Poet's Perspective on Emotions:
- Maggie Smith discusses her poem "Good Bones" and its viral impact, emphasizing the poem's hopeful yet realistic tone.
- She shares her approach to handling complex emotions and sustaining hope while acknowledging reality, highlighting the value of asking questions without expecting clear answers.
- Adam Grant connects this perspective with psychological research on how parents' beliefs about the world affect their children's mental health.
Accepting Ambiguity in Art and Life:
- Maggie Smith reflects on embracing ambiguity, revealing that as a firstborn and recovering perfectionist, she finds it uncomfortable but acknowledges its importance in learning from experiences.
- She explains how writing her memoir led her to accept the unresolved aspects of life, recognizing that seeking answers isn't always necessary for personal growth.
- Adam Grant draws parallels between Maggie's acceptance of ambiguity and psychological theories on managing emotions and self-judgment.
Rethinking Rest and Productivity:
- Maggie Smith admits struggling with taking breaks due to overproductivity tendencies, signaling a shift in her attitude towards rest as an ongoing reevaluation process.
- Adam Grant highlights the irony of a writer who beautifully captures human experiences finding difficulty in recognizing her own humanity, emphasizing the relatability of this struggle.
Insights into Writing Process:
- The conversation delves into favorite poems and writing tips, including reading aloud for improved sentence structure and variety.
- The discussion challenges traditional advice to "write what you know," advocating for curiosity-driven exploration instead.
- Both podcasters share their favorite parts of the writing process, encompassing moments of insight discovery, starting new projects, and experiencing immersive storytelling flow
Writing Process:
- Maggie Smith enjoys the revision and re-seeing aspect of writing, finding joy in creative problem-solving during the process.
- Adam Grant contrasts this by expressing a preference for a more linear path to problem-solving without the frustration of false starts.
Creativity and Discovery in Writing:
- Maggie emphasizes that fixing something in writing leads to new discoveries, allowing her to realize where she went wrong initially.
- The conversation delves into the joy of writing versus the satisfaction of being done with writing, highlighting the importance of loving the process over the end result.
Finding Inspiration and Understanding Creativity:
- Maggie shares her experience of feeling estranged from pieces she has written and not fully understanding their origin or creation.
- They discuss how inspiration can be mysterious and difficult to teach, emphasizing its enigmatic nature.
The Cento Chapter and Reflective Writing:
- The concept of creating a Cento poem by collaging lines from different poets is discussed as a way to stimulate creativity.
- Reflecting on old journals using similar techniques to stitch together experiences for personal growth is explored as an exercise.
Embracing Emotional Ambivalence:
- Both speakers discuss valuing emotional ambivalence and learning to live comfortably with ambiguity while avoiding needless suffering.
- Maggie shares her perspective on life's uncertainties, acknowledging that real suffering comes from resisting change and insisting on absolutes.