Thanks for the links, but just a note. The thesis of being alone is not enough to be creative in this day and age. As advice, it worked quite well before the advent of modern technology, so the oft-quoted works on solitude from Nietzsche, Jung, etc. just don’t mention a state of being that was quite commonplace at the time, but has practically disappeared: the long hours of contemplation, which for the modern philosopher Byung-Chul Han are the crucial component of creativity; it can only express itself when we’re steeped in boredom and non-activity for a long enough time. We have completely eliminated it in the past 100 years with radio, TV and now by staring at our screens all day, to work, and to “relax.” We do not contemplate the world anymore, we do not let ourselves be spontaneously creative.
I recommend Byung-Chul Han’s books The Burnout Society and Vita contemplativa: In praise of inactivity for a short but deep dive into this aspect we’re rapidly losing.
(I have just finished reading both books and I quite enjoyed the main thesis, though thick with philosophical discourse at times. Thankfully, they are quite short, not even reaching 100 pages so they don’t overstay their welcome)
Thanks for the recommendations and I agree completely.
There's some hope, we can get better at this even in small ways by carving out pockets of time away from phones and notifications and other external distractions and inputs.
I recommend Byung-Chul Han’s books The Burnout Society and Vita contemplativa: In praise of inactivity for a short but deep dive into this aspect we’re rapidly losing.
(I have just finished reading both books and I quite enjoyed the main thesis, though thick with philosophical discourse at times. Thankfully, they are quite short, not even reaching 100 pages so they don’t overstay their welcome)