The Creative Cure is not another promise of a road towards wholeness and completeness.

At its heart, Jacob Nordby’s new book is a simple invitation back to ourselves. Away from the never-ending treadmill pursuit of The Cure.
The Emerging Self
As we grow up we develop a story that tells us what it means to be us. We prod, probe, and follow our natural curiosity. Connecting with the things that give us an intrinsic sense of joy.

Over time beliefs start to develop. We hear stories about what we "ought to do" and how we "should" behave. Our experiences then shape how we show up in the world (socialisation).

This process is a natural part of our development. Our sense of self emerges in the context of community.
Child-Like Creativity
As kids we have an intuitive connection to the creative cure. We experience unfiltered joy through curious play. Our imaginations carry us into magical worlds that we build upon mundane and ordinary backdrops.

But as the stories about who we are take shape, that authentic sense of self might experience rejection.

Messages of rejection are like paper cuts. They are subtle, but they can really sting: “Why are you doing it like that? That’s stupid!” Or “that’s just your imagination - grow up!” And “only an idiot would enjoy that kind of thing”. Or “why are you crying? You need thicker skin if you’re going to survive the real world”.

These messages prompt us to build filters (beliefs and habits) to keep us safe. We create defence mechanisms in the fight to avoid rejection. So we might recoil, hide, and replace those parts of ourselves that we feel ashamed of. And it might lead us to amplify behaviours that we believe will help us gain approval and acceptance.

It was great to have Jacob back on the show. I’m excited for you to hear the conversation. It was a thrill to unpack (and even experience!) the practical applications of The Creative Cure.
In the conversation you will hear us discuss:

How The Creative Cure is in the simple practices that connect us to our inner creative self. Not so that we might reach a place of healing down the line where we find the “missing piece”.
The power of this underlying myth in society that we are “born broken”. And how the Creative Cure helps us break from the tireless pursuit to be ‘enough’ and prove our worth.
Why we should stop hacking at the branches of life and look at the roots instead.
The differences between “child-like” and “childish”.
Whether the pay off is worth the trade off when it comes to following our passions along the established paths.
The 3 main enemies of the Inner Creative Self
How Perfectionism and Procrastination are conjoined twins
Three simple questions to ask ourselves in a Creative Cure Journal Practice
The impact of hearing "you don’t get to do what you need to do, when you need to do it". And how it conditions judgement, prohibition, and shame when it comes to recognising and caring for our own basic physical needs later in life.
How gentle rebellion starts inside ourselves when we heal the connection to our creative self. And we are the contagious cure the world needs, not by TRYING to change it. But by entering our health, joy, and creative spirit.

Over to You
What are your takeaways from this conversation? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Or get in touch via email/social media...
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Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_XceORF70w&

Linked Resources:

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Listen to my music: https://music.andymort.com/
The Creative Cure | Jacob Nordby
The Body Keeps The Score | Bessel van der Kolk
The Deepest Well | Nadine Burke Harris
The Creative Wound: Heal Your Broken Art | Mark Pierce

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