Nihilism, Agency, & Creative Work

If an aspect of your creative work isn’t going well, it can be tempting to think it’s solvable. We might see our work as a system, with a set of tools and a process for fixing issues. Or we can even see it as a machine and the same thing applies—there are schematics, processes, and visible steps toward fixing whatever’s not working.But here in the Gifted Underachievers clubhouse, it’s becoming apparent that we operate in something more complicated than a system or a machine. We ask: Is it true that rules can be followed and problems “fixed”? Does it serve us? Not really. Sometimes it leads to analysis paralysis, random ineffectual actions, or even worse, the belief that a malign force is keeping us from achieving what we want to achieve.As James says, “Agency cannot exist in the presence of nihilism. Nihilism cannot exist in the presence of agency. Yet both are in constant states of existence and pushing against each other within a much larger unknown that is not here to serve or deny us—it is merely here.”Climb up into the Gifted Underachiever tower of ontology and let’s smoke our philosophical pipes as we puzzle this out. 😀 Questions for Listeners:* What’s your position on the agency / nihilism front?* Do you think there’s more to the world than humans can perceive?* Pat says, “Ease up.” Bad advice, or good?Buy us a Coffee and Win a GuideHere in the GU Clubhouse, we’ve gleaned and gathered incredible wisdom from our creative guests, whom we fondly call the Gifted Achievers. We’re putting this wisdom into a series of handy guides so listeners can study how to make a good living doing what you love. Click the coffee cup below and you’re on the list! The first 20 coffee angels will get a free guide!For Further Exploration:The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy explains Nihilism: https://iep.utm.edu/nihilism/Excellent 8-minute video on the universe and Optimistic Nihilism by KurzgesagtThanks for listening to Gifted Underachievers! This post is public so feel free to share it.If you’re not already a subscriber, we’d love to have you in the GU Clubhouse! No spam, unsubscribe anytime. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit giftedunderachievers.substack.com