Maggie Smith on self trust, moving beyond scarcity, and name-brand cereal.

What if the messiness of life isn’t an obstacle to making art, but the very material itself? In this reissued conversation from our archives, we sit down with New York Times bestselling poet and author Maggie Smith (Good Bones, Dear Writer). Together, we explore what happens when you dismantle the dividing wall between art and everyday life, the discipline of staying in solitude rather than catering to an audience, and how learning to trust your own instincts becomes the ultimate safety net for a sustainable creative life.

In This Episode:

• Maggie Smith
• “Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life”
• “My Thoughts Have Wings”
• "For Dear Life" - Maggie's Substack
• Lucinda Williams
• Joan Didion - The Center Will Not Hold documentary
• Jane Goodall
• “Good Bones”
• Jim Carrey commencement speech
• Tara Brach
• Stanley Plumly

Go Deeper:

• Watch: View this entire conversation on YouTube.
• Explore: Find similar conversations in these themed playlists.
• Connect: Join the conversation on Instagram.

The Hosts:

The Other 22 Hours is hosted by Aaron Shafer-Haiss (Producer/Mixer) and Michaela Anne (Songwriter/Creative Coach).

• More about Aaron’s work.
• More about Michaela Anne’s work.

Credits: 

Produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Original music written, performed and produced by Aaron Shafer-Haiss. Part of the Bluegrass Situation Podcast Network.