The Quiet Life with Susan Cain

The Quiet Life with Susan Cain

Share this post

The Quiet Life with Susan Cain
The Quiet Life with Susan Cain
How to turn the "pain you can't get rid of" into creativity
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More

How to turn the "pain you can't get rid of" into creativity

Plus: Are creativity and melancholy mysterious twins? What does the science say?

Susan Cain's avatar
Susan Cain
Apr 28, 2025
∙ Paid
142

Share this post

The Quiet Life with Susan Cain
The Quiet Life with Susan Cain
How to turn the "pain you can't get rid of" into creativity
Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More
45
12
Share
Image
Image by @LovAndFear on X

“Whatever pain you can’t get rid of, make it your creative offering.”

I first wrote about this idea in BITTERSWEET—the notion that your heartache can become the fuel for your creativity, your deepest work, your connection to others.

But how, exactly, does this transformation happen? Why have some of the greatest artists, poets, and thinkers been touched by melancholy? And might your own blue states of mind hold this power too?

Today, I’d like to share eight ways to turn pain into creativity (whether or not you happen to have artistic talents) — plus, what ancient philosophers and modern scientists have discovered about the bittersweet nature of art. (I’ll also tell you what the great musicians Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen have known, all along.)

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Susan Cain
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Copy link
Facebook
Email
Notes
More