The creative act is a form of dreaming

This conversation is part of a series of interviews with various brothers and teachers, including many fellow writers, all of which are part of the body of work surrounding my book-length memoir An Ordinary Disaster—one man's proof that we can all learn to listen to ourselves, and to act upon the inner voice of our self, our sanity and our soul.

An interview with the author

My friend Michael Lipson interviewed me recently about the development and writing of my book-length memoir An Ordinary Disaster.

I'd love to hear from you after listening, so don't be shy about leaving a comment or a question.

Use the Substack audio player at the top of the page ⬆️ to listen to the interview.

Highlights

13:39 …how it's possible to forget something as important as what I was supposed to be, and then, a long ways down the road, come back to fully remembering—not coincidentally, a the point when I was also finally in a position to pursue that.

14:39 What was it like to begin and what were you seeking by doing that?

15:19 …part of the reason that writing began to resurface was my experience changing my relationship with alcohol.

17:19 I was asked to state my purpose and I said, “I'm here to tell the truth.” That felt true, and a very clear, spontaneous expression of the answer to the question of what I'm here to do in this chapter of life.

19:59 I was tired of feeling like I wasn't expressing myself—and also that I didn't know how to.

21:09 I felt like I needed to speak myself into existence.

23:09 …The process of ‘becoming a writer…’ “I had to let the material work with me.”

27:09 “As I confronted myself with the truth…that cemented my sense of self...”

36:09 …having people that I've known for a long time read my work has “made me feel like another person, like another whole part of myself is alive and present and being seen and active in relationship.”

40:39 “I now have the confidence that I am doing what I should be doing and I will get where I'm going by being myself. I don't really have to think about it much at all. I just now am able to be myself, and let that lead.”

43:39 Q: Where is the book in terms of the pathway of Campbell's hero's journey? A: The book is the return, the gold, the treasure.

46:10 “The creative act is a form of dreaming. When I'm writing and imagery or metaphors come in, it's the dream state—it's the colors arising from the unconscious psyche.”

64:09 “…intuition refuses to be named because it's a function of the unconscious and therefore it cannot be named directly. It’s a defining characteristic of working with anything in the unconscious—the shadow, intuition, dreams. You have to move towards them indirectly.”

1:13:00 “the spiritual power of sport is hugely underappreciated. Outdoor sports have been the primary path to reconnection with myself, and to wayfinding in my own life in a way that feels whole and satisfying.”

1:15:00 “you tell the story of how you responded to those things as you’ve aged, and I see this as you’re actively wrestling with de-adulterating yourself and