“Creativity is the greatest expression of liberty.” 
-Bryant H. McGill

A few weeks ago, I dedicated a Sunday Sauce newsletter to highlight how despite what statistics and ‘realists’ may say, one person does indeed have the power to create amazing change in their community and in the world.  And this week, I want to share the story of another man that has impacted the world because of his willingness to follow his creativity and self-expression.

But first, I wanted to share a lesson I learned from Gina Rodan:  

Creativity is not a luxury. It’s a non-negotiable.

With the business of life, it’s tempting to bump creativity down to the bottom of our to-do lists.  But the following are three reasons why we must let creativity take center-stage more often:

•It provides an outlet for self-expression,
personal growth, and healing.

•It is the fuel for ideation and problem solving
in every area of life.

•Your creative expression could be invaluable to others.

An incredible example of this is the story of Larry Harvey.  Because he leaned into his creativity despite his struggles and setbacks, he created a place unlike any other where cathartic and authentic self-expression can thrive for anyone and everyone… I’m talking about BURNING MAN.

The story and evolution of Burning Man is just as impressive and inspiring as the yearly event is itself. Back in 1986, Larry was just a guy struggling to fit into society’s molds (which included not being able to hold down a job). Until one day, as an odd (yet inspired) act of self-expression, he decided to create and burn a wooden statuette on a beach in San Francisco – just for the hell of it.

Well…”The rest is history,” 

To me, Larry is a reminder to never give up on yourself and to always make time for creativity.  Why?  Because you never know what could happen!

Wishing you a magical, self-expressive week (and if you went to the Burn, a peaceful week of rest and recovery)!

Much love,
Mark

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PS: To hear more about my thoughts on Burning Man and why I have continued to go for the past ten years, feel free to check out a condensed rebroadcast of an episode I did a few years ago on Episode 237 of People Being Real!

PPS: And if you’d like to hear my reflections of what I experienced and learned at this year’s Burning Man, stay tuned in the coming weeks!