Tim Myers does a bit of everything: he’s a writer, songwriter, storyteller, visual artist, and senior lecturer at Santa Clara University, where he teaches writing. We got together to talk about the nature of creativity, which Tim calls a “sacred mystery,” including everything from the way our childhood creativity is changed by the culture as we become adults, the necessary role of play in the creative process, the transcendent experiences of awe and wonder and how they fuel us, the wisdom of following your gut, and a whole lot more.
Episode breakdown:
01:39 Kids are instantly creative, often play traditionally.
06:50 Creativity influenced by nature, nurture, educators.
15:50 Importance of creativity in education and society.
21:22 Differences between play in childhood versus "professional" adults.
24:56 Nancy switched to teaching, advisor, and writing lit mag.
30:49 Encouraging exploration of language and creative thinking.
37:04 Parents see child, lifetime of giving love.
40:35 Zen story about finding wonder in life.
45:27 Believing in progress through challenging circumstances.
50:34 Art, festivals, play as a primal need.
56:21 Semantic split between "religion" and "spirituality."
01:01:14 Falling in love based on unique personal idiosyncrasies.
01:07:23 Experimenting with writing schedule structure.
01:13:45 Craft is in choosing words for impact.
01:19:22 Writers and feedback.
01:25:00 Tim struggles with generalist vs specialist identity.
01:26:31 Passion for storytelling and visual art emerges.
01:35:38 Weekly writing schedule reduces overthinking and focus on perfection.
Check out the full show notes at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack.
Please leave a review for this episode and in it, tell us how play influences your creative process.
If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.
Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.
Art and Commerce with Domenic Sciortino
CPT #79: Other People's Opinions
Celebrating Five Years of FYC with Nancy Norbeck
CPT #78: Lapsed Creativity
Finding Fulfillment in Writing with Raquel Drosos
CPT #77: Embrace Normal
The Crossroads of Conflict and Creativity with Alex Poppe
Replay: CPT #36: Start Where You Are
Writing, Memory, and Healing with Kerry Malawista
CPT #76: Recognize Your Creativity
Revision, Rejection, and Perseverance with Kevin Carey
CPT #75: Let Yourself Be Happy
CPT #74: Structure
Comedy and Teamwork with Marc Kaye
CPT #73: Resolutions and Expectations
Professional Fandom with Gary Russell
Replay: CPT #65: Mr. Twinkletoes
Replay: Rediscovering the Human with Kate Powers
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