Creative Fuel

Solitude can help the creative process flourish, but how can time alone be generative and not just lonely? When writer Florence Williams’ 25-year marriage falls apart, it sets her on a journey to explore the science behind loneliness. Photographer Alexandra de Steiguer on the other hand has spent the last quarter century actively seeking out time on her own, spending her winters as the caretaker of Star Island in the Isle of Shoals off the coast of New Hampshire. With the help of these two creatives we explore what spending time alone means for ourselves, our creativity, and our connections to the communities around us.

Kaywin Feldman, the Director for the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., points out why visiting art museums can provide us boosts of creativity. On last episode of Creative Fuel, "How Do We Connect With Each Other," we discussed how art museums and other public displays of art can be such powerful bridges between people. And in this short, Kaywin discusses how that relates to experiencing awe and wonder together.

We share traits with every single human on this planet. But often our differences define us more than our commonalities. In this episode we explore our empathetic potential, and how art just might be a bridge for creating better connection.

Social psychologist Dr. Sara Konrath and Director of the National Gallery of Art Kaywin Feldman guide us through an exploration of art and empathy, and we explore a new public art installation at the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial in Washington State.

On art and science. In our first episode, "Do We Need Newness for Creativity?" we connected with Christine Liu, a neuroscientist and artist. She had some fantastic things to say about the intersection of science and creativity, something that is at the root of all of our Creative Fuel episodes.

We all know that spark of inspiration that easily happens when we go somewhere out of the ordinary, or feel like we're doing something for the first time. Do we need that sense of newness to spark creativity, and what do we do if we can't find it?

In this episode we talk to writer Amanda Machado and neuroscientist Christine Liu to learn exactly what's happening in our brains when we have new experiences and how it impacts our creative process.

To be creative is to be human, and exploring that drive might help us understand ourselves better. Season one launches September 13, 2022.