[Rebroadcast of Ep. 14]

In this episode, Carter asks Colby about what he learned from reading Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport.

Be sure to check out Newport's latest book, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout.

Do legitimate common denominators exists across creative disciplines? If so, can we clearly identify these parallels and unify our thoughts about the creative process? 

In this episode of The Craft, Carter and Colby wrestle with these questions. They begin to sketch (tentatively) a unifying “theory of creativity.” Such theory might help us, they hope, navigate a broad swath of tools and techniques that vie for our attention.  

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Chapters:

0:00 Introduction 

2:22 Theory of Creativity 

9:48 Theoretical layers 

14:08 Marketing example

21:32 More trees and metaphors 

28:40 Intermediary tiers

36:26 Conclusion 

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Support The Craft:

Subscribe to Dwelling - https://carterdavisjohnson.substack.com

Send feedback or ideas - heycraftpodcast@gmail.com

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Cover art by Elizabeth Newell. Learn more about her work at elizabethnewell.work or on Instagram @elizabethisadesigner.

Why did John Steinbeck almost give up writing novels? 

In this episode of The Craft, Carter and Colby inaugurate a new series, Creative Case Studies. Their first installment is a story about American writer John Steinbeck. Specifically, Carter recounts Steinbeck’s creative collapse after writing The Grapes of Wrath. In the midst of personal and professional tumult, Steinbeck attempted to reinvent his craft and develop a new way of thinking. Carter and Colby discuss this creative transformation, considering how we might learn from Steinbeck’s crisis. 

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Chapters: 

0:00 Introduction 

2:55 Steinbeck bio

4:11 Crisis and reinvention 

14:28 Takeaways 

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Support The Craft:

Subscribe to Dwelling - https://carterdavisjohnson.substack.com

Send feedback or ideas - heycraftpodcast@gmail.com

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Cover art by Elizabeth Newell. Learn more about her work at elizabethnewell.work or on Instagram @elizabethisadesigner.