Bryan Hill on the Confidence to be Creative (Episode 21)

Feb 28, 2023

Bryan Hill, a television, film, and comic book writer, discusses using Stoicism to overcome ego, imposter syndrome, and fear of rejection in writing. They emphasize the importance of committing to self-improvement and seeking excellence over validation.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Stoic Philosophy and Personal Growth

02:15 • 29min

Preparing for Success and the Necessity of Philosophy

31:20 • 3min

Exploring Negative and Positive Visualization in Stoicism

34:31 • 2min

Seeking Excellence Over Validation

36:08 • 22min

Challenges of Pursuing Unordinary Things and Where to Find More of Their Work

58:17 • 3min

Want to become more Stoic? Join us and other Stoics this October: Stoicism Applied by Caleb Ontiveros and Michael Tremblay on Maven

Bryan Hill is a television, film, and comic book writer. His work in comics includes writing for Batman and Buffy's Angel and his work in television includes HBO Max's Titans, and Ash vs. The Evil Dead. He is a practitioner of Stoicism, and has incorporated Stoic ideas into his craft of writing.

In this discussion, Michael Tremblay and Bryan cover using Stoicism to overcome the ego, imposter syndrome, and fear of rejection that comes both with being a writer, and with pursuing any craft.

They talk about learning to commit yourself to process of self-improvement, rather than seeking external validation. They also talk about how to overcome the fear of being bad at something by learning to give yourself permission to be a beginner.

This conversation is a must listen for anyone who has struggled with their own confidence and self-identity, and wants specific strategies to help.

(01:11) Intro

(02:14) The Impact of Stoicism

(15:10) Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

(28:25) Commit to the Process

(36:07) Seeking Excellence

(44:54) What Bryan's Struggled With the Most

(50:29) Stoicism in Bryan's Craft

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Stoa Conversations is Caleb Ontiveros and Michael Tremblay’s podcast on Stoic theory and practice.

Caleb and Michael work together on the Stoa app. Stoa is designed to help you build resilience and focus on what matters. It combines the practical philosophy of Stoicism with modern techniques and meditation.

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Caleb Ontiveros has a background in academic philosophy (MA) and startups. His favorite Stoic is Marcus Aurelius. Follow him here: https://twitter.com/calebmontiveros

Michael Tremblay also has a background in academic philosophy (PhD) where he focused on Epictetus. He is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His favorite Stoic is Epictetus. Follow him here: https://twitter.com/_MikeTremblay

Thank you to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations: https://ancientlyre.com/

Get full access to The Stoa Letter at www.stoaletter.com/subscribe