The Power of a Shared Meal

Weekly wisdom to level up your creative life in 3 minutes, for free.

A SHORT STORY

After spending the past week eating incredible Mexican food on the border of the U.S. and Mexico, I’ve been reflecting on the power of sharing a meal with someone. This notion is something I learned early in my twenties through the inspiring artist André Gregory.

André Gregory was known for his remarkable ability to ignite inspiration in others. He gained fame for his 1981 film, My Dinner with André, where he sat down with his close friend Wallace Shawn and shared transformative wisdom drawn from his life experiences.

I vividly recall one story he shared with me about meeting the legendary director Jerzy Grotowski. André recounted, “A friend advised me to go to France to see Grotowski, so I went.” I asked him, “You just went? What about bills, money?”

“It was simple,” he replied. “I went, I said yes, and everything fell into place.”

I carried this simple yet profound advice throughout my life. When I had a dream of partnering with The Dalai Lama, I booked a flight to Dharamsala, India, the next week, determined to have as many conversations over tea as possible with anyone who would talk to me.

Over the past 15 years as a member of Theater Mitu, some of my greatest memories and insights have emerged around tables in far-off places.

There’s something quite powerful about taking the time to share a meal with someone halfway across the world. If you place yourself in situations where there is no choice but to move forward—no option but to succeed—you create a momentum that ultimately propels you to new levels of experience and engagement that would have seemed out of reach only years before.

Creativity is a consequence of action, not its motivation. Do what needs to be done, and then ask whether it was possible.

So, show up, share a meal, and embrace the conversations that can change your life. Because sometimes, the simplest acts—like breaking bread—hold the key to profound connections, unexpected insights, and a world of possibilities waiting to be discovered.

When was the last time you shared a meal that changed your perspective?

A CREATIVE TOOL

The Generative AI video models are getting incredibly advanced.

As a longtime fan of Runway, I’ve been loving their video content as of late that highlights the types of creativity when incorporating these models into video generation.

Check out this example where they highlight how to shoot visual effects with a disposable camera and Gen-3 Alpha.

A PIECE OF ART

“i am running into a new year” by Lucille Clifton

i am running into a new year
and the old years blow back
like a wind
that i catch in my hair
like strong fingers like
all my old promises and
it will be hard to let go
of what i said to myself
about myself
when i was sixteen and
twenty-six and thirty-six
even thirty-six but
i am running into a new year
and i beg what i love and
i leave to forgive me

Grateful,

Michael