Mushrooms, Memes, & Meaning | James McCrae on Creativity, Purpose, & Being Human

Have a question or comment? Send it to Kristin! What happens when you’ve gotten pretty damn good at achieving but start wondering if success and fulfillment are actually the same thing? I sit down with James McCrae, poet, author, viral creator, creative entrepreneur, and former Madison Avenue brand strategis, to talk creativity, purpose, psychedelics, spirituality, and what it means to become a little more human in a world obsessed with optimization.  We get into mushrooms in Central Park, ayahuasca, creativity as therapy, trusting the muse, spirituality without the dogma, and whether our best ideas come from us or through us. James also shares how losing his advertising job helped launch his creative career, his take on AI as assistant rather than artist, and the wild story behind Instructions Before Visiting Earth—the poem that unexpectedly reached more than 100 million people and is becoming a full poetry collection in 2027.  Plus: ego death vs. orgasm, the best drug for creativity, aliens, dance-floor salvation, and one of my favorite ideas from the episode: Maybe being human is the next enlightenment. Instructions for Visiting Earth Poem  Connect with James: Website: https://www.jamesmccrae.com/ Substack: https://substack.com/@jamesmccrae IG: @wordsarevibrations Sunflower Club: @sunflower.club.creative Support the show Connect with Kristin: Website: kristinbirdwell.com Instagram: @kristinbirdwell_ Facebook YouTube Kristin’s Book: Sex, Drugs, & Soul Spotify Audiobook Peptides: Oral Quicksilver GHK/Copper Peptide https://elliemd.com/kristinbirdwell Microdose 🍄 https://myfeelium.co/ password: opensesame Code: kristin20 for 20% off Subscribe to Pod: YouTube Spotify Apple