Here is the full transcript of author, songwriter and musician Gregg Stewart’s talk titled “6 Tips To Regain Your Creativity Today” at TEDxOjai (June 6, 2025).
Listen to the audio version here:
The Spark That Changed Everything
GREGG STEWART: So, when I was six, I painted a picture of my dog. It’s a very six-year-old thing to do. But then two extraordinary things happened that changed the trajectory of my life. First, my painting was selected to be part of a citywide art exhibit. I was very excited to see my work in a gallery setting. Even at six years old, I knew this was something exciting. Then the newspaper showed up and wrote a review of the show, and the photo they selected to go with their article, the painting I’d done of my dog. Seeing my artwork in the newspaper lit up something inside me. It was the moment I decided I was going to live a creative life no matter what. Art, music, writing, I was going to explore it all.
Since then, I have both succeeded and failed in this endeavor in a thousand spectacular ways. And I want to talk to you about some of the many pitfalls I’ve waltzed right into, and also some of the profound benefits I’ve gotten from engaging with my creativity, most of which I seldom hear talked about when we talk about the arts.
The Family Legacy of Unfulfilled Dreams
So the first stumbling block came only a few short years later. I was nine, maybe ten, when I discovered my uncle’s art portfolio in my grandparent’s basement, buried under a stack of boxes and papers. His work was absolutely breathtaking, and I immediately fell into the pitfalls of comparison and self-doubt, two of the arch enemies of creativity. I knew my work was never going to be this good.
So I brought the portfolio to my grandmother and demanded to know why my uncle wasn’t a famous artist, because if he couldn’t do it, there was no way I was ever going to achieve my artistic dreams. My grandmother, in typical blunt fashion, said, “Oh yeah, your grandfather would never allow it. He needed a proper career to support a family.” So he convinced my uncle to give up art. My uncle never drew or painted again, and he died at 58, the same age as his father.
My mother, when she was in her 20s, lived on a houseboat in the Virgin Islands, sold her paintings on the wharf. She recalls it as one of the most idyllic and happiest times in her life. When I asked her why she stopped painting, in fact, why did she ever leave the Virgin Islands, she says, “Well, you know, sometimes life just gets in the way.”
My father was a born storyteller who never found the time to write. He died of heart disease, and on his deathbed, he lamented, “You know, I should have written that book.” He’s right, he should have, and I think it broke his heart that he didn’t.
See I’ve learned I come from a long line of vibrant and talented men and women who let life get in the way of their creative expression.
Why We Must Reclaim Our Creative Voice
So when I tell you that you must live a more creative life, that your mental health and your emotional wellness depend upon it, I understand why you may be hesitant. I know all too well what our results-driven society has to say about your creative voice. “Don’t quit your day job.” “It’s time to grow up and get your head out of the clouds.” “If you can’t make money at it, it must not be worth doing.”
Let me ask you this. If we can agree you don’t need to be an Olympic athlete or a professional bodybuilder to get the health benefits of daily exercise, why can’t you engage with your creativity for the mental and health benefits without ever feeling the need to become a hit songwriter or a best-selling author?
See we continually defund the arts for our children. We keep handing it off to software to do on our behalf. I’m starting to wonder whether we know what art is for at all. It’s not about creating content. It’s not about going pro, having a career, going viral, getting rich. You’re welcome to pursue those things, but that’s not the point of it. It’s also not about worrying whether you’re talented enough. If anybody will like it, if you can’t make a living at it, it’s about your spirit. It’s about knowing yourself through your creative work. This is the beauty and the gift of it.
So I continue to share my stories through art and music, through all the trial and error. I also do it to honor the men and women who came before me, the ones who got talked out of their creative voice, dimmed their light, let life get in the way of their expression. Your ancestors, the ones who dreamed big, the ones who fought to ensure you’re even here, they long for you to share your story too.
So let it out because humankind does not experience positive, lasting change through wars or politics, but through authentic, engaging stories. Stories are what change the world, move us forward, help us evolve, create more peace between us. So where’s yours? What’s stopping you?
The Real Enemy: Being Too Busy
And I know it’s stopping most of us, and contrary to popular belief, it is not fear and is not a lack of talent. It’s simply that we are wasting our precious time and energy on staying busy. That’s it.
See, the trap I see with most adults is that as we take on a career, relationship, family, our obligations and responsibilities begin to mushroom until our entire life’s focus is on managing a to-do list. You know, get up, make breakfast, pack lunches, get the kids to school, go to work.
The list is long and getting longer. You know this life.
So before you can begin to get creative and start discovering what might be happening inside of you, I need you to defund your to-do list. I know you think your life might implode, but it won’t. The harsh reality is that fulfilling tasks, it’s empty calories, it’s junk food validation. We think, “Oh, my existence must be relevant because my home life or my workplace would fall apart without me.” I am telling you, your soul journey matters more than checking items off a list. You have so much more to say with your one precious life.
The Life-Changing Decision to Flip Everything
I had to face this hard truth while I was busy doing life instead of being my authentic self. And as I scratched the line through my daily tasks with such intensity that I ripped a hole in the paper, I paused and asked, “You know, when did this list start running my life? Why am I leaving the crumbs of my energy for my self-expression, my creativity?” I longed to record my songs and go on tour, write short stories and novels, screenplays. I wanted to express myself and feel alive, whether I made a dollar from it or not. Because what mattered was getting to the bottom of this ache in my soul, this yearning to express what was deep inside of me.
So I flipped my entire life on its head as an act of blatant rebellion against the belting and the to-do list. I began prioritizing my creativity, starting every day by doing the things that lit me up. Yep. I was going to get to the groceries and the laundry. Yeah, whenever I had the time and energy, I’d get to that stuff. But I was doing life the other way around now.
Here’s the plot twist. Here’s the shocker. It all still got done. Everything I didn’t fall behind on life at all. And here’s the secret I discovered, is that when I began honoring my creativity first, placing my soul ahead of my stuff, every aspect of my life became more vibrant, more alive, more fulfilling.
The Unexpected Benefits of Creative Priority
So the moment I gave myself permission to fill my fuel tank with creativity first thing, it gave me the energy and the enthusiasm to do everything at a higher capacity. Moreover, I was discovering who I was. My creativity was giving me insights into what was happening deep down inside me, my unresolved traumas, grief, anger, fears. As a result, I grew more confident. There’s no way I could stand here in front of you had I not done this work. Began to grow more comfortable in my skin, which I believe is everyone’s life journey, to truly be at home with who you are.
I became more accepting of myself, less critical of myself. And then as a result, more accepting and less critical of others, which for anyone who knows me knows that’s the greatest gift of my creativity. Here’s the thing. On the inside, my deepest fears, my unprocessed anger and grief, they felt like a two-ton lead weight on my chest. The moment I began letting it out, getting it on the page, turns out all that stuff was only about as
Heavy as a book, sometimes as light as a song. That’s true alchemy. That is your power to turn lead into gold. So I beg of you, I beg of you, begin sharing your creativity. Discover what’s happening inside of you and express it. And if you’re not sure how to do it, I’ve got great news. I’ve got six steps that will help anyone unlock their authentic creative voice and let it out. You guys ready to do this? Here we go.
Step One: Claim Your Worthiness
There are now eight billion people on this planet and growing. There’s only one you. No one, no one has experienced the things you’ve experienced, seen the things you’ve seen, done the things you’ve done. In fact, of everyone who’s ever lived, none have lived your exact life. So if you don’t agree to share your once in a lifetime experience of this world, your unique vantage point, your story, all your stories, they die with you. They’re lost forever. If you get only one thing from this talk, know this. You have a story worth telling, a painting worth painting, and a song worth singing. Claim it.
Step Two: Pull No Punches
Your deepest fears, unprocessed anger, grief, and trauma. Creativity is the safest and healthiest place you can put those things. So agree to hold back nothing, and I mean nothing when you create. Advance yourself, warts and all, or don’t bother. Don’t bother. Because we spend way too much time worrying about what other people might think of it, who might see it, what they’ll say about it. Let go of any idea that you need to people-please or that it needs to be perfect when you create.
This is my most hard-won lesson. People-pleasing and perfectionism, this is how you continue hiding. Instead, show your humanity, which is messy and real. I like to say, until you ugly cry or let your freak flag fly, the work isn’t done yet. Go deeper. That’s where the healing is.
Step Three: Find Your Jam
It’s time to pick a creative outlet. What do you want to do? You’ve got lots of choices. Art, photography, music, cooking. It doesn’t matter. Here’s the thing I need you to know. You don’t have to be good at it. Talent is so overrated. The one thing I’ve learned, it’s not talent that moves the room. You’ve seen it here today. It’s vulnerability. Vulnerability moves the room every time.
Think of the last time you were truly inspired by something you saw on screen, on a stage. You were moved by the truth being told. Someone risking saying it. Here’s the beauty about that. Anyone at any moment can choose to be vulnerable.
Step Four: Honor Your Time
Here’s the reality. You’re never going to really be able to crumple up and throw out your to-do list. We got shit to do. We’re adults. So I need you to hack your to-do list by placing creativity first on the list. Put it in existence. Literally open up your calendar and put down my time, my creative time. If you can commit to only one day a week for an hour, great. Three days a week for 20 minutes, awesome. Every day of the week, I love it, love it. Here’s the thing. Approach those appointments, those sessions with yourself as if your mental health and your spirit depend upon it because they do. Put your creativity in existence. First thing, first thing, because here’s the thing.
The world doesn’t want to hear from you, not really. All they want you to do is continue consuming. There are a million things you’re going to be distracted by the moment you step out that door. A million things. The earth is going to come at you. Society is going to come at you. Consume, consume, consume, receive, receive, receive, and never transmit. I’m giving you the opportunity to transmit, to complete that cycle, receiving the world and transmitting your take on it, what you see in yourself. We think all the answers are outside of us, and I’m telling you they’re within.
Step Five: Set Clear Intentions
What do you want to get out of your creativity? When you first sit down to a session, take 10 to 15 seconds to decide, what do I want from this? You may decide, I’m going to freeform write for the next 20 minutes with no agenda. You’re going to discover what it feels like to truly turn off the self-critical chatter in your head. It’s a beautiful thing, literally letting yourself and your spirit out to pasture, go run free out of the paddock.
Maybe you have got loftier goals. Maybe you want to write a 1,000-page epic fantasy novel. I love it. Go for it. 200 sessions from now, you might be done. You’re going to learn the power of perseverance and self-discipline, and you’ll be able to apply it everywhere in your life. Maybe you want to write a love poem for your partner. Really have it mean something. Go way beyond roses are red and violets are blue. You’re going to learn the power of intimacy and acknowledgement and connection. Maybe you want to work through a breakup by finger painting, just to let it out. It’s all valid.
Here’s the thing. Whatever you choose, whatever you choose to do, whatever that intention you set, just honor it. Don’t change the finish line halfway through the race. Trust the process.
Step Six: Access Authenticity
When you first sit down to create, you will more than likely be mimicking those whose work has inspired you. You will wonder if it feels derivative, unoriginal, maybe boring. Everyone starts there, but I promise you, if you agree to engage with your creativity with consistency, consistency, your authentic voice will emerge. Your deeper truths will reveal themselves.
Most importantly, take a few minutes at the end of every session to review your work. Don’t compare it. Don’t criticize it. Instead, get curious. Ask of all the things I could have created, why this? What am I working through? What is my subconscious trying to tell me? And moreover, does it feel true? That’s where the gold is. Not in what others think, but in what you can learn about yourself through engaging with your creative voice. There is no greater way to discover who you are and why you’re here.
Conclusion: Excavate Your Gold
See, I don’t want you to look back on your life and wish you should have spoken up more, loved bigger, shared with more vulnerability and courage, fostered deeper connections with others. If you’re looking to discover your deepest truths, it starts with engaging with your creativity. So sing your song, snap that photo, paint that picture, write that story, excavate that gold inside of you, and let it out. Thank you.
