I listen to podcasts every day on the subway – they transform my time between destinations into a period of reflection and contemplation. One of my favorites is Buddhist Geeks – “totally Buddhist, totally Geeky,” to use their tagline. Each show consists of 20 minute conversations with notable practitioners across Buddhist traditions that are both accessible to the non-practitioner and highly intellectual and thought provoking.
One discussion particularly struck me regarding how a strong conceptual background can be an impediment to listening to others’ ideas and following particular paths. While said in the context of meditation practice I think it’s applicable to a broad array of things creative people face every day.
Our society has a tendency to place people into categories by profession – designer, artist, marketer, writer – and interest – music, art, travel – that it can be difficult to perceive people to be unique, creative, multifaceted individuals. Times in the past that were characterized by innovation and creative discovery empowered people with the freedom to act outside their prescribed roles.
I intentionally created Think. Now. Yes. with the idea that it would defy such categorization and evolve based on the input of its readers and contributors. Creativity doesn’t follow predetermined rules, it is a process of discovery. I encourage you to spend 5 minutes a day reading something on a subject you know nothing about and you’ll find the horizon of your awareness slowly expand. The list of links to the right is a great place to start.
