Introducing Season 2: The Love of Creation

00:00 • Introduction to Season Two: The Love of Creation

01:01 • Exploring the concept of creation

01:31 • The many forms of creativity

03:56 • The source and blockages of creativity

05:06 • The role of love in creation

06:30 • The power of love in the creative process

08:28 • Why focus on creation?

10:04 • The structure of the season and audience participation

12:52 • Invitation to participate in the creative journey

15:15 • Choosing your creative project

16:07 • Closing remarks and invitation to share

Leo 00:09

Welcome to the Zen Habits podcast, where we dive into how to work with uncertainty, resistance, and fear around our meaningful work. This is for anyone who wants to create an impact in the world and cares deeply enough to do the work. I'm your host, Leo Babauta, creator of the Zen Habits blog.

00:35

All right, welcome to the start of Season Two of the Zen Habits podcast. And this season I'm calling 'The Love of Creation'. And as I record this and put this out, this first episode, which I'm calling episode zero, just an introduction episode, we're putting it out on February 14th, Valentine's Day, which really resonated with me because of this theme of love, the love of creation.

01:06

Love is all encompassing and unconditional and applies to everything in the world and in life. But in this particular season, we're going to be talking about love as it applies to creating things.

01:20

So in this episode, this introductory episode, I'd love to talk a little bit about what that means, what we're going to talk about here in this season. How long the season will be and how we're going to go about it. And like, why did I choose this topic? Why are we diving into this?

01:38

So love of creation, let's break that down a little bit. Creation is creating anything. So think about creativity as one of the big themes of the season. So what does creativity mean? And if you don't think of yourself as a creative person. What if you could? What if there's some way that you are creative? And what would it be like to tap into that creative source inside of you? And what would you like to create?

02:11
Creativity doesn't have to apply to the usual artistic kinds of pursuits. Although, definitely if that's where your heart is drawn or where you love to hang out, then yes. We'll talk about art. We'll talk about writing. We'll talk about music. We'll talk about all of those kinds of ways of creating, videos and podcasts and YouTube and online content, blog posts email newsletters, all of that kind of stuff. The usual kind of creation creativity.

02:41

But we're looking at a broader way of creating. So creating a business. Would be an example. You're creating a service or a product. You're creating something new that doesn't already exist. Or you're creating an organization that is aimed at doing something good in the world, or you're creating structure for your family.

03:03

You're creating some kind of new change in your neighborhood, your community. You're creating inspiration in the world as you put it out onto social media or wherever you like to put it. You might be creating a new sense of self, creating a journey for yourself, creating a deeper space to go onto that journey or to practice in. Creating new health and fitness and exciting like vibrant ways of living. Creating simplicity.

03:39
So there's a lot of ways to create, and I've only just, I've touched on some things that just came to my mind right now, but there'd be a lot more. Maybe you want to create incredible finances for yourself. What do you want to create in your life? What would you like to create in the world? Is there a change that you'd like to see in the world, a possibility that doesn't already exist that you'd like to actually start to manifest in the world.

04:05
So we can get into the traditional kinds of creativity, artistic types of pursuits, or what we're creating online. We can also look at what we are creating in our lives, in the world. What is our offering? What is our gift? What is our place of finger painting with the world?

04:27
So that's what we mean by creation. And we're going to go deeper into that word of creation, of creating, of creativity. And where does that come from? What is involved in creating? What gets in our way? What blocks us? And how do we deal with that? How do we look at the war of art, Steven Pressfield's book of just showing up. How do we look at the deeper spiritual side of creativity? How do we create structure and be meticulous about that?

05:05
How do we lead ourselves into creativity? Where does, what's the source of creativity? Is it external? Is it internal? Is it something else? Do we take credit for it? Do we just allow it to happen and surrender to it? Do we make it happen in a very active, proactive way?

05:25
Now these are some of the questions that we'll be exploring, and what I want to say is that as we explore these questions, we don't have to have the answers, especially at the outset here. These are questions we are holding as we enter into this season.

05:42
So that's the talking about the creation part of the season, but there is another part that I've intentionally put into the title of this season, Love of Creation. So let's talk about love.

05:54

Love, as I said, is abundant in the world and in ourselves. It's all encompassing. It's unconditional. But when we get into the creation mode, often we do it from a place of, 'I need to do this because I should, or I have to, or it feels like a burden or I think it's the right thing to do, or I've said, I would, so I'm going to'.

06:22

And these are from more of a place of obligation, or I'm going to do it so that I could be a good person, or the person that I want to be, or maybe I'm doing it because I said I would, and so then I have to so then it becomes a place of coercion. These are the places we can often come from. I'm not saying creativity is always like that.

06:48

But remember, kind of harken back to a time when you were young. Maybe you were, I mentioned finger painting or drawing or using crayons before they taught you to color within the lines and you got to just make whatever you felt like. You didn't have to do it the right way.

07:06

At some point we were taught to do it the right way and this is how we have to draw a person or an apple or the sun. But, before that, it could just be a place of play. It's just a place of joy and expression of ourselves.

07:24

And that's what we're talking about when we talk about the love of creation is there's a love that comes out of us when we create. And there can be a love of the process itself and a love of what we create and a love of ourselves as we create. So these are places that love can manifest or be applied to.

07:47

And as we look at creation and creating and creativity and what we create and ourselves as creators through the lens of love. How are we expressing our love into the world as we create? How are we being love as we create? How are we giving the gift of love? How are we bringing love into the act, the process, the space of creation.

08:18

As we look through that lens, it changes things. The lens we look through will change everything. So I'm inviting you to look at creation and creativity and being a creator and the act of creating. And the thing that you create all through the lens of love. And I think something magical happens as we do that. What if we could fall in love with creating? What if we could fall in love with ourselves as creators? What if it could be a powerful act of magic and love at the same time?

08:55

So that's what we're looking at here. And I think it's really exciting because it's not just like 'Okay, give me the 10 steps to create something amazing'. But actually, let's bring love into this. And so that doesn't have to be a step by step practical guide. Although there's going to be plenty of practical stuff. But what if it could be an exploration of love, an investigation, an inquiry into love... a creating of love. That's what we're looking at.

09:26

So why did I choose that? In the last season, we touched on some of this. In the first season of the Zen Habits podcast, we touched on some of these topics and they were things about what we want to do in the world, meaningful work. And so there was some creation there, but we didn't focus so much on the creation part of it.

09:50

In this season I really want to dive deeper into creation. And for those of you who think of yourselves as creators, this is going to be perfect. You're going to get to explore some of your favorite spaces. Maybe even wanting to be a creator. And so now that you get to finally dive in.

10:09

So this is part of the why, but there's also for me, a bigger picture. Is that a lot of people don't think of themselves as creators and maybe don't aspire to be a creator. But this is really meaning that they don't tap into a side of themselves, of their humanity, of their potential, of the magic of being alive, of being a human being.

10:33

I'm inviting you, if you're one of those people who don't think of yourselves as a creator. Or a creative person, or you don't have creativity. If you're one of those people, I'm inviting you to explore this side of yourself that I assert exists in you. That is untapped, and that can make you feel alive in a new way. It will bring magic to new parts of your life and to the old parts. So this is the why, I think there's something really incredible about this. I'm excited about it.

11:07

Let's talk about the how. I'm going to be putting out episode one. We're going to actually dive into the season next week. It's going to be a weekly release every Wednesday where we'll have regular numbered episodes, episode zero, one, two, three for four months. So we'll start in February. And of course you're listening to this late. That's totally okay, but it'll be four months season going into June.

11:39

And then we'll have some bonus episodes throughout the season of people I interview who are experts or creatives. And then we'll also talk to you. So that's the part that I am really excited about. We did that some in the last season. I want to continue exploring that. So I'll interview some of you or coach some of you live on these episodes or recorded but I'll talk to you live as we record it.

12:05

And then I'd love for you to be writing into me as well: [email protected] is the place to write and you can ask me questions. In fact, right now, as you have questions come up for you send them into me. I get those in my personal inbox and I respond to almost all of them. I can't always respond to every single one, but I respond to most of them and your questions will be added to a list of questions and I will start to answer those. Throughout the season, I might have some Q&A episodes or just choose some of those as topics.

12:38

In this way, you get to co-create with me. So I'm creating this podcast season, but what if you get to be a part of that process. We're going to talk about how to bring others into the process. This is the process of beta testers and software creation that has come out in the last 20, 30 years. And we're going to bring that into creativity.

13:04

So if you're a software developer or a programmer or making, a startup or a an app. Creation exactly applies to you. So we'll talk about some of the things we've learned from. People who are creating apps and software from their creation process sprints and beta testing and things like that... iterations.

13:30

So we're going to bring all of that in as well. And we're going to model it through the creation of this podcast. You'll be able to give me suggestions, tell me where you are getting stopped and blocked and where you keep beating yourself up or where you just doesn't, things don't seem clear to you. You get to bring those in, send them to [email protected] and I will get them and I will use all of that. So please be a part of the creation of this season about creation.

14:01

That's what we've got here for you in this season. And in this season, just like in the last season, I really want to invite you once again to play along. Not just to listen and say, 'Oh, that's good information. I'm going to bookmark that for when I actually create sometime in the future'. That's the safe way to do that.

14:20

If you do that, it's fine. You'll get some good stuff out of this and you'll feel like you've learned something. But where you'll really learn something is when you're putting it into action, stepping into the unknown of not knowing how to do stuff. And then taking these concepts and applying them, bringing the questions and bringing inquiry, and then taking the practices and actually practicing them.

14:48

So none of that actually happens if you just listen and then maybe take some notes. None of that happens. But if you actually say, I'm going to choose a project and actually start to work on it for these four months, you will get a thousand times more out of this.

15:07

This is how we create, is by actually, starting to create, choosing something and creating. This is how we learn, not by absorbing information and passively allowing it to come in and taking some active notes, but actually by doing it and then seeing where our gaps are, where are things unclear, where do you get tripped up, where do you seem like a fool. And then actually taking those places and deepening into your learning.

15:36

And so I invite you in this season to choose a project. So it could be a creative project like writing music, art painting and drawing and all of that. It could be sewing or weaving or knitting. It could, or some kind of craft project. It could be online content, start a blog, a YouTube video, a podcast, something you've been wanting to do forever, a newsletter social media posts things like that. Maybe you're an artist who is posting the social media. So it could be combining a couple of these things.

16:15

It could be software project. So an app or some kind of web app, it could be a collaborative project. Maybe you get other people to do this with you. It could be a collaborative art project where you get thousands of people coming in. Could be starting a business, an organization, some kind of change in the world or in your community. Could be creating some kind of change in your life.

16:38

So we can be really broad about what you choose, but choose a project with some kind of concrete thing that you're going to be doing. And some kind of concrete thing you want to be creating. It doesn't have to be that you have the perfect project. So we'll talk a little bit about choosing a project and starting it in the next episode. But but choose something.

16:59

So commit yourself right now, as you listen to this, to actually playing along. If you really want to dive into these topics, if you're excited about it. Commit yourself to actually choosing something, creating as these four months go on, and then sending in questions, maybe coming on to the podcast itself and being interviewed or coached. Commit yourself now. And if you are up for that, then we are going to be creating something amazing. And as we do we'll be practicing love as well.

17:28

I'm so excited. Thank you for listening and watching. I'll be posting these to YouTube. In video form, but also in your favorite podcast platform. If you're not already, please subscribe, please share this with others. Please do whatever you can to spread the word because that is a part of how this magic happens. So it passes from person to person, from recommendation to recommendation and then this spreads in a beautifully viral way because people get something out of this and then want to pass that value on to others.

18:05

That's what I'm doing is passing on what I've been learning to you and I'd love for you to do the same.

18:10

Thank you, my friends. I'm so excited for the season. See you later.

18:20

If you haven't already, please subscribe to this podcast in your favorite podcast app. If you found this episode useful, please share this podcast with someone you know, who cares deeply. That would be really meaningful to me. And, if you'd like to dive deeper with me into this work, please check out the blog at zenhabits.net or get in touch at [email protected].

Thanks for listening, and I hope you'll join me every Wednesday for more episodes of the Zen Habits podcast.