My guest, Dr. Chris Earnshaw, has such a wide portfolio of creative pursuits:
- BA in Japanese and Chinese from London University, S.O.A.S.
- PhD in neuroscience and CEO of a medical device manufacturer, living in Tokyo, Japan - amateur cellist.
- Lecturer at the School of Social Sciences, Waseda University, Tokyo
- Former Professor of Asian Studies, Daito Bunka University, Tokyo
- BioMagnet therapist helping people living with Parkinsonism have a better QoL
- Past Grand Historian and 33° Freemason
- Author of books on pharmaceuticals, Tarot, Japanese art and Freemasonry;
- neuroscientist;
- cellist;
- Cordon Bleu licensed cook
Chris says, "I help run an organization that is 300 years old, but is always reinventing itself: Freemasonry. Our vision is to spread Light, and to teach “a system of morality,” but the bottom line is that we make “good men better,” by getting involved with their communities, charitable work, and education.
About Chris: "I have written extensively on the relationship between Freemasonry and spirituality - my four books are in a series titled 'Spiritual Freemasonry.' Freemasons are a select community of people who are truth seekers, and yet at the same time devote time and money to support charities around the world."
Dr. Earnshaw’s curious mind is his driving force. He is not content getting answers given to him by someone else but he prefers feeding his own curiosity of wanting to know and understand things at a deeper level.
While at University, Dr. Earnshaw studied Japanese, Chinese and ancient Chinese literature with a focus on philosophers such as Confucius, Menzies, and Lao Tzu. The in-depth knowledge of these philosophers, and others like Menzie, Edgar Cayce, Bruno Groaning, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Have inspired his creativity. Coming from a freemason practice and having lived and traveled to China, since his retirement 8 years ago, Dr.Earnshaw has completed his quadrology on Freemasonry called Freemasonry initiation by light, which he writes four books from the angle of Freemason is based on Chinese Daoism.
According to Dr.Earnshaw, creativity doesn’t stem from one part of the brain, the brain has no demarcation. The brain is like the Chinese ying-yang symbol, they look like two fishes, one's black and one's white and they're connected, but inside the black, there's a little circle of white, and inside the white, there's a circle of black.
Dr. Earnshaw’s creative writing process look like when writing this book -He first jots down his thoughts and ideas on paper, then he uses Microsoft word to put his written words into an electronic format which enables him to restructure, and arrange the information chronologically acceptable, which translate into a book.
You may wonder how Dr. Earnshaw solves any creative challenges he comes across. He recommends: Stimulating or studying or thinking about a problem in-depth for at least an hour, a maximum of two hours, and then let it go and then going for a walk. You will find while you're walking, all sorts of ideas, pop into your mind.
In conclusion, In your creative space, whether it’s in the middle of the day or at 3 am in the morning, the creative brain is able to put you in a state of flow. Don’t fight it, just embrace it, because that’s when your inspiration is being delivered to you.
Dr. Earnshaw’s Book:Freemasonry Initiation by light
Chris Earnshaw Website: Chris-earnshaw.com
Twitter: @authorearnshaw
YouTube: Spiritual Freemasonry