the participants themselves.
I had an opportunity to lead a workshop based on some of the creative processes I've described on this podcast, mind mapping, role play, and Scrum for One, and I'm happy to say that I got some nice feedback.
In addition to participating in other experiences, I met a lot of wonderful people and I made some new friends. It's really cool to be in a group that doesn't blink an eye when you say, I'm interested in this… and this… and this… and this! They totally get it because they have as many interests as I do.
Before going to the Everything Conference, I knew that I wanted to interview my fellow multipods, and the idea I came up with was to write a bunch of questions and have them pick one at random.
Half of the questions are about creativity, and half about multipotentiality. I ended up writing them on a set of blank Bicycle playing cards. I enjoyed seeing the look on their faces when they picked a card from the deck and realized that it was not a real playing card. I ended up interviewing about a dozen people. And we'll start with my friend, Heather.
Heather: Can you tell me what it is? Oh, oh, okay.
Thomas: Let's see. So, Heather. What's a piece of advice you would give to a young multipotentialite?
Heather: Okay. That's a really good question because I think our society has typically been, quite, like you must choose something you have to specialize and I do think that's shifting. But in the meantime, it's really working on accepting that for yourself. Honoring that you do have all of these interests. And that basically, one, you're really awesome, you're not broken, and it's just sort of, it's, it's just like being a different flavor of human.
Thomas: Yeah. Right, right.
Heather: Yeah, um, and to explore, like get into your interests, try them out, it's okay to shift because that's what we do. But yeah, just to kind of honor that and try to be firm with others. Like, hey, this is really who I am, and I need your support, especially for a young person. It's just like, I need that support to nourish those interests and, and that identity, so.
Thomas: Thank you very much.
Thomas: So, Colleen, how do you know when a creative project is finished?
Colleen: Oh, that is a hard question, because most creatives I know, they'll, they'll pick at it. And never let it go.
I think there's a couple ways to see. One is by sharing your work. Because other people will see the whole better than you will. Another time is just to be comfortable with good enough, it meets your standards, and then let it out in the world. I think when we don't let our work out, it's really, fear that it won't be good enough.
Thomas: Right. So that letting go part is, is key.
Colleen: I think that is what it is. I mean, we don't, you know, especially people who do, one off work, and you know in my practice, I know that a lot of times I'm terrible at planning. I don't, I'm trying to learn how to sketch my work ahead of time, but really I just see what the materials want to be. And so it's sometimes hard to know when you're done because you didn't know what you were going to do when you start it.
I think if you know, it's kind of like, well, in my corporate life project is done because you define done at the beginning.
In my creative work, I'm not as good at doing that.
Thomas: Great. Thank you very much. You're welcome.
Thomas: Let me pull up my cards. All right. Stacey, how do you stay updated and informed in multiple fields?
Stacey: Okay, primary way I do is I'm an avid reader. And my tastes are eclectic. So I'll read across anything that interests me.
I mainly do nonfiction though. I do read fiction as well. And even a lot of the fiction you can learn or you can learn a lot of things or even spark thoughts if, especially if it's an author like a Michael Crichton, I'm trying to think like Dan Brown. Or those that meticulously or carefully that they really research before they write.
So you learn a lot of stuff even from there.
Thomas: They really study their craft.
Stacey: So whatever the novel or that they're writing, you get a lot of good detail. And that usually has sparked me to look into other things, whether it's… mainly travel. But also trying new things or trying something based on something I read.
But like I said, also read nonfiction. I usually read four or five books at once. So that's the primary, but also internet of course. And then coming to things like this, and just interacting with people and just hearing what I call like just different perspectives of what people are into.
I'm lucky that, you know, I've either lived in big cities or in this now, like in a college town. So of course you have like a lot of different people with a lot of different ideas that sort of cross pollinate.
So that also kind of helps, not just expose me to new things, but also even stuff that I do, interacting with other people that are into the same thing, but may have either a different level of experience or perspective.
Thomas: Well, thank you very much.
Thomas: All right, Cristy, how do you deal with creative burnout?
Cristy: You know, I am really fortunate because I'm a multipod. So when I feel like I have creative burnout in one particular area, like I've been writing too much and it's just getting foggy, I can switch. I can do something verbal like a podcast or a discussion with someone. Or an interview with someone.
And somehow I feel that it's returns my energy to me. So I think having a couple of different interests that you juggle is a real benefit because when you, when one of them just gets stale or you're not inspired, you can draw from that well of the other kinds of interests and hobbies.
Thomas: Isn't that a wonderful thing about being a multipotentialite?
Cristy: I love it the most. I love it the most. And I think also when you have those creative energizing people that you talk with, you can, you can draw from that too. You can be like, eh, I'm a little stuck, you know, like let's talk about whatever. And it'll spur something in you. So it's a real benefit.
Thomas: Thank you.
Cristy: Yeah, you're welcome. Thanks for asking.
Thomas: Alright, Ted. how do you celebrate your multipotentiality?
Ted: I celebrate it in my day-to-day life. Basically, based on how I live my life, I choose multi very multipotentiality friendly work and career. And, I don't shy away from it. I really embrace it. And it's, it's been a journey to get to that point, but I'm very happy with, with that.
And, you know, a lot of it's the support from the group, for sure, from the Puttyverse and, and more broadly speaking, but people who get it, people who understand that. And, uh, it really helps us, I think, survive and thrive with that kind of mentality.
Thomas: It's important to celebrate and it's important also to, to really have a good support group and that understands it. So thank you.
Ted: Yeah, it's my pleasure.
Thomas: Okay, Lisa, what role does failure play in your creative process?
Risa: It's a tough one because I don't see failure in my creative process every time, like I do something and then I just try to make it better the next time. So it's not necessarily a failure. Because it's, again, it's a spontaneous, creative, instantaneous kind of thing that I go for.
And so there is really no wrong way to do it. Just jump in and do it. So I've never, it's a tough question cause I feel like it's not, I don't view it as a failure. It's just
Thomas: Right. So failure to you is just, it's just an iterative process. You just go and figure it out and do the next thing. That's wonderful. Thank you.
Thomas: So Ryan, what's the most rewarding aspect of being a multipotentialite?
Ryan: That it's opened my life to meeting people I never would have met if I wasn't a multipotentialite.
Thomas: And that's fantastic because it's like, I want to meet these people.
Ryan: No matter what size city you live in. And I'm, I'm from, I've spent 44 of my 46 years in Northeast Ohio, Youngstown, Ohio, and Cleveland, Ohio. Also briefly lived in Washington DC and Ann Arbor, Michigan. But when I read Emily's book, How To Be Everything, I thought she was writing my biography.
And I immediately joined the then Puttytribe, now Puttyverse.
After reading the book and listening to her Ted talk, and I realized, Oh, there's several hundred of these people worldwide.
And this is now my second Everything Conference I've come to. And once you meet these people, you realize these would have been my best friends if I'd have met them when I was five years old instead of 40 years old.
Thomas: Isn't that so true? I mean, what I love about it is it's just sort of like there's an instant comfort level.
Ryan: Yes, absolutely. Fully agree with that. There's a sense of if you were all little kids in the same sandbox, that sandbox becomes a lot bigger.
It's not just the six by eight or whatever your dad was able to fit in the backyard. It becomes like a football field size sandbox. And there's a little corner over here where people are doing arts and crafts. There's a corner here where people are business and analytical, and there's another corner where there's singing.
But the one thing I found about this community, mainly the Puttyverse--I know there's World Domination Summit and Camp Indie people here as well--is it's almost agenda free.
There certainly are some coaches who want you to do sessions with them. Or other people have a business plan. Or authors or artists who want you to maybe buy their book or listen to the music, but there's never that push. It's always organic, natural conversations.
None of us little snowflakes are alike, but the one commonality is there's just overwhelming encouragement.
There's not the vitriol and hatred you'll find at other sites. There's not the pushing us. That's what I really treasure about this community and the people I've met in it.
Thomas: I do too. Thank you.
Ryan: Thank you, Thomas.
Thomas: So, Monica, name a place you would like to visit and why.
Monica: I've always wanted, since I was a little kid, to visit Greece.
Thomas: Greece?
Monica: Probably because I went through, as I think a lot of kids do, a Greek mythology phase. And I still would love to see the ancient structures and learn about the ancient times. Yeah. So, Greece.
Thomas: Do you think you're going to get a chance in the next, let's say, ten years?
Monica: I think it's possible, but I've lately been struggling a bit with travel. So it would be something that I would have to work towards.
Thomas: Alright, well, thank you very much.
Thomas: So, Amy, how do you find new creative challenges?
Amy: I think just by exploring, different aspects of issues. So trying to take a look at a problem or a challenge in a different way. So kind of just trying to take a step back and looking at something from a different angle, I think helps me approach a challenge differently or gives me a new challenge because I've applied a different perspective to it.
So yeah, I think that would be how I approach different creative challenges.
Thomas: I’m going to ask a follow up if I may. So, how do you think that your multipotentiality sort of, is a part of how to find a creative challenge.
Amy: I think it's actually essential to being able to, so I think my multipotentiality allows me to see things from different angles because I'm interested in so many things.
I can kind of look at things from a scientific perspective, an artistic, a musical perspective. So being able to be interested in so many things and know a little bit about a lot of things, it kind of helps me put different perspectives or bring different ideas, that maybe are not traditionally associated with a particular challenge into that challenge.
Thomas: Well, thank you.
Thomas: So Marcus, how do you handle criticism of your creative work?
Marcus: A good way that it seems to handle criticism would be to just approach it with an open mind, understanding that we all have areas in which we can improve and just trying to approach your work from a humble and honest perspective.
If you really care about delivering a quality product, you're going to want the truth first. As the saying goes, all progress begins with truth. I think it was Socrates or someone said that.
But, yes, just, just approaching it from the perspective of that. There's always another stair rung I can go up. Or another level I can go.
So just seeing it from the perspective of, we can always take another step towards perfection.
Thomas: Yeah. All right. Thank you.
Thomas: Vanessa, what does creativity mean to you?
Vanessa: Oh, I love this question because I think sometimes we are brought up to think that creativity are only for like the artists and the makers. And, you know, Oh my gosh, they're so creative. They made that cool sculpture or painting or jewelry, or look at how they like dress, they're so creative.
And to me, the creativity is like what lights us up, what sparks us, how we feel alive. And we're like creating or doing or being like our best self.
And sometimes creating is putting together a delicious meal. Sometimes creating is, the simple gestures of bringing together different friends and say, Oh my goodness, you should speak to this friend about that, or you would like to hear this story.
It's, you know, it's these behind the scenes creativity. I believe that I am a creative person in the events I create. Right?
So yeah, creativity is just the thing that lights you up. It feels good. I'm sure there are football coaches who are creative because they make an amazing, you know, plays, trick plays and stuff like that.
Creativity is actually all around us. Those who really can take pause and look are going to see it.
Thomas: I like what you said about being. Creativity is a lot about the being. And I think your creativity is creating community.
Vanessa: Oh, thank you. That is literally one of the best compliments. Definitely! Creating and cultivating, curating community is important to me and something I love to do. And it is a special place of creativity and bringing people together. It just, it lights me up.
Thomas: Thank you.
Vanessa: Thank you so much.
Thomas: Tomoko, how do you manage the transition from idea to execution?
Tomoko: Thank you very much. So first, I use my mind map to jot down all the ideas that I have inside of my head. And once I finish listing it, I put, like, I divide it into two categories, which is my priority project and, like, take it for later project, I would say. And I focus from the top of my priority list into execution.
Tomoko: So I like to divide the ideation process from the execution process. That's how my brain works better.
Speaker 17: And if I can ask a follow up question. When you create your mind map and then you are sort of prioritizing, how long do you think that usually takes you? Do you spend hours on it or is it fast or slow? What do you think?
Speaker 18: Thank you for the follow up question. I think it depends on the size of the project. So sometimes I mind map twice because if I have a very big project, I like to jot it down to like what kind of process I have to go through. So it takes me to the another, second mind map.
But if it's a smaller project, it's gonna take me about maybe 30 minutes to hour to wrote the mind map and to build the execution plan. I will take other day because my brain is like, doesn't like to function for like ideation and execution at one time.
Thomas: Ah, okay. Well, thank you very much.
Tomoko: Thank you so much, Thomas.
Thomas: And, let's take a look at this card. Joel, what inspires you?
Joel: What inspires you? Uh, the sun is the first thing that comes to my mind. But I might be thinking a little bit too literally in terms of a synonym of what sparks me, what gives me energy and enthusiasm. The sun is, both from an intellectual perspective, I realize that that is the source of my life and all other life on this planet.
Um, but spiritually, I really get inspired by the fact that the sun comes up and goes down every day, without fail, and even when it's cloudy, the sun is always there. You just have to feel it behind the clouds. Can I have a two-part answer?
Thomas: Yes, go ahead.
Joel: There can be an and?
Thomas: Yes, and.
Joel: Yes, and?
Thomas: Yes, and. And I love that, that first part of the answer. And I'm glad too that it goes, comes up and goes down every night, every day.
Joel: Yeah. Uh, humanity in general inspires me. I love humans, especially the challenging ones. And sometimes it's hard to do that in the moment. But the people who have challenged me to be a kinder, more patient, more respectful and trusting version.
I really appreciate all the opportunities that humanity gives me.
My family, my friends, incredible people that I get to meet around the world who come to my hometown from time to time for events that I help co-organize. It's just so cool that we can be together, do so many things, discuss so many things, experiment in so many ways.
I just get endless inspirations from just these tiny little moments of interacting with all these incredible humans around the world.
Thomas: Thank you, and thank you for inviting us to Minneapolis. This is a wonderful place.
Joel: Agreed. Shall I say more? No. Thank you.
Speaker 26: Thanks to Joel, Tomoko, Vanessa, Marcus, Amy, Monica, Ryan, Lisa with an R, Ted, Christy, Stacy, Colleen, and Heather for being willing to play with me on this podcast. It was fun to see which questions would pop out of the deck, and I was delighted how thoughtful the answers were.
If you're interested to learn more about multipotentiality, check out Emily Wapnick's TED Talk, Why Some of Us Don't Have One True Calling.
And also check out the Puttyverse community, which is an online gathering of multipods.
Thank you for listening to this episode of the Creative Shoofly.
If you liked today's episode and want to hear more about the creative process, please consider subscribing to The Creative Shoofly wherever you get your podcasts.
That's it for now. Be well, and be creative.

In this episode, I discuss meditative ideation, a mindfulness practice that I've honed over the years to combat creative block. It has transformed my creative process, and I think it can unlock new realms of inspiration for you too.
 
Links mentioned in this episode
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
How boredom can lead to your most brilliant ideas, a TED talk by Manoush Zomorodi
The Wisdom of Not Knowing by Estelle Frankel
The Artist's Way by Julie Cameron
Some of the above are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission.
 
Transcript
Thomas: Welcome to the Creative Shoofly. I'm Thomas Beutel. This podcast is about exploring the creative journey as an artist, and in this episode, I'll be discussing a mindfulness practice that I've honed over the years to combat creative block. It has transformed my creative process, and I think it can unlock new realms of inspiration for you too.
Today I'd like to tell you about a dream-like technique that I call meditative ideation. The essence of the technique is to calm the mind, get the voice in your head to stop talking, and to be quiet enough to invite inspiration in, and to invite ideas in. I've been using this technique for a number of years now, and as a result, I rarely experience the blank page syndrome or the creative block that I used to have.
I think everyone struggles somewhat with creative block. For many people, and this might include you, creative block is not often a lack of creativity. It's usually due to too much focus.
Now that might seem strange, but being overly focused on a problem will prevent the flow of new ideas. Focus form of creative block. Focus blocks to allow those ideas to emerge.
I used to struggle with creative block quite a lot. I'd sit down and say, okay, I need an idea, and then I'd wait, and I'd wait, and I wouldn't think of anything, and then I would go off and start criticizing myself. My monkey mind would just keep on talking and putting myself down. It would say, “You're a creative person, what's going on with you? Why can't you come up with a single creative idea?”
I'm sure many of you listening have experienced this type of self-criticism, and it sure isn't conducive to creative thinking or being inspired.
Things started to change for me when I read a book called Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. She has a wonderful concept of how inspirations work. In her telling, inspirations are living things that go around the world looking for creative people to make them manifest, to put them into action.
The idea of inspiration shopping around for creators really resonated with me. I just imagined a great idea looking at a sea of humanity and saying, “I pick you, Thomas, because I know you're a creative person.” It feels kind of flattering, actually.
So I began wondering, how do I actually invite inspiration in? What would the process look like?
At about the same time, I listened to a TED talk by Manoush Zomorodi. Her talk was about the default mode network of the mind. This is a part of the brain that jumps into action when you're not focusing, and not paying attention to something in particular.
A lot of people say that they get their best ideas when they're taking a shower, or they're going on a walk. The way it works is when you're in a very relaxed state, and the mind isn't focused on anything, the default mode network starts making connections between all kinds of different places in the brain.
The point that Manoush makes is that so many of us don't allow our minds to idle to the point where the default mode network can come in. And the connections that are made are where inspiration comes from.
Or, as Elizabeth Gilbert might put it, this is when inspiration finds you because it knows that you can make it manifest.
So after seeing the TED Talk, the question I asked myself, could I simply close my eyes and empty my mind enough to engage my default mode network?
This was an intriguing idea. I had already been doing a daily meditation for a number of years, and I was very familiar with the meditative style where you breathe, and if any thought comes by, you let it drift by, and you just let your mind think about nothing else other than your breathing.
I can't say that I'm really good at it, but at least I became aware of when my mind is busy with thought and when my mind is calm and relaxed.
I thought that that might be a way to try to activate my default mode network. And I started doing it, and yes, I can report that it indeed does.
So I formalized it into a practice where I intentionally quiet the mind and let wonderful ideas come along. I call it meditative ideation. The key difference between breathing meditation and this practice is that I'm allowing interesting ideas to stay and evolve rather than letting the thoughts go as I would in a breathing meditation.
I still watch for non-creative ideas and dismiss them as soon as I can. And this happens a lot at the beginning of a session, and I still have unproductive and self-critical thoughts show up. As soon as I recognize that I'm having one of those thoughts, I let go of them.
Eventually, my mind relaxes enough that truly interesting and creative thoughts appear. It's a joy when it happens, and it confirms for me that this is a practice worth doing.
Embracing the quietude necessary for meditative ideation might seem daunting to you. The concept of sitting in silence, clearing your mind of its endless thoughts and distractions, can feel like an unfamiliar or even monumental task.
Despite its simplicity on the surface, reaching a state of mental stillness is anything but easy. You might find, as many do, that your thoughts persistently wander toward daily concerns and lingering questions. This illustrates the persistent nature of our inner dialogue.
You might also question the productivity of this practice, wondering if dedicating time to quieting the mind could ever be worthwhile. Initial forays into meditation rarely bring instant insights, which can feel frustrating. In our fast-paced world, carving out twenty to twenty-five minutes a day for quiet reflection might seem like an unaffordable luxury.
And then there is a more intimate obstacle, the fear of facing your own thoughts. In the silence of meditation, your mind may venture into realms that you'd rather avoid, making the practice seem all the more challenging.
Despite these hurdles, I encourage you to give meditative ideation a try. The journey towards stillness and the inspirations it can unlock might require patience and perseverance. But the rewards are profound. Learning to quiet your mind can open the door to boundless creativity. It's an investment for your creative practice that truly pays off.
So I invite you to embrace the practice, to step beyond that initial discomfort and skepticism. You might just discover a wellspring of ideas and inspiration waiting for you.
The practice of quieting your mind and starting to receive inspiration is a very interesting experience. You'll have your eyes closed and you won't see anything, but occasionally you'll see some forms taking shape. But more than that, your mind will just be drifting and quieting down. You'll experience serenity and calm, and then all of a sudden your mind catches a theme.
And the theme might be something like animation, or it might be watercolor painting. Sometimes it depends on what you did during the day. A memory will show up in your thoughts, and as long as you're thinking about something creative, run with it. Let the thought just go where it wants to go.
And then all of a sudden, an idea will coalesce. To me it's like a sparkle and then all of a sudden, boom there's an idea. What I do at that point is I open my eyes and I start writing in my journal, where I keep all of my ideas.
Allowing the mind to wander allows the default mode network to activate and that leads to the connecting of disparate ideas. How is watercolor painting related to animation? I don't know.
But when you're in a state of meditative ideation, what may come forward is a series of watercolors forming the basis of the animation. That's how ideas form. It's like the mind just wants to find solutions to these little conundrums that appear when you're ideating.
When I sit down, I always give myself about 25 minutes or so for the practice. Within that time, I usually come up with maybe two or three good ideas. But there will be some days where it's just one idea.
And occasionally I'll spend the whole 25 minutes and not have a single inspiration come up at all. But that's rare now. Usually, I'll have multiple ideas pop up.
But when you're starting out, you might not get immediate results. The key here is to let go of focus. If you're too focused on something, the default mode network doesn't engage.
As I do this practice and I feel or sense that my thoughts are getting too focused, I'll dismiss the thought. Empty my mind again, and then just let my visual field see the nothingness of closed eyes. I find that during a session I'll be letting go many times because my thoughts become too focused.
The challenge is clearing the mind just enough to keep the mind relaxed and the default mode network engaged. It's a mental dance that gets easier the more you do it.
Another challenge is carving out the time to do a meditative ideation session. If you're like me, you're busy during the day. And if you don't actually set aside some time, you'll find you've gone a couple weeks having done the practice.
In my practice, I usually set aside the time between 5 and 6 o'clock, after I'm done with my client work. This way, there's a regular time slot for my meditative ideation practice. my daily meditation during the same time. That helps to get the mind in a meditative state. But you don't have to do a meditation before this practice for it to be effective.
Another thing that can get in the way of doing the practice is being stressed and having a lot of interruptions. It's really hard to empty the mind and clear the mind if you're stressed, and if you're thinking about some problem that's going on in your life.
Another thing that might trip you up is trying too hard. The whole purpose of this practice is to let go of all thoughts. That struggle to empty the mind is a necessary part of this. But if you try too hard, you'll fall into the trap of being overly focused.
Remember to relax into it, and gently let go of non-creative thoughts as they appear. Don't criticize yourself for having a busy mind, because we all experience that same busyness.
One of the reasons that I continue to do this practice is just the joy of emptying the mind and inviting new inspirations in. I'm just continually amazed by it.
I've been doing this practice for four years now, and I already have two journals full of ideas. I have so many creative ideas that it would take me five lifetimes to finish them all.
When I was starting out, it actually bothered me a little bit that I was coming up with more ideas than I could ever hope to complete.
But what I found over time is that the truly good ideas are the ones that are going to hang around, and you're going to get a desire to actually do them. These ideas are so good that you can't help not to do them.
One of the breakthroughs for me was recognizing how many really good ideas come forth from this process. Every so often, maybe every couple of months, I actually go back to my journals and I take a highlighter and I highlight the ones that still seem amazing and exciting and new.
Even though our understanding of the default mode network of the brain is fairly recent, people seem to have had an innate understanding of it for millennia.
Buddhist practice includes accessing states of consciousness beyond the ordinary. Sufi mystics often describe states of ecstatic union with the divine. Christian mystics speak of turning inward to access a deep well of spiritual wisdom. Hindu philosophy has an emphasis on the mind to access deeper levels of insight and creativity.
One of my favorite guides to using silence for connecting with creativity is Estelle Frankel. She wrote a book called The Wisdom of Not Knowing. And in it she describes the idea of embracing ambiguity and the unknown. She writes about Jewish mysticism and the Kabbalah.
One of the things that she explains is the concept of white fire and black fire. Black fire represents the written words that are the tangible and explicit knowledge set forth in the words of the Torah. The white fire, in contrast, is the intangible white space between the words. And that represents the implicit and the unknown.
The point of the concept is that wisdom doesn't come alone from one or the other. It comes from both.
And I just like the way this sort of ties in with the idea of inspirations and ideas coming from nothing. It aligns well with the practice of meditative ideation. I like to think that when I'm doing this practice, I'm closing my eyes, I'm allowing the white fire to be present. I'm allowing myself to be connected with the unknown and unknowable source.
In Jewish mysticism, to something called the ayin. This is a profound idea. In the Kabbalah it represents the nothingness or the void. It's closely associated with the ultimate state of union, with the divine or with God. Some people refer to this as the source. Ayin in the Kabbalah tradition is a state that's way beyond human comprehension. And they believe that everything emanates from this nothingness. Accessing ayin through meditation can be viewed as a way to tap into the boundless source of divine inspiration and creativity.
Estelle Frankel has an entire chapter on creativity and really touches upon these ideas.
In her book The Artist's Way, Julie Cameron encourages artists to write morning pages. The practice of writing morning pages can be seen as a way to empty the mind.
If your mind is preoccupied, then you won't have the space for new ideas to form. So morning pages can be a way of releasing concerns and worries that are floating around in the mind so that you can then have the space to invite new inspirations
In wrapping up this exploration of meditative ideation, I want to leave you with a few pivotal steps that could transform your creative journey.
First and foremost, if meditation isn't already a part of your routine, I encourage you to embrace it. Find a form of meditation that resonates with you, one that guides you toward silence and tranquility within your mind. This foundational step is crucial because it teaches you the art of calming your mind, setting the stage for creativity to flow.
Next, make a commitment to yourself. Carve out a regular time slot each week dedicated solely to the practice of meditative ideation. It doesn't have to be long. just a thirty-minute window where you can sit undisturbed. Allowing your mind the freedom to make connections between all of the experiences already within you. This regularity builds a sanctuary for your ideas to flourish.
Finally, keep a journal. This journal will become the treasure chest of your mind's adventures, capturing the sparks of inspiration that visit you. It's a tangible reminder of your creative potential, waiting to be explored further.
Understand that quieting the mind is perhaps the most challenging aspect of this practice, but also the most rewarding. With patience and perseverance, you'll find yourself guided toward the boundless divine where emptiness becomes the fertile ground for your inspiration.
Remember the journey to unlocking your creative essence through meditative ideation is unique to everyone. Be kind to yourself as you navigate this path. The beauty of this practice lies not just in the ideas generated, but in the process of inviting silence, allowing your mind the space to breathe and to wander.
It's in this space that creativity dances freely, untethered by constraints. Of the focused mind. So embrace the quiet and let your creative journey unfold. Who knows what incredible ideas await discovery in the serene landscape of your mind?
Thank you for listening to this episode of the Creative Shoofly..
If you like today's episode and want to hear more about the creative process, please consider subscribing to the Creative Shoofly wherever you get your podcasts.
That's it for now. Be well and be creative.

In this episode, I explore how role-playing can help reduce the chaos and distraction that often plague us as artists.
 
Links to books and websites mentioned in this podcast
You And I Make A Thing podcast website
Trick Yourself Into Breaking a Bad Habit at HBR.org
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
How to Declutter in the Simplest Way Possible at SaturdayGift.com
Some of the above are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission from them.
 
Hello and welcome to the Creative Shoofly podcast. I'm Thomas Beutel.
Before I begin this episode, I want to tell you about a new podcast that I've started called You And I Make A Thing. It's where I invite fellow artists to stretch our creative boundaries by collaborating on a project that neither of us have done before.
Longtime listeners will know that I started You And I Make A Thing right here on this podcast. I really enjoyed those episodes and got some really good feedback. In fact, the feedback was so positive. I decided to spin off You And I Make A Thing to its own podcast and website. You can find You And I Make A Thing wherever you podcast, and you can also find it at youandimakeathing.com.
Now, even though I have a spinoff podcast, I will still be making episodes here on the Creative Shoofly. This podcast is about exploring the creative journey as an artist. And in this episode, I want to talk about how role-playing can help reduce the chaos and distraction that often plagues us as artists.
This episode is specifically for multipotentialites, those of us who are curious about many different things and have a great many interests. We are sometimes called renaissance souls or polymaths, and we find ourselves pulled in many different directions.
In fact, many of us have so many ideas that we want to pursue, that we get discouraged that there isn't enough time. We're starting new projects all the time, but we don't finish many of them. Because either we got bored, we learned what we wanted to learn, or something else captured our interest.
We also get discouraged because in our excitement to get started on a new project, we don't allow ourselves enough time for planning and preparation. And that scattered chaotic energy that we have often means that we haven't organized our spaces. How many times have I excitedly started a project, but then I wasn't able to find the tool or part that I needed. And I know that I have it in some box somewhere, but I can't figure out where I had put it.
Multipotentialites also have a habit of starting a project and then leaving it, only to come back to it six months later. And that often presents its own problems. Was everything stored properly? Do I remember where I left off and what I wanted to do next? Did I leave enough context for me to continue the project?
Everybody has their own process for achieving their goals and finishing projects. But as multipotentialites, we often feel isolated and alone when pursuing them, mainly because there's no one that we can call on to help.
But what if you could have a team to help you with all of your projects? What if you could just jump into each project with everything already prepared and ready to go? What of each project could get the attention it deserved?
Well, you are that team.
The key is to play the different roles of that team. Role-playing is the crucial factor to reducing the mental chaos that is part of multipotentiality and unlocking your creative potential.
And role-playing is different than just following a process. The roles you play define what is possible at the moment. And what you leave aside.
I've designed specific roles for my creative work, which involves making kinetic and three-dimensional art. But the roles can be tailored to your needs and creative goals.
You might be thinking, “Isn't role-playing for kids? And besides I'm not good at role-playing because it's hard for me to pretend.” Or, “It's simply hard for me to form new habits like this.”
But my bet is that you already have all of the imagination that you need to role-play. If you're like me and have pursued many interests and held a variety of jobs. You already know what it feels like to be in different roles. So what I'm going to describe to you should feel familiar.
The three rules that I call upon are the studio assistant, the art director and the lead artist.
I liken these roles to people in a professional kitchen. The kitchen master is responsible for the kitchen itself, making sure that everything is clean and organized, the tools are sharp and ready to use, and the food is fresh and stored safely.
The sous chef is responsible for gathering the appropriate tools, utensils and cookware that'll be used for tonight's meal. They also do mise en place, chopping and prepping the food so that is ready to be cooked.
Finally the master chef cooks the food, using their master skills to create a beautiful meal.
I've taken these roles and map them to my art practice. The studio assistant role is responsible for organizing my studio and keeping a tidy. This role's main concern is to make sure that the studio and all its tools and materials are easily accessible and ready for use.
The art director's role is responsible for planning and prepping the project. This role creates a detailed plan for each project. When the project is ready to be built, this role makes sure that all of the necessary tools and materials are out and ready for use.
Ready for whom? Well, that's the lead artist. This is the role that I really look forward to. It's where I get to step into my studio and work on a fully prepared creative project. All of the work by the other two roles serves to get me into a creative flow state quickly.
When I'm done with my project, finished or not, I slip back into my art director role. I capture notes and what I need to do next with the project. Then I become the studio assistant again, and I clean everything up.
So why be so deliberate with these roles? Why not just prep and go?
The beauty of role-playing is that it compartmentalizes the various parts of the creative cycle. And this is a crucial difference from just following a process. I tried many different processes and they weren't as effective as actually inhabiting the roles.
Being the art director slows me down and makes me think, “Do I have everything that I need to start this project?” So instead of the way I did it before, where I would just clear my work bench and then just jump in, now I sit down and I try to visualize, “What am I missing? What are all the tools I need?”
That helps because I don't want my creative flow to be interrupted when I have to go look for