Discovering The Creative Cure (With Jacob Nordby)

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The Creative Cure is not magical thinking. In fact, it’s a tonic for a world obsessed with finding the secret sauce that will solve all our problems.

When I read Jacob Nordby’s new book it struck me as an invitation back to ourselves. And if it’s curing anything, it is a cure for the chronic disease that puts us in perpetual pursuit of The Cure.

As we grow up we develop a story that tells us what it means to be us. We prod, probe, and follow our natural curiosity. Connecting with the things that give us an intrinsic sense of joy.

Over time beliefs start to develop, based on stories we hear about what we ought to do and how we should behave. Our experiences start to shape how we show up in the world through socialisation as we learn to function.

The Emerging Self

This process is a natural part of our development as we foster our sense of self in the context of our wider community and society. Kids often have an intuitive connection to creative cure practices. They experience joy through play, and their imaginations carry them into magical worlds made from the mundane and the ordinary.

But as the stories about who we are take shape, that authentic sense of self might experience rejection. We might hear messages like: “Why are you doing it like that? That’s stupid!” Or “that’s just your imagination – grow up!” And “only an idiot would enjoy that kind of thing”. Or “why are you crying? You need thicker skin if you’re going to survive the real world”.

These messages prompt us to filter ourselves as we make sense of what we need to do to avoid rejection. So we might recoil, hide, and replace those parts of ourselves that we feel ashamed of. And amplify behaviours that we believe will help us gain approval and acceptance.

I love having Jacob Nordby on the show. And I’m excited to share our conversation in this week’s episode where I deeply enjoyed unpacking (and experiencing!) the practical applications of The Creative Cure.

In the conversation you will hear us discuss:

How The Creative Cure is in the simple practices that connect us to our inner creative self. Not so that we might reach a place of healing down the line where we find the “missing piece”.
The power of this underlying myth in society that we are “born broken”. And how the Creative Cure helps us break from the tireless pursuit to be ‘enough’ and prove our worth.
Why we should stop hacking at the branches of life and look at the roots instead.
The differences between “child-like” and “childish”.
Whether the pay off is worth the trade off when it comes to following our passions along the established paths.
The 3 main enemies of the Inner Creative Self
How Perfectionism and Procrastination are conjoined twins
Three simple questions to ask ourselves in a Creative Cure Journal Practice
The impact of hearing “you don’t get to do what you need to do, when you need to do it”. And how it conditions judgement, prohibition, and shame when it comes to recognising and caring for our own basic physical needs later in life.
How gentle rebellion starts inside ourselves when we heal the connection to our creative self. And we are the contagious cure the world needs, not by TRYING to change it. But by entering our health, joy, and creativity spirit.

Mentioned Resources:

The Creative Cure | Jacob Nordby
The Body Keeps The Score | Bessel van der Kolk
The Deepest Well | Nadine Burke Harris
The Creative Wound: Heal Your Broken Art | Mark Pierce