Amanda Palmer on Creativity, Pain, and Art

"I'm just so fundamentally optimistic, and I barrel forth in life with this attitude that everything is going to be absolutely fine and go my way." — Amanda Palmer Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer) is a singer, songwriter, playwright, pianist, author, director, blogger, and ukulele enthusiast who simultaneously embraces and explodes traditional frameworks of music, theatre, and art. She first came to prominence as one half of the Boston-based punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls, earning global applause for their inventive songcraft and wide-ranging theatricality. Palmer released her new solo piano album and accompanying book of photographs and essays, There Will Be No Intermission, on March 8, 2019, followed by a global tour. Recorded in late 2018 with grammy-winning Theatre Is Evil producer/engineer John Congleton at the helm, the album is a masterwork that includes life, death, abortion, and miscarriage among its tentpole themes. Please enjoy! Intro [00:00] A favorite book tied to Amanda’s arrest outside an Adelaide Woolworths [00:15] Her current book obsession, knowledge, understanding, compassion, and sleep [07:56] Amanda's most personal project to date [13:20] A metric for success [15:16] How baring one’s pain and vulnerability can be a generous act [15:55] “Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. This performance will last seven years.” [20:08] Amanda’s mentor and mourning his passing [22:40] Amanda takes us through her heartbreaking—and empowering—Christmas miscarriage. [33:53] Why people—women, especially—should be encouraged to talk more openly about trauma, loss, and grief [44:55] “What are you unwilling to feel?” Amanda’s early fear and current Achilles’ heel [47:09] The first time Amanda remembers feeling not okay and a fear of feeling unbelieved [53:41] The “tyrannical and destructive” myth of pain being necessary to the creative process [58:00] Understanding and harnessing one’s pain to make it useful to others, the pain of childbirth and the pain of imminent danger, pain as a metaphor for our society [1:04:47] What we risk pain becoming our primary motivator [1:10:19] Risks of marginalizing others’ pain + shame-free pain for cultural cohesion [1:12:05] What is the knock-on effect? [1:21:25] How has moving to a fan-supported model changed Amanda and her art? [1:22:36] How crowdfunding became Amanda’s ideal business model [1:27:58] An incredible crowdfunding success story [1:29:26] What Amanda especially likes about her community at Patreon [1:31:12] How everyone wins with crowdfunding [1:33:41] How you can support Amanda’s efforts and offerings in the Palmerverse. [1:36:05] ### This podcast is brought to you by Peloton, which has become a staple of my daily routine. I picked up this bike after seeing the success of my friend Kevin Rose, and I've been enjoying it more than I ever imagined. Peloton is offering listeners to this show a special offer. Visit onepeloton.com and enter the code TIM at checkout to receive $100 off accessories with your Peloton bike purchase. This is a great way to get in your workouts, or an incredible gift. Again, that's onepeloton.com and enter the code TIM. ### This episode is also brought to you by LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, the go-to tool for B2B marketers and advertisers who want to drive brand awareness, generate leads, or build long-term relationships that result in real business impact. With a community of more than 575 million professionals, LinkedIn is gigantic, but it can be hyper-specific. LinkedIn has the marketing tools to help you target your customers with precision, right down to job title, company name, industry, etc. Why spray and pray with your marketing dollars when you can be surgical? To redeem your free $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to LinkedIn.com/TFS! SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/1dSzTkW About Tim Ferriss: Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 300 million downloads and been selected for “Best of iTunes” three years running. Connect with Tim Ferriss: Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-1/ Visit the Tim Ferriss PODCAST: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss BLOG: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on TWITTER:   / tferriss   Follow Tim Ferriss on INSTAGRAM:   / timferriss   Like Tim Ferriss on FACEBOOK:   / timferriss