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Human Flourishing

Writing about how to THRIVE instead of just survive

Ethan Hawke: Meditations on Creativity, Singing Your Song, and Living a Creative Lifestyle

9/22/2020

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"Do You think Human creativity Matters?"

Has anybody ever felt this bad before? 
How did they come out of this cloud? 
What is HAPPENING to me?

​
Most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about poetry.

They have a life to live and they are not really that concerned with Alan Gingsberg's poems OR with anybodies poems.

UNTIL...
  • their father dies.
  • they go to a funeral.
  • you lose a child.
  • somebody breaks your heart.

ALL OF A SUDDEN...you’re desperate to make sense of out of this life...
​
That's when art's not a luxury. It's actual sustenance.


This is an excerpt from Ethan Hawke's Ted Talk.

It is a line that couldn’t ring truer - Creativity is a way of spiritual sustenance.

These are wise words from a tour de force. 

​Since...

ETHAN HAWKE PERFORMANCES HAVE BEEN SUBLIME!

From Training Day and his incredible collaboration with Denzel to the Dead Poet's Society---his work has been thoughtful, MOVING and flat-out creative.​​

Picture

Young Ethan Hawke In the Film Training Day.

I still remember BAWLING through the entire Before Sunset trilogy.

[NOTE: Thanks for the recommendation Ryan] 

Like SNIVELING, SNOTTY tears.
​
(I know I'm weird. It's a lifestyle choice.)
SO when I saw the YouTube thumbnail for his Ted Talk on Creativity...
Picture
I STOPPED EVERYTHING I WAS DOING!

And Started watching.

AND...
​
It did not disappoint! 


For a short 9 Minute and 16 second video, I took 30 MINUTES worth of notes.
​
To SAVE YOU TIME note-taking, here is some of the best lines:

The Best meditations on Creativity Ethan HAwke

​"Human Creativity is Nature Manifest in us." [2:50]
 "​If you get close to what you love, who you are is revealed to you." [3:51]
"Most of us want to offer the world something of quality. Something that the world will consider good or important. And that's really the enemy." [1:40]
"I believe that we are on this star in space to help one another. Right?" [3:36]
"BOOM... My World just expanded." [4:08]
"There is no path until you walk it." [8:01]
"Thats when art's not a luxury. It's actual sustenance." [2:45]
"Don’t read the book you should read. Read the book you want to read." [8:07]
"Because creativity isn't just nice. It isn't just warm. It's vital. It's the way we heal each other." [7:13]
"We both felt that movie like a calling from god." [5:40]
“In singing our song.
In telling our story.
We say, "Hey listen to me, and I'll listen to you."
We are starting a dialogue.” [7:21]

what I found profoundly moving about this Ted Talk

Part of the wonder of love is EXPANSION.

Your world should get BIGGER--- year over year.
  • Learning more.
  • Wondering more.
  • Doing more!

It's really about getting back in touch with your sense of WONDER.

Your sense of AWE.


It reminded me of mystic Rumi...

And inspired a request for you...

for you the reader on the other side of this post...

Please--- take a step today and revel in your Personal galaxy. ​

Picture
- Rumi
Drop the triviality.
  • the dumb stuff like the printer being out of the ink.
  • the milk not being in the right place
  • the clothes not folded correctly.
  • the person not answering the email rapidly 
  • the power tripping co-worker. 

INSTEAD...take a second.

Look down at the ground.

Right beneath your feet.

​Stop and think:
"Holy shit, even though this ground FEELS still. The earth is spinning at 1000 MILES per hour! 1000!
Like if the Earth stopped spinning in on a dime...

Everything would come flying off this impermanent surface.

So this false sense of security is really a cognitive blanket.

A Lie-

--we tell ourselves to feel better.

But what happens when lies like ARE removed:

  • "I'm not good enough."
  • "I don't work hard enough"
  • "It couldn't be me."
  • "I won't be successful"
  • "I wouldn't be able to live the lifestyle I want."

And just STOP.

INSTEAD allowing yourself to:

Simply exist.

Creating and moving towards the key pieces YOU want to in life.

Without judgement, simply unfiltered.


Through creativity and creation.

Use the image of the Earth stopping to create.

Since it can happen at any moment.

Use it as fuel to do the truly MEANINGFUL things in life.

The things if Aliens came and explored this tiny rock...they would find notable.

Mine is inspiring you to create.

Since,
Ethan is right...

"Creativity is vital."
​

It is self-expression.
It is the way "we heal each other."

So Go off and express your deepest self.

Sing your song!

​Because someone else needs you to sing!

Because...

"If you want to help your community."
"If you want to help your family."
"If you want to help your friends."
"You HAVE TO express yourself." [
7:50]


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