Climate, Renewable Energy and Creativity

Creative Virtuous Cycles, Part 2

Hey y’all, Josh here again. In the last post I defended the idea the creativity makes us better strategic thinkers, analysts, and communicators at work. Now I want to zoom in to my own work on renewable energy. By day, I help some of the world’s biggest companies decarbonize by increasing their renewable energy purchases, particularly in dirty power grids in Asia. In my personal time, I help make Messier, write songs, and get my mini-C creativity on at every opportunity. 

Am I living a double life? Or is it all part of the same mental space? I prefer the latter explanation. Here’re four ways that my renewable energy life overlaps with my creative life:

1.     Problem Solving is Always Creative: I can’t tell you how many times someone has said to me “I don’t have a creative bone in my body” and then do something creative (solve a problem, make a joke) in the next breath. I create constantly in my day job.

2.     The Pleasures of Flow State: I enjoy a very similar flow state in building a financial model to what I feel when writing a song or drawing. It’s no coincidence it’s called a “model” – you’re building something new, not unlike when my daughter recently built a cardboard dollhouse from scratch.

3.     Working in Community Feels Great: One of the things I love about the company I work at is critical mass of incredibly smart people working on climate and renewable energy. It just feels like I’m among my people. And one of the great pleasures of playing in a band or using a shared artmaking space is the sense of community. 

4.     Survival is at Stake: Saving the heaviest for last here…I believe being creative, especially in ways that engage with other people and encourage them to express themselves, is inherently virtuous and flat out necessary for survival. It’s us doing one of the most essential and best things humans do. Bob Dylan says “Those not busy being born are busy dying.” To me, creativity is the act of continual rebirth. And (though you may not all agree!) I think it’s pretty clear that adding more renewable energy to the world is a necessary thing. To me, both activities feel essential to our species’ survival. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how your creative life intersects with your day job, so please add your thoughts in the comments!