burning questions with seth godin: faith, lizards, and your art

 
 







Seth Godin has one of the most highly respected and trafficked blogs on the world wide web; the most-viewed presentations on TED; the most charitable social and information systems in action, the best-selling series of books on marketing, culture, and idea-generation.

His new book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? goes on shelves and ships TODAY! It's a whole new kind of Seth fabulous that speaks to the heart (and primal encoding) of creativity in all pursuits. It is beautiful.

Seth's views on collaboration, endurance, and what it means to be an artist give me a deep sense of belonging and optimism. His definition of "art" contains three elements:

1. Art is made by a human being.
2. Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else.
3. Art is a gift. You can sell the souvenir, the canvas, the recording... but the idea itself is free, and the generosity is a critical part of making art.

Art is what we're doing when we do our best work.

Ladies and gentleman, it is a true honour to bring you, The Integrity Artist, The Amplifier of other people's goodness, and one of my biggest intellectual crushes, Mr. Seth Godin.

BURNING QUESTIONS WITH SETH GODIN

1. What do you know to be true, unquestionably beyond doubt, certain with every cell of your being, completely, passionately, righteously certain?

Somewhere, someone is going to have a spectacular day tomorrow, the best day they ever had. Maybe even more than one person. Maybe you.

2. How do we rise above the grip of resistance-addicted lizard brain into unleashed, energized, full tilt mojo and artistic moxy?

The lizard is the prehistoric brain stem, the amygdala, the part of our brain responsible for anger, revenge, sex and safety. It's what a chicken has, all that a chicken has.

The lizard is mistaken.

The lizard successfully believed, for a really long time, that safety was good. Avoid saber-tooth tigers. Duck your head. Don't raise your hand. That = survival.

Now, of course, that equals burger-flipping and Wal-Mart greeting. Safety is a recipe for food stamps.

What the lizard ought to be doing is pushing you to do art, pushing you to stand out, pushing you to do work that matters and to make a difference.

So, you rise above by seducing and quieting the lizard, and then, when it's snoozing, do exactly the opposite of what it wants you to do.

3. What was the dumbest thing that you used to believe in?

Deserved.

That some people got what they deserved. That someone deserved to be taught a lesson at my expense. That bad luck hurts people who deserve better.

What's true: Stuff happens. We dance with it. The better and happier you dance, the better you do. And every minute you spend teaching people a lesson is a minute wasted forever.

4. I think we crave originality and individuation as much as we crave belonging and the beautiful symmetry of being in tribe. How do we steer clear of, as you call it in Linchpin, the "Faustian bargains in which we trade our genius and artistry for stability"? How do we access our own originality? (This, by the way, could be the best question I've ever asked anyone. Ever.)

Join a tribe of artists. Lead a tribe of people intent on making a difference.

1984 is a scary book because belonging to a tribe of cogs is the most frightening thing of all. Better to be Neo or Trinity than to live in the Matrix, I think.

5. Dante and "all who entered", had to abandon hope at the gates of the inferno. I have my own theory on that (I'm not a fan of h-o-p-e.) Is hope a requirement for Linchpins and change agents? Or trust?

Mostly faith.

Faith in your art. Faith in your ability to matter. Faith in the future and opportunities that will present themselves. The reality is you need low overhead and an ability to get through the Dip and the reality is you must put in the hours and push yourself harder than you can imagine. Then the faith pays off.

6. What question are you currently living?

Whatcha talking about Willis?

oh

how about, "How can I leverage this opportunity to spread an idea that people really need to hear... and not waste my chance."

7. What’s your super hero name? (You have one. To discover it, stand with hands on your hips, chest up, and eyes to the sky. It’ll come to you. FYI, Mine is Agent Now, which in French translates to L’Agent Maintenent. Adorable n'est pas?)

The Amplifier.

Indeed.

. . . . . . .

FIND SETH

SethGodin.com
The Squidoo Linchpin Interviews
Linhpin: Are You Indispensable?
TED Lectures

join the convoposted 25 Jan 10 in: creativity + art + design articles, interviews   ·   tags: , ,   ·   View Comments

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  • I am just hearing of Seth Godin and his newest creation, Linchpin. I am very enthusiastic right now and I am very excited for artists at this time. I felt this all along but to have someone as intelligent and heartfelt as Seth be the amplifier to testify these forthcoming times is by all means necessary and noble.

    Thank you.

    Sandra Small
  • Dorothy Mortimore
    Art abbreviates life so we can catch it! I love the abbreviated interviews you do - this was one of the divine! Thanks so much! Linchpin is now mine.
  • My superhero name is Super Turtle!

    And just this once, I have to suggest that Seth Godin goofed, it's not the libidinious lizard id brain that makes people not take risks (alligators have lizard brains, and they aren't known to be shy!), it's the overly trained higher intellectual brain of the right prefrontal cortex that acts as some overprotective parent, warning our excitable id not to get in trouble with the "adults". :-) The lizard brain is your instinct, and it's the bit of brain matter that gives you your drive to do awesome stuff, let it run wild!
  • Sri
    You are supreme, Agent Now!
  • Amazing post, super inspirational to both business people & entrepreneurs... thanks for sharing it with us!
  • The lizard is the prehistoric brain stem, the amygdala, the part of our brain responsible for anger, revenge, sex and safety. It's what a chicken has, all that a chicken has.

    The lizard is mistaken.

    This is the best poem I've read for a while :-)
  • Incredible questions. Incredible answers. I need this book.
  • A great interview, and interviewee, that both humble and inspire me. Faith. I choose faith. And a tranquilizer gun for the lizard. Thank you for this, Danielle!
  • This is good stuff. How do I know that? Because a lot of it makes me uncomfortable.
  • ah...good metric.
  • My two most thought provoking muses together in one place on a day when I am talking about evolution, vision and embracing passion. There are no accidents.
  • Great interview, on both sides. It's Seth day today and he's everywhere, there are dozens (dozens of dozens?) of interviews appearing, this one was worth the time for sure.

    My superhero name used to be Captain Subtle, partly because I thought it was clever and ironic - the very idea of superherohood is unsubtle, so the idea of someone whose superpower was subtlety tickled my funnybone. I've since realized that subtlety, while a laudable artistic goal on some levels, is a terrible marketing strategy.

    So for now I'm... Fascination Man!
  • Danielle, it's always a pleasure and a treat to read your wonderful words. Now to figure out my superhero name...
  • Incredible interview - I've only read a couple Lycnhpin/Seth G interviews so far, but this one - ohmy - this one, I have no doubt! - is going to be the best of them all.

    I second (or third, I think another commenter seconded) the intellectual crush deal.

    And - oh - "What's true: Stuff happens. We dance with it. The better and happier you dance, the better you do. And every minute you spend teaching people a lesson is a minute wasted forever."

    Dance lessons! I'm on the look-out for dance lessons - every day I want to become a better dancer.

    Thanks for this!
  • Great interview Danielle!
  • As ever, you have hit me smack dab in the middle of my forhead and opened my eyes. I will be buying this tome and devouring it. Thank you for sharing your inspiration today! Enjoy the day! Erin
  • I'm in a deadend job, I really need to take some advice and get some small business going! =) I need to find a niche small company of some sort.
  • "The better and happier you dance, the better you do." Exactly! I'm learning a new dance and getting better and happier at it.
    Great interview!
  • Thanks for this Q&A, Danielle! I just got my copy of Linchpin and started reading it today! I'm loving every. single. word. of it!!

    Q&A # 5 is definitely my favourite part.
  • what a sweet surprise!

    I'll second that intellectual crush.
  • So in other words, uh, work hard and take risks. No shit.
  • This is exquisite.

    "Somewhere, someone is going to have a spectacular day tomorrow, the best day they ever had. Maybe even more than one person. Maybe you."

    And this is utter perfection:

    "Mostly faith.
    Faith in your art. Faith in your ability to matter. Faith in the future and opportunities that will present themselves."

    Your intellectual crush is entirely contagious Danielle ~ perfect questions... and thank you Seth for these peak points of brilliance...
  • hey GL...nice to see you here!
  • yes, I think baldness is very aerodynamic. always my preference.
  • Sweet score, Danielle. Who can resist Seth with his lovely shaped head (not everyone looks good hairless!) and the ideas encased therein. Still haven't received my copy of Linchpin, though I'm one of the Acumen crowd - so it's driving me crazy reading about it everywhere.
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