From burnout to creative freedom: Learning beyond the rational mind

When I was in school, I loved the precision and structure of it all—each class its own container, complete with a tidy list of weekly assignments. Every subject felt like a chest of jewels, waiting to be uncovered if we just signed up, listened, and worked hard. The start of each semester was exhilarating—new syllabi, fresh books from the campus store. It felt like a treasure hunt.

But as the weeks passed, that excitement often turned into drudgery. By the end, I wasn’t uncovering jewels—I was slogging through mud, just wanting it to be over.

When I finished my Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, I was burned out in every sense of the word. Even looking at a book made me nauseous. I couldn’t read anything—not even the words on a cereal box. One day, I gathered all the notes, drafts, and research from my dissertation, climbed a ladder at the recycling bin on the corner of Ashby and MLK in Berkeley, and tossed seven years of work into the abyss.

As the papers disappeared into the container, I felt a mix of relief and terror. Surely I just threw away something I’d need someday? That question haunted me for weeks.

Afterward, I could only turn to one direction: the creative arts. I dove into pottery, creative writing, and painting. These activities made me feel spacious and free—they were life-giving. I became committed to living a creative life.

When I began teaching, I felt torn. On one side was my love for art, beauty, and the creative process. On the other, my passion for teaching and learning. For a long time, they felt like separate worlds. But over the years, as I’ve studied how humans truly learn, I’ve realized they’re deeply connected.

Decades of research show that creative processes and metaphoric images are our native language. At the deepest level, we don’t learn through lists and lectures—we learn through metaphor and image.

Looking back, I realize that what I was yearning for when I tossed my books was this deeper kind of learning. A way of knowing that goes beyond facts and formulas.

Are you ready to tap into the metaphoric images that lie beyond your rational, thinking mind? That’s where true wisdom lies.