Ep. 38 David Beatty on Expansion and Connection

“Jupiter has no leisure to attend to little things.” —OvidThis week, I’m joined by my friend David Beatty—actor, filmmaker, playwright, and someone who embodies what the alchemists called the Jupiterian spirit: expansive, generous, and unafraid to work across multiple creative realms. We sat down to talk about David’s creative (spiritual) process and explore the concept of JUPITER in alchemy—the principle of growth, wisdom, and abundance. Now we didn’t plan this, but we happened to record on the exact day the planet Jupiter was closest to Earth, brilliant and visible in the night sky. Jupiter is about expansion, as you’ll hear. And with two caffeinated ENFPs in conversation... everything is a little EXTRA. (That’s what the E is for!)I am moving this episode up in the queue because the killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent shook the country a few days before we recorded and it felt disingenuous not to acknowledge her—or this moment in our country. What emerged in our conversation—about connection, about how to be an artist in times of grief and great change, about bringing more good things into our communities when the world feels heavy—all of this feels urgent to remember right now. This is an episode about how we show up, how we co-create, how we stay human.Support independent film and theatre (and ceramics): See more about David and his diverse projects and films on his website. If you feel you can’t afford it, start your own circle of stories right where you are.Readers, here is your personal permission for quality human connection, starting right where you are. If you yearn for more of that, please invest in live performance in your areas/communities. (At the very least, it will be entertaining! At best, cathartic.)Creating a Life Worth Living by Carol Lloyd was the artwork he brought in to share, which is funny because he didn’t talk about the book he wrote and published about creativity himself! Check out (and purchase) An Actor’s Process here.Here is my picture of Renee Nicole Good that we discuss a bit…and another of Breonna Taylor.Other books mentioned: Long Story Short,by Margot Leitman The Creative Act by Rick Rubin, and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.Prefer to watch video? (You can subscribe to my slowly-evolving YouTube channel below.)For more of my artwork and offerings, please visit my website: www.allisonadams.netThanks for reading, listening, sharing, supporting, subscribing, etc. I appreciate you! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artandalchemylab.substack.com/subscribe