6 Best TED Talks for Writers and Creatives
Sometimes all it takes for us to be in touch with our creativity, to light that spark again, is to hear the right thing said at the right time. TED Talks have been inspiring people for years. Their stage has been a platform for some of the most motiving and progressive ideas and a number of writers have shared their insight during these conferences. Here is a list of 6 of the best Ted Talks for writers and creatives alike.
12 truths I Learned From Life and Writing | Anne Lamott
A few days before she turned 61, writer Anne Lamott decided to write down everything she knew for sure. She dives into the nuances of being a human who lives in a confusing, beautiful, emotional world, offering her characteristic life-affirming wisdom and humor on family, writing, the meaning of God, death and more.
The Beauty of Being a Misfit | Lidia Yuknavitch
To those who feel like they don't belong: there is beauty in being a misfit. Author Lidia Yuknavitch shares her own wayward journey in an intimate recollection of patchwork stories about loss, shame and the slow process of self-acceptance. "Even at the moment of your failure, you are beautiful," she says. "You don't know it yet, but you have the ability to reinvent yourself endlessly. That's your beauty."
Your Elusive Creative Genius | Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, delivered the ultimate TED Talk for writers. In it, she reflects on the weight of her own success and how history has affected our view of creativity. More specifically, she talks about the stress it puts on writers and artists. This funny, personal talk is sure to leave you inspired.
The Danger of a Single Story | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie uses this TED Talk to warn us about the danger of a single story. If we have only a limited knowledge—have heard only a single story—about a culture or a place, our perception of it is skewed and incomplete. There is hope, however, and this hope comes from writers, who continue to share their stories and punch holes in the walls that divide us culturally. Writers are so important because the more stories are told about a culture or a place, the more people are able to develop a well-rounded understanding of it in their minds.
The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers | Adam Grant
How do creative people come up with great ideas? Organizational psychologist Adam Grant studies "originals": thinkers who dream up new ideas and take action to put them into the world. In this talk, learn three unexpected habits of originals — including embracing failure. "The greatest originals are the ones who fail the most, because they're the ones who try the most," Grant says. "You need a lot of bad ideas in order to get a few good ones."
Where Does Creativity Hide? | Amy Tan
Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife and The Hundred Secret Senses, digs deep into the creative process, looking for hints of how hers evolved.
