Stop Creating FOR Your Art. Start Creating FOR People. | Bill Wade

Bill Wade has spent 40 years using dance to transform lives — from inner city kids in Cleveland, Ohio to stages across America, including the White House. As the founder and executive artistic director of Inlet Dance Theatre, Bill has built something rare: a professional contemporary dance company whose entire philosophy is built around one idea — using art to serve people, not the other way around.In this episode of The Creative Odyssey Podcast, host Sheran Ranasinghe sits down with Bill for a conversation that will challenge how you think about your creativity, your calling, and what your work is actually for.Bill shares how growing up rough and finding dance changed the entire direction of his life. How working with inner city youth at Cleveland School of the Arts — watching kids quit gangs, go from D's and F's to earning scholarships, and get accepted to Juilliard — taught him that creativity is the most powerful tool for human transformation. And how the moment he stopped creating for his art form and started creating for the people in front of him, everything changed.This is a conversation about ego, about what it means to truly serve your audience, about using human-centered design thinking as a creative framework, and about why the business of art is just another form of choreography.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: — Why ego is the single biggest block to creative impact — How to "asset map" your life to understand your creative calling — Why the best art is built with the audience, not just for them — How Bill thinks about the business of running a dance company as an act of artistry — What to do when you feel completely stuck creativelyABOUT BILL WADE: Bill Wade is the founder and executive artistic director of Inlet Dance Theatre, a professional contemporary dance company based in Cleveland, Ohio. Celebrating its 25th anniversary season, Inlet is nationally recognized for its work in dance education, community engagement, and touring productions. Bill's show "What Do You Do With an Idea?" — based on the book by Kobi Yamada — has completed an 8-year national tour. He is currently developing the second production in the series, "What Do You Do With the Problem?"Connect with Bill: Instagram: @billwade Inlet Dance Theatre: @inletdance Website: www.inletdancetheatre.orgABOUT THE CREATIVE ODYSSEY PODCAST: The Creative Odyssey is a podcast about the journey every creative person goes through — what it looks like, why it matters, and why you should create too. Hosted by Sheran Ranasinghe and filmed at Future Ink Graphics in Cleveland, Ohio.Follow the show: @thecreativeodysseypodcast Filmed at Future Ink Graphics: @futurinkgraphics Sponsored by FIG / Future Ink Graphics Produced by Odyssey House Media: @odysseyhousemediaSend Us A Message! We'd love to hear your thoughts!Support the show