Creativity might not make you happier, but it can make you less unhappy. We know this from research.
When people recall moments of creativity, their symptoms of anxiety and depression decrease, and well-being improves. Brain scans show that creative work activates the same regions of the brain as meditation, which helps to relieve the burdens of life. Millions of people now use creative practices simply to feel steadier in a chaotic world. So what does a life built around creativity actually look like?
In this episode of Office Hours, I sit down with James Patterson. With more than 200 books and a Guinness World Record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers, James has spent decades living in a steady rhythm of ideas, attention, and returning to the page. As he talks through rejection, revision, focus, and discipline, something interesting happens. The practices that make his writing work begin to reveal patterns that apply far beyond writing.
After the interview, stay with me as I break down the 8 principles drawn from his creative process and show you how to apply them to your own life.
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Referenced:
• The Happiness Files: Insights on Work and Life
• The value of painting as a therapeutic tool in the treatment of anxiety/depression mental disorders
• Being Creative Makes You Happier: The Positive Effect of Creativity on Subjective Well-Being
• James Patterson’s Masterclass
• Walk in My Combat Boots: True Stories from America's Bravest Warriors
• Disrupt Everything―and Win: Take Control of Your Future
• Iberia
• Why I Write (George Orwell, 1946)
• From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
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