Melinda came across the term “creative polymathy,” meaning interest and skill in multiple creative fields or disciplines, a few years ago at a creativity conference, and it really resonated. The nature of creativity is to make associations between disparate ideas and inspirations, so it makes sense that creative people often have talent and ability in more than one area. Michael Walker is one of these people; he’s a musician and songwriter, as well as a photographer, podcaster, and the Director of Many Things at Positive Energy, a building science consulting firm based in Austin, Texas. Michael recently released a couple of instrumental albums inspired by Palo Duro Canyon, near his hometown of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle. In this episode, we discuss the creative process in Michael’s music, as well as his influences and inspirations, ranging from Buddhist meditation to the landscape of West Texas.

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The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced by Michael Osborne at 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Creative development and video production by Shuja Uddin and Devon Foster at Tishna Films. Artwork by Dreux Carpenter.

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Michael’s Website: sleepyburrito.com

Creative Polymathy

Palo Duro Canyon

Llano Estacato

Dan Flores (author)

Coyote America

Project Coyote

Artists for Wild Nature

Red River War

Canyon Illuminant album

Red River War album

Johnny Greenwood (film composer)

Trent Reznor (film composer)

Ryuichi Sakamoto (film composer)

Positive Energy (building science consulting firm in Austin, TX)

The Building Science Podcast

Terry Allen (artist and musician)

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We often talk about the mind-body connection, but how does this relate to creativity? Embodiment refers to the state of fully inhabiting our physical selves, as well as our internal, phenomenological experience of living as a physical being. Many of us have complicated relationships with our bodies, especially those of us who have experienced trauma in some form or another (which is most of us). Yet, the body is also a fundamental source of creativity, as we explore in this episode with physical therapist, dancer, and Feldenkrais practitioner Thais Bicalho Silva. Our conversation explores the healing power of movement and touch, as well as what comes alive for us when we experience ourselves from the inside out, as opposed to self-objectifying, and what’s possible when we create from that place. 

The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced by Michael Osborne at 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Creative development and video production by Shuja Uddin and Devon Foster at Tishna Films. Artwork by Dreux Carpenter.

Episode-specific hyperlinks: 

Episode Transcript

Thais’ Website: mayolimovement.com

Psychiatrist and Trauma Researcher Bessel van der Kolk

Book: The Body Keeps the Score

Psychologist Wilhelm Reich

Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio

Book: Descartes’ Error

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Podcasting has become such an important medium of creativity, carrying on a long tradition of oral storytelling that stretches back to the beginnings of human history and culture. But what makes a successful podcast and how do you create one? Today’s guest, Michael Osborne, PhD, stumbled into podcasting while working on a PhD in environmental science at Stanford, and never looked back. Over the last 12 years, he’s hosted and produced several very popular and critically acclaimed shows with themes ranging from humans’ impact on the environment and big data to dead celebrities and how to live a meaningful life. In this episode specifically, and in the show more broadly, we explore the creative process itself, as well as the multidimensional nature of creativity and innovation. 

The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced by Michael Osborne at 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Creative development and video production by Shuja Uddin and Devon Foster at Tishna Films. Artwork by Dreux Carpenter.

Episode Transcript

Michael Osborne Website

Famous & Gravy Podcast

Generation Anthropocene Podcast

Raw Data Podcast

The Syncreate Podcast

Syncreate Website

Syncreate Instagram

Syncreate Facebook

Syncreate Twitter

Syncreate LinkedIn

Syncreate YouTube

Melinda Rothouse Website

Austin Writing Coach

Melinda Joy Music Website

Introducing the Syncreate Podcast, exploring the intersections of creativity, psychology, and spirituality.

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