Meditation: A Practice Artists Can’t Afford Not to Do, with David Gerken
Joining us on the show today is writer and meditation advocate David Gerken. He is a multidimensional human being who has gone from working as a legislative assistant and lobbyist to becoming a writer for The West Wing in LA. After going through an intensely stressful period in his life, he discovered the empowering practice of meditation and has since been fervent in communicating his knowledge with others. Being a pragmatist, David believes that meditation is not applicable only to hippies and certain elite groups, but instead claims that people of all backgrounds can reap from its many benefits. Meditating is not difficult, he says, and it does not have to take more than five to fifteen minutes a day, and therefore a busy schedule should not thwart you from getting into this life-changing habit. In fact, David argues that meditation gives back exponentially more than the little it takes: it gets you focused and living in the present moment, improving the quality of every single aspect of your life. Be sure to tune in for this awesome conversation with someone who can help you turn down that inner noise.
New Book By Katie Love
From Cult To Comedy, A Memoir, by Katie Love
![Author Katie Love: The Comedian Turning Heartbreak Into Humor [Podcast] cover](https://notrealart.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/KatieLove_TwoTickets_3480e51b580ddab4420c3075f139bc39_2000-400x209.jpg)
The year is 1970. The horror soap opera “Dark Shadows” is all the rage, the Vietnam War is raging and nine-year-old Katie, an imaginative and independent latch-key kid, comes home from school to discover her mother’s suicide.
Taken in by her older sister who has recently become a Jehovah’s Witness, Katie is shown an illustration from a bible picture book featuring wild animals peacefully lounging by a pool of water, surrounded by happy people picking fruit. An enticing offer is made: “Katie, this is Paradise. Do you want to see Mom again, happy and living forever? All you have to do is follow all of Jehovah’s commandments and you can be with Mom again.”
Mom happy and living forever? Two tickets to Paradise, please!
So begins Katie’s zealous quest to attain perfection and entrance into a utopian world which promises peace, love, and happiness. She discovers a much darker world. “Two Tickets to Paradise, from Cult to Comedy” tells the hilarious and heartbreaking story of an earnest, bible-toting kid intent on saving the world, and follows her metamorphosis into a boisterous comedian intent on saving herself through the healing powers of humor.
Key Points From This Episode:
• Going from working in law in Washington to writing in LA and how the two fields came together with The West Wing.
• His thought processes around creating conflict and tragedy for the characters in the series.
• The role that tennis played in his career and getting connected with key people.
• How he got into the practice of meditation and into the world of mindfulness.
• The importance of meditating on a regular basis and how it transforms all facets of your life.
• Why meditation is so important for artists who often struggle with negative internal dialogue.
• Accessing the conscious self and being present as the foundation of focus.
• How our values changed with capitalism and the development of the economy.
• Focusing on doing your best in the moment and learning to trust in life.
• The importance of becoming still in order to hear the voice of your intuition.
• The stigma that exists around meditation and why it is for everyone, regardless of religious orientation.
• Why every solution is inside of you and learning to stop blaming external circumstances.
• The different factors that drive human behavior and the role of our environment.
• More about his book and David’s everyday approach to meditation and moderation.
• The role of religion, morality and values and why you have to listen to yourself.
• And much more!
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
David Gerken — http://www.davidgerken.net/
The West Wing — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0200276/
Eckhart Tolle — https://www.eckharttolle.com/
Joseph Goldstein — https://www.dharma.org/teacher/joseph-goldstein/
Tara Brach — https://www.tarabrach.com/
Michael Singer — https://untetheredsoul.com/
Pablo Picasso — https://www.pablopicasso.org/
Bob Dylan — http://www.bobdylan.com/
The Last Kingdom on Netflix — https://www.netflix.com/za/title/80074249
Jeff Bezos on Twitter — https://twitter.com/JeffBezos?ref_src
Bhagavad Gita — https://www.ancient.eu/Bhagavad_Gita/
The Prophet on Amazon — https://www.amazon.com/Prophet-Borzoi-Book-Kahlil-Gibran/dp/0394404289/
Man One — http://www.manone.com/
Man One on Twitter — https://twitter.com/ManOneArt
Scott “Sourdough” Power — https://www.instagram.com/sourdoughpower/
Not Real Art Conference — https://www.notrealartconference.com/
Not Real Art on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/notrealartofficial/
