Focus on the Adjacent Possible

Ever wonder why some people seem to have endless creativity while you’re stuck with half-baked ideas that never make it out of your Notes app? In this episode, we explore the habits, tips and artistic processes of creative geniuses ranging from Plato and Picasso to Mary Oliver and Rick Rubin. I reveal the 7 secrets of creative geniuses that helped me stop chasing perfection, relight my creative spark, and actually enjoy the process of making art. If you’re ready to stop gatekeeping your own creativity, this one’s for you. 

EPISODE OUTLINE

00:00 Intro: Why creativity matters for everyone (not just artists)

03:58 1. Great creatives don’t let perfection be the enemy of creation (Plato’s Republic, perfection vs. forms, Ira Glass on “the gap”)

11:28 2. They separate creation, refinement, and critique (Rick Rubin, The Creative Act)

14:41 3. They focus on next possibilities, not ultimate goals (Stuart Kauffman’s adjacent possible, evolutionary biology, Bhagavad Gita, Rick Rubin on artistry vs. craftsmanship)

20:56 4. They embrace flow and anti-flow (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on flow state; Mary Oliver’s editing process; Stanley Kubrick’s many takes)

25:52 5. They thrive under constraints (Barry Schwartz’s paradox of choice; Mary Oliver writing Wild Geese as a constraint exercise; Parkinson’s Law)

30:35 6. They know that if they don’t create it, someone else will (Rick Rubin on how ideas move, Elizabeth Gilbert’s hand-off story with Ann Patchett)

34:01 7. They know that no one really knows (Socrates on knowing nothing, imposter feelings, why your contributions matter)

37:57 Lightning round recap

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE 

• Plato, The Republic 

• Studies on the impact of perfectionism on performance and creativity (2022 and 2025)

• Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way of Being 

• Stuart Kauffman, At Home in the Universe 

• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience 

• Mary Oliver, A Poetry Handbook; “Wild Geese”; On Being interview with Krista Tippett 

• Barry Schwartz, The Paradox of Choice

• Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear 

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