Creativity and Pain

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A growing body of research suggests that creativity is associated with sorrow and longing. Beethoven transformed his suffering into a creative offering, and the musical byproduct of his pain has endured for centuries. Your creative offering doesn't have to mean producing art yourself. Maya Angelou lived a life filled with loss, having been deprived of dignity, self-love, and her voice at a very young age. Later in life, she connected with that voice and committed to it in new and powerful forms.

The Next Big Idea presents an audio masterclass from bestselling author Susan Cain. Drawing on her latest book, "Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole," Susan shares practical insights that you can use to bolster your creativity, deepen your connections, and find joy.

Susan Cain is the author of two New York Times #1 bestsellers, "Bittersweet" and "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking." She's also one of our curators here at the Next Big Idea Club. To learn more about her work, visit susancain.net.

If you enjoy this episode, we invite you to join our community by downloading the Next Big Idea app, where you can listen to e-courses by brilliant authors like Shankar Vedantam, Lisa Feldman Barrett, and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. Visit nextbigideaclub.com/app.