Wednesday Mar 27, 2024

Eric Maisel (Fearless Creating for Comedy Writers)

Danielle Krage interviews Dr Eric Maisel. Eric is the author of more than 50 books - many focused on creativity and the creative life - including Fearless Creating, Deep Writing, The Power of Daily Practice and The Magic of Sleep Thinking. He also writes the ‘Rethinking Mental Health’ blog for Psychology Today and is a regular contributor to Mad in America.

In this conversation, Eric shares insights and practical strategies for writers engaged in a creative process, that by its very nature is likely to include anxiety, doubt and uncertainty.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

00:55 The Role of Anxiety in the Creative Process

06:19 Using Breathing and Incantations to Center and Ground

07:36 Accessing Flow State in Small Increments of Time

09:58 The Importance of a Morning Writing Practice

11:54 Harnessing the Power of Sleep Thinking

13:50 Embracing Mistakes and the Doubt in the Creative Process

15:17 Existential Intelligence and the Search for Meaning

25:44 Pushing Back Against Authoritarianism and Mental Health Labels

30:38 Overcoming Self-Censorship and Negative Thoughts

35:56 Strategic Goal Setting and Productivity