Need a reason to get out of yourself?

Do it to be more creative.

A recent Scientific American article describes studies proving psychological distance increases creativity. I am always on the lookout for moments when science confirms the wisdom that artists have shared for generations, and this is one of those moments.

The age old wisdom about creativity:
Take a walk in another’s shoes. Travel. Distance yourself from a problem and solutions will appear. Take a walk away from your poem and the closing stanza writes itself. Change your perspective and become inspired.

The new science:
Psychological distance, which can  refer to a difference in space, time, and identity, as well as moments when we are imagining a solution to a problem that we don’t think we will ever have to face in reality, helps participants solve problems and generate more ideas.

So, if you are trying to solve a problem or create something, think about taking a step back, physically or mentally. Imagine how you would solve the problem if you were someone else. Try to compose the song in another musician’s style. Think of how a future version of yourself might create a solution.

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Dear Riz,

I just wanted to say how important you have been during the last 6 years of my life.

I am in Olympia right now, moving out of my apartment. I know I’ll get it cleaned and packed because I can listen to your overwhelming mix.

My first apartment was in Seattle, and I unpacked to Expansions.

I danced at ReBar with my sister when she came to visit.

I taped a show you did around Christmas time and sent it to my sister.

I knew Seattle was the place for me.

Every time I listen to your show, I remember why and how much I love music.

I’ve thought about dropping you a line a few times…

Thanks.
-Matt Kreiling

If you like new, instrumental, uplifting, and electronic music – the best radio show in the world is KEXP’s Expansions when DJ Riz is hosting.

KEXP is an amazing station in general and they archive their music for a couple of weeks, so you can listen to it anytime.

Don’t forget to enjoy music.

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Some people think that reading is dead. The internet killed it.

Perhaps, they believe, the only way to get people to read at any length is by feeding them their prose like so

“The Benefits of Distraction and Overstimulation” looks on the bright side of our culture’s ADD.

Back in 1971,…before the founders of Google had even managed to get themselves born, the polymath economist Herbert A. Simon wrote maybe the most concise possible description of our modern struggle: “What information consumes is rather obvious: It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it.”

Back in 1980, I was groovin’ to my dad’s cassette tape.

The Police – Too Much Information demo (rare audio)

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If we have a place for these artists, it will.
Playing For Change: Song Around the World “Stand By Me”

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