What is Matthew Walker's 'Why We Sleep' book about, and why does Amanda Palmer recommend it?

Matthew Walker's 'Why We Sleep' is a collection of sleep studies that delves into why humans and other mammals sleep, and the consequences of sleep deprivation. Amanda Palmer highly recommends it, describing it as 'seismic' and 'life-altering' because it reveals crucial, often overlooked, knowledge about physical and mental health related to sleep.

How does Amanda Palmer measure the success of her new, intensely personal record?

Amanda Palmer measures the success of her new record not by numbers or critical reviews, but by the 'number of human beings crying' when they hear or see her perform it. This metric, she explains, is far more satisfying and indicates a deep connection with her audience.

What was the most difficult personal experience Amanda Palmer recounted from the past seven years?

Amanda Palmer stated that the most difficult experience was the death of her mentor, Anthony, to a rare form of leukemia. She described their unique relationship and the profound impact of witnessing his decline and eventual passing, especially as she was seven months pregnant at the time.

How did Amanda Palmer cope with her miscarriage during Christmas?

After discovering her baby had no heartbeat just before Christmas, Amanda Palmer chose to go alone to a yoga hotel, Kripalu, for self-care. There, a massage therapist, who had also experienced a miscarriage, helped her induce labor. Amanda then deliberately experienced her miscarriage alone, feeling a profound sense of power and self-reliance, rather than seeking medical intervention in a hospital.

Why does Amanda Palmer believe the myth that artists need pain to create is destructive?

Amanda Palmer believes the myth that artists need to suffer for their art is 'tyrannical and destructive.' She argues that while pain can be a starting point, it's not a sustainable or necessary condition for creation. She emphasizes that artists should be cared for like any other valuable cultural tool, and healing doesn't diminish artistic capability.

How has a fan-supported model, like Patreon, changed Amanda Palmer's art and life?

Moving to a fan-supported model, specifically Patreon, has been 'disorientingly liberating' for Amanda Palmer. It removed the constant pressure of marketing and selling her art, allowing her to focus purely on creation. This financial predictability and unconditional support from her patrons have enabled her to make her most raw and unedited, 'medicinal' record to date.

What is the core idea of Amanda Palmer's upcoming podcast?

Amanda Palmer's upcoming podcast, 'The Art of Asking Everything,' will focus on conversations with artists and people from various fields about 'process' and 'asking.' She aims to explore how people do what they do, inviting guests like neuroscientists and social scientists to share interesting insights.

Key Moments

Amanda Palmer on Creativity, Pain, and Art

Tim Ferriss

Howto & Style6 min read102 min video

Apr 18, 2019|94,707 views|2,115|215

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Amanda Palmer discusses creativity, vulnerability, loss, and the power of fan support.

Key Insights

Zen Buddhism, particularly non-attachment, profoundly influenced Palmer's response to a shoplifting arrest in Australia.

'Why We Sleep' by Matthew Walker is a life-altering book that highlights the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation.

Palmer measures artistic success by the emotional impact on listeners (crying) rather than traditional metrics.

Sharing personal pain, such as abortion and miscarriage, can be a generous act that validates others' experiences.

A fan-supported model (Patreon) provides artistic freedom by decoupling art creation from the pressure of immediate financial validation.

The biggest artistic and personal hurdle is often the fear of being unloved or disbelieved, a fear rooted in early childhood experiences.

THE IMPACT OF ZEN AND NON-ATTACHMENT

Amanda Palmer shared a pivotal experience from her early twenties in Australia. While street performing and reading "Dropping Ashes on the Buddha," she was unexpectedly arrested for shoplifting. The lessons of Zen Buddhism, particularly non-attachment and accepting what is, flooded her mind, allowing her to respond to the police with apology and understanding rather than defensiveness. This incident, catalyzed by the book gifted by her mentor Anthony, marked a significant personal transformation. She likens the Jedi lessons from Star Wars to Zen principles, emphasizing the power of not being attached to outcomes and finding inner strength, which profoundly shaped her perspective.

SLEEP AS A REVOLUTIONARY DISCOVERY

Palmer expressed intense enthusiasm for Matthew Walker's "Why We Sleep," describing it as a "seismic life-altering" book. She views the information on sleep science as a profound revelation, akin to waking from a bad dream. The book, filled with sleep studies and insights into mammalian sleep patterns, has physically and mentally changed her daily life. Palmer's belief in its importance is evident as she has purchased multiple copies to share, feeling it addresses a fundamental, yet often overlooked, aspect of human well-being that has been neglected, impacting mental, emotional, and physical health.

VULNERABILITY AS ARTISTIC METRIC

Discussing her latest album, Palmer revealed her new metric for success: the number of people who cry while listening to her music. This contrasts with traditional critical reviews or sales figures. She has observed that her most personal and vulnerable work, addressing topics like death, abortion, and miscarriage, has led to profound interview experiences. Journalists have shared their own deeply personal stories of loss and resilience, creating a powerful connection. This exchange signifies a shift from superficial album promotion to a genuine human connection, validating her artistic choices.

THE POWER OF SHARING SCARS

Palmer views sharing personal pain and "scars," whether physical or emotional, as a generative and generous act. She recounted a powerful interview with a German journalist who, after undergoing a double mastectomy, described the experience with a surprising sense of "fun." This perspective highlights how baring one's vulnerabilities, like discussing grief, abortions, or miscarriages, can serve as a reminder to others that their own shame might be unwarranted. By modeling resilience and openness, artists can offer a gift of permission, allowing others to process their own experiences without shame.

NAVIGATING GRIEF AND LOSS

The death of her mentor, Anthony, was the most difficult loss Palmer has experienced. Their relationship, spanning from childhood neighbor to confidant, was foundational. She described nursing him through a rare form of leukemia, witnessing his personality change under heavy steroid treatment, and experiencing his death. In the midst of this, she was also pregnant and had an abortion. The day after Anthony's death, she experienced a profound sense of peace and natural grief. This experience, along with her miscarriage on Christmas night, revealed to her a deep societal deficiency in discussing and normalizing these natural, albeit painful, human experiences.

MISCARRIAGE AS A TRANSFORMATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Palmer detailed her personal experience with miscarriage, highlighting the profound emotional and physical journey. She initially felt a deep certainty that everything would be fine, even as a midwife gently delivered the news of no heartbeat. The experience shifted her perspective, making her question if it would make her bitter. Facing labor alone on Christmas night at a yoga retreat, she chose to endure the miscarriage naturally, finding immense power and a sense of being equipped to handle it. This contrasted with the societal narrative around reproductive issues, revealing a lack of education and empowerment for women.

THE UNWILLINGNESS TO FEEL AND ARTISTIC CREATION

Palmer identified her deepest fear as a fear of being unloved, a sensitivity she traces back to a childhood incident where her parents disbelieved her after a fall. This fuels her drive for connection and often manifests in her artistic pursuits. She addressed the myth that artists need to maintain their pain for creative output, arguing that healing doesn't destroy art but can transform it. She believes that artists can use their pain without letting it use them, akin to stepping outside a washing machine to gain perspective, allowing for conscious shaping and sharing of those experiences.

THE POWER OF FAN-SUPPORTED ART

Transitioning to a fan-supported model like Patreon has been profoundly liberating for Palmer. It allows her to decouple the artistic process from the constant pressure of marketing and selling her work. This model provides financial predictability and fosters a sense of direct connection and unconditional support from her community. She views this relationship as a vital safety net, enabling her to create raw, unedited, and personal art without being hindered by typical industry gatekeepers or commercial pressures, viewing it as a significant evolution in artistic freedom and sustainability.

ARTISTIC EVOLUTION AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Palmer elaborated on the evolution of fan support, from early Kickstarter campaigns to the sustained model of Patreon. She emphasized that the platform itself is less important than the human capacity for mutual support and appreciation of art. Her patrons, she explained, are not just buying a product but supporting the artist's voice and existence. This unconditional acceptance allows her and other artists immense freedom. She noted that her latest album, selling for as little as a dollar on Bandcamp, is made possible by the financial backing of her patrons who enable her to make her art accessible without compromising its quality or her sustainability.

EMBRACING PAIN AND ACCEPTANCE VS. FETISHIZATION

Palmer discussed the complex relationship with pain, distinguishing between experiencing it constructively and fetishizing it. She contrasted the instinct to suppress pain with artists who romanticize it, suggesting that the latter might be avoiding other, less familiar emotions. She drew an analogy to childbirth, where the pain, while intense, is not a signal of danger but a process of creation. This perspective highlights how society often promotes numbing pain or, conversely, uses it as a badge of honor or creative fuel, rather than understanding its message and integrating it healthily. Radical acceptance is presented as a key to navigating these complex emotional landscapes.

FEMALE STRENGTH IN THE FACE OF REPRODUCTION

Reflecting on her miscarriage experience, Palmer recognized a unique and often unacknowledged strength in women. While male narratives often focus on war and physical combat, she highlighted the profound, visceral fortitude required to navigate the reproductive challenges of life, such as childbirth, stillbirths, and miscarriages. She argued that these experiences, deeply embodied and often difficult, represent a form of "badass" resilience that has been historically sidelined. The disempowerment of women in these narratives, often by external medical or societal control, hinders recognition of this intrinsic strength.

THE PARADOX OF VULNERABILITY AND POWER

Palmer underscored the central theme that vulnerability is a source of immense power. Despite societal messaging that emphasizes toughness and self-protection, she has found through consistent practice that embracing vulnerability leads to profound connection and bounty. Sharing personal struggles, whether suicidal thoughts, abortions, or fears, creates an opening for authentic human exchange. This challenges the cultural narrative that vulnerability is a weakness, asserting instead that the "knock-on effect" of genuine openness, far from leading to ridicule or rejection, fosters immense positive connection and support, a lesson she has learned through repeated practice and experience.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Software & Apps

●Companies

●Organizations

●Books

●People Referenced

Common Questions

Amanda Palmer considers 'Dropping Ashes on the Buddha' by Korean Zen monk Seung Sahn to be a pivotal book she read at 24, which introduced her to Zen Buddhist principles of non-attachment and sitting with 'what is.' This book was given to her by her mentor, Anthony, and profoundly influenced how she navigated a shoplifting arrest in Australia.

Topics

Mindset & Self-Improvement Mental Health & Psychology Creativity & Media Grief Processing Fan Art Patronage Zen Buddhism Principles Sleep Science Miscarriage Experience Artist Empowerment Cultural Narratives

Mentioned in this video

Software & Apps

Woolworths

A store where Amanda Palmer purchased items and inadvertently took a wig cap, leading to her arrest.

Kickstarter

A crowdfunding platform that Amanda Palmer used as an independent artist, a model she transitioned from to Patreon, but which helped pave the way for fan support.

People

Matthew Walker

A sleep scientist and author of 'Why We Sleep,' whose research and insights on sleep have profoundly impacted Amanda Palmer's daily life.

Adam Gazzaley

A neuroscientist from UCSF, known for his skepticism, whose glowing review on the back of 'Why We Sleep' lent credibility to the book for Tim Ferriss.

Neil Gaiman

Amanda Palmer's husband, a celebrated author, who reads the intro to her stage show and whose own work is seen as a way of exploring personal themes.

Tara Brach

An author of 'Radical Acceptance,' mentioned by Tim Ferriss for her work on embracing emotions, referenced for her wisdom on what people are unwilling to feel.

David Eagleman

A neuroscientist Amanda Palmer plans to interview for her upcoming podcast 'The Art of Asking Everything.'

Books

Alice in Wonderland

A classic story, for which Wendy Ice's husband created an illustrated version that was crowdfunded through Kickstarter.

Radical Acceptance

A book by Tara Brach about embracing emotions rather than suppressing them, recommended by Tim Ferriss as a powerful resource, particularly for those who romanticize pain.

Why We Sleep

A book by Matthew Walker that Amanda Palmer is 'obsessed with' and calls 'seismic' and 'life-altering,' leading her to buy a dozen copies to share with loved ones.

The Art of Asking

A book by Amanda Palmer where she recounts her earliest memory of feeling disbelieved after falling down stairs as a child.

Locations

Boston

The city where Amanda Palmer lived and moved back to with Neil Gaiman to nurse her dying friend Anthony.

Australia

The country where Amanda Palmer, as a street performer, had a difficult but catalyzing trip, during which she was arrested for shoplifting.

Companies

Patreon

Amanda Palmer's current fan-supported model, which she describes as 'disorientingly liberating' because it frees her from marketing concerns and provides predictable income.

Twitter

Amanda Palmer's preferred social media platform for responding and discussing with her audience.

Facebook

A social media platform Amanda Palmer mentions she is trying to 'wean herself from,' indicating a negative sentiment.

Organizations

Planned Parenthood

An organization whose representatives Amanda Palmer plans to interview for her podcast, indicating a focus on health and societal topics.

Media

TED Talk

A platform where Amanda Palmer shared the story of her living statue character, the 'Eight-Foot Bride,' and an incident she recounts from her early career.

Star Wars

A film series whose Jedi lessons, particularly from Yoda, are likened by Amanda Palmer to the teachings of Zen Buddhism, emphasizing non-attachment.