For as long as he can remember, San Francisco Bay Area-based Austin Hill Shaw has been enraptured by creativity and the creative process. In 2004, stemming from a life-changing insight gained during a three-month meditation retreat, he began exploring the subject of creativity in earnest, wanting to understand the opportunities and challenges behind creativity’s seemingly universal appeal. Since then, he has amassed a wealth of knowledge regarding creative expression in art, science, and religion, in childhood development and adult maturation, in business and the economy, in product innovation, in both intimate and organizational relationships, and in non-ordinary states of consciousness, delving into the very core of what is means to be human. More importantly, he has striven to embody all that he’s learned, using his own life as an ongoing experiment, testing and refining his methods in his own pursuits as a writer and as an architectural designer.

Today, in a time of rampant job automation and outsourcing, Austin’s message regarding the importance of creativity and how to activate it is swiftly making its way out into the world. Drawing upon an innovative mix of cutting-edge science, artistic expression, and age-old spiritual wisdom, Austin presents a timely and enlivening understanding of creativity, one that ignites the full-person creative potential of individuals and organizations alike. He just released the first two books in his Awakening Creativity Series, the highly provacative Between the Bridge and the Water: Death, Rebirth, and Creative Awakening, and the profoundly inspiring book, The Shoreline of Wonder: On Being Creative.

Learn more about Austin Hill Shaw: https://austinhillshaw.com/
Buy Austin's Book 'The Shoreline of Wonder': https://www.amazon.com/Shoreline-Wonder-Creative-Awakening-Creativity/dp/0985480017

00:55: Guided meditation led by Sean Fargo (grounding and dedicating)
04:44: Sean introduces Austin Hill Shaw
08:53: Remembering La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona
11:30: What’s present for you when you think of mindfulness and home?
14:40: Beyond food and shelter, what do humans need to feel happy and at home?
16:38: The three core human needs (connection, contribution, meaning)
21:15: Linking the core human needs to mindfulness practice and Buddhist cosmology
28:24: Attracting clients by working on your own healing
30:00 Are creative ideas that arise during meditation a distraction?
34:40: How the three core human needs relate to creativity
43:20: Defining creativity as connecting with the world and contributing to it in a meaningful way
45:39: How we give our lives meaning and the meaning we choose
55:50: Connecting with others by asking, where were you born?
58:40: How do we feel more at home in the world?
1:11:00: The most important thing we do in this world is heal ourselves
1:16:12: Mindfulness and healing practices as creating a more comfortable, welcoming home
1:25:40: When mindfulness isn’t enough and additional resources are warranted
1:30:40: Defining home as the place where you don’t feel self-conscious
1:39:30: An example of Austin Hill Shaw’s full-spectrum client intake
01:55:40: The Red Tara song