23. The creativity of longing (Or, crafting hopeful stories)

Explicit content warning

11/29/24 • 28 min

I allude pretty clearly to my political leanings on the podcast, but I don’t generally structure entire episodes around specific political issues. And I do like for this to be a kind of quiet space where you can come to recollect your creative self, whatever’s going on in the world and in your life.

But I decided it wouldn’t feel genuine to not talk about the fallout of the US election this month. Because it’s certainly affected my creative practice, and I’d imagine that may be true for you as well.

I’ve realized that the practical aims of the election, and of politics as a whole, have had the effect of substituting a desired strategic outcome for what I actually desire in my life and in this world. Basically, I’ve lost touch with my longing.

And the most immediate and vital way I can reconnect with my longing in the daily way I live is to live creatively – to let my creative sensibility feed and shape the way I interact with others, and the actions I take.

Join me to explore a model of storytelling (from the mind of Ursula Le Guin) that’s been giving me hope and nurturing my creative longing... even when the strategic outlook isn’t so inspiring.

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Episode links:

Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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You’ll also receive monthly tips to put the pod into practice, delivered right to your inbox.

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Episode links:

Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

22. Magical thinking for practical writers

This month, sort of in honor of Halloween and sort of just because, I want to share and explore a single phrase about writing that has been inspiring me lately:

Your characters are your ancestors.

This idea unlocks all sorts of potential for me – but I admit that it also feels a little overly sentimental. Even for creatives, there can be disdain around ways of thinking about writing that feel precious instead of practical. There’s a sense that while of course art is magical in its way, your perspective on your own work better not be, or you risk being naïve and unserious.

And it’s not like there’s zero truth to that. When you get too precious about every word that hits the page, you can’t work through projects, and you can’t keep improving.

But magical thinking doesn’t necessarily have to lead to precious thinking – I’d actually say that in the creative life, you have to find ways to maintain a strong dose of it if you want to thrive.

And in that sense, magical thinking can be practical magic.

Tune in to unpack how a magical mindset can help even Very Serious Writers do deep and liberating creative work.

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Next Episode

24. Resolving to stay curious

It's January! And regardless of how you feel about the whole “new year, new you” vibe, January is the ultimate case study of goal-setting in the wider cultural zeitgeist. Maybe you’ve tried the often-hyped approach of choosing a word to act as a mantra or touchstone to guide you over the course of the year.

Tools like a word of the year can be powerful reminders of the ways you want to feel and act along the path toward your ideals – but only if they also help you stay curious about that path, and about your actual life, as it exists right now.

This year, what if we all chose questions rather than words? A question is a reminder to keep going deeper, to explore how our ideals are emerging and evolving in the moment.

And for storytellers, the art of asking good questions is maybe the most important gift, even more than the art of writing pretty words.

Tune in for some support and solidarity to nurture your creative potential in the months ahead (regardless of how all those goals turn out).

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You’ll also receive monthly tips to put the pod into practice, delivered right to your inbox.

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Episode links:

On Being podcast: “Foundations for Being Alive Now,” Krista Tippett

Hannah Louise Poston

Episode 10, “Freedom with form (Or, story structure for optimists)”

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.