Postcard #3: New York and the Key to Creativity
Last weekend, Chelsea and I took a red-eye flight to Newark for a friend’s wedding. (Traveling for weddings seems to be a life theme for us right now).
Along the way, we spent a night in NYC and a day exploring Chelsea’s home town of Warwick, NY, which is about an hour outside the city.
I hadn’t been back east since university. The heat and humidity, summer storms, and first hints of fall foliage among the lush green leaves reminded me of my time attending Goddard College in Vermont, and especially the first week of the fall semester, which fell at the end of August.
The first week of the semester at Goddard was always a time of frenetic intellectual and creative activity. Because every student in our program was on 100% independent study, we had to write our own syllabi for the semester during that first week, including choosing what topic we would study, which professor we would work with, and what books we would read. The creative energy was contagious.
It got me thinking about what my creative process looks like today, including the process that goes into writing this newsletter.
One thing that I’ve learned over the years is that your input determines your output. In order to have ideas, you first need to expose yourself to ideas. For the same reason that every writer is a reader first, the secret to being creative is to read books and blog posts, watch movies, TV, and plays, go to museums, look at paintings and sculptures, listen to records, and generally fill your mind with inspiration.
When I’m low on ideas, part of the problem is usually that I haven’t been filling my cup from the well of creativity. Travel is another way I’ve found of tapping the well: visiting a new place automatically increases the amount of novelty you’re exposed to.
Highlights from NYC:
Every time I visit a city, I try to find a good bookstore and a good coffee shop. For this trip, we chose the Strand, probably NY’s most famous bookstore, which opened in 1927 and bills itself as having 18 miles of books on its shelves. I could have spent hours there, especially in their rare books room.
Walking the High Line
Essay I’m Reading:
For another perspective on creativity and how to fit it into a busy life, I’m re-reading this essay by Becky Isjwara, fellow Write of Passage alum and one of my favorite writers on Substack. Becky somehow manages to write, paint, take pictures, cook, and introspect alongside a full time job in finance. In this post, she shares how she does it. Hint: it’s about breaking creativity down into tiny, actionable chunks.
Podcast I’m Listening To:
Essential Coaching Skills with Doug O’Brien. You may have to dig a bit, but this podcast’s archive is a gold mine of interviews with some of the top coaches and trainers in the field. I’ve been listening to it in my car this week, and I’m learning a lot about the history of coaching as well as brushing up on some key skills.
Quote(s) of the Week:
“My mission is to celebrate higher things, and that is why God gave me speech and a grateful heart.”
—Friedrich Hölderlin
“Any talent, wisdom, or insight you have that you don’t share becomes pain.”
—Elizabeth Gilbert
That’s all for this week! As always, I appreciate your feedback on Mind, Meaning, and Magic. What was your favorite thing I shared this week? What would you like to learn more about? Let me know by replying to this email or leaving a comment, below.
Thanks for reading,
Chris Cordry, LMFT
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Chris, wow! Thanks so much for the shout. Perhaps coincidentally - I'm currently expanding that post into something a bit bigger :)
Would love to hear why you included this quote in this week's newsletter. “Any talent, wisdom, or insight you have that you don’t share becomes pain.” —Elizabeth Gilbert. That is a very provocative assertion.