CM 053: Amy Whitaker on Carving Out Creative Space

How do we make time for creative work, and how do we sustain it?

Amy Whitaker, author of Art Thinking: How to Carve Out Creative Space in a World of Schedules, Budgets, and Bosses, tells us how. Writer, artist, researcher, and teacher, Amy works at the intersection of art and commerce. She holds an MBA from Yale and an MFA from the Slade School of Fine arts. She is also a professor at New York University.

In this interview, we talk about:

Why art and creativity are responsible for our greatest human contributions
That art is the opposable thumbs equivalent of what makes us human
How creativity is about personal discovery and contribution
The fact that creativity is not a distant land of mythic geniuses and art theorists
The value in taking a wide-angle or systems view for art thinking
The role of play and creativity in important scientific discoveries
How to develop a habit of studio space for creative work
Why it is normal to feel disoriented and vulnerable while creating
The importance of working in the weeds to feel alive
Why we need to trade discernment for judgment
Whether we are standing at the easel versus sitting in the armchair
The power of becoming a good noticer
How creatives are inventing point B rather than moving toward it
When Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile and what it did for running
Inspiring ways to manage creatives
Why managing is about creating the space for creatives to do their work
The importance of good enough versus perfect or right
Why creatives need to think about the letter versus the envelope
Why we need to have our own metaphors
Thoughts on Leonardo da Vinci if he were alive today
Why we need to find language for the middle space

Episode Links

http://www.amywhit.com/

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