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Give yourself permission to be creative | Ethan Hawke

Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. Reflecting on moments that shaped his life, actor Ethan Hawke examines how courageous expression promotes healing and connection with one another — and invites you to discover your own unabashed creativity. “There is no path till you walk it,”…

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Reflecting on moments that shaped his life, actor Ethan Hawke examines how courageous expression promotes healing and connection with one another — and invites you to discover your own unabashed creativity. “There is no path till you walk it,” he says.

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65 Comments

  1. Asmaa Ramadan

    August 11, 2020 at 8:41 pm

    I know this kinda isn’t connected to the video… but his film “predestination” is brilliant..

  2. Olorunjumilo

    August 11, 2020 at 8:53 pm

    Play the fool

  3. Shunryu Suzuki

    August 11, 2020 at 9:02 pm

    ❤️

  4. celer linares

    August 11, 2020 at 9:11 pm

    thank you Ethan!

  5. AuberJean 68

    August 11, 2020 at 9:12 pm

    Ethan Hawke, thank you for surprising me with your deep talk about fun. I laugh at myself all the time. We’ve all become to serious. Art is important. It helps us deal with the bad times and celebrate the good times. Music is my favorite example! Be and stay well!👏🍀🌞

  6. Yasmina Harrouzi

    August 11, 2020 at 9:15 pm

    ❤ ❤ ❤

  7. E Amos

    August 11, 2020 at 9:18 pm

    This guy is cool

  8. { }

    August 11, 2020 at 9:21 pm

    cool talk.

  9. AtheistCitizen

    August 11, 2020 at 9:36 pm

    “everywhere” ? Apparently he includes Mt Rushmore.

  10. Human - إنسان

    August 11, 2020 at 9:46 pm

    For a moment I felt like he was talking to me.. the best TED talk I’ve ever watched.. he’s so passionate about what he’s talking about!

  11. bslangable

    August 11, 2020 at 9:47 pm

    The ONLY quote in life you need to know is Einsteins and it can’t be overused enough:; “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

  12. Caroline Azevedo

    August 11, 2020 at 9:57 pm

    Love it!!!! Amazing. We are surviving instead of living

  13. Mark R

    August 11, 2020 at 10:21 pm

    Wish you’d given credit to the path Presley walked (even early) in His life Ethan.

  14. Nickname 42

    August 11, 2020 at 10:33 pm

    If i would give myself permission to be creative the Earth would spin different in this solar system.

  15. Silemina

    August 11, 2020 at 10:37 pm

    simply beautiful and straight to the heart

  16. Adam Ed

    August 11, 2020 at 10:44 pm

    • Stop doing what everyone else is doing. Stop being boring.
    • Create more. Consume less. Express yourself through a creation outlet, e.g., drawing, photography, cooking, etc.
    • Creativity is breathing. You need to breathe in in order to breathe out.

  17. Marcus Backman

    August 11, 2020 at 10:48 pm

    “The fool is the precursor to the savior.” – Carl Jung

    A lot of what Ethan is talking about here is self-realisation. After our basic needs are met we must satisfy the soul’s needs. Making and consuming art is part of that.

  18. Lucas Gabriel

    August 11, 2020 at 11:01 pm

    wow

  19. Kris PiBar

    August 11, 2020 at 11:34 pm

    Love him, he’s underrated. As someone who loves drawing, this talk speaks to me…thank you Ethan Hawke!

  20. Mir Zendeh

    August 11, 2020 at 11:42 pm

    We are a species that distinguishes itself from other species by unlimited creativity and diversity of intellectual achievements. No other species has a literally unlimited creativity of achievements. 
    “That’s why we admire each other”
    The downside of unlimited is that we are also the only species with unlimited aggressiveness. There is no other creature where the aggressiveness is not self-limiting! 
    #Humanity2020

  21. Happy Slappy!

    August 11, 2020 at 11:45 pm

    Dude why is your necklace keep on disappearing and appearing through this…

  22. Claire Pnk

    August 12, 2020 at 12:17 am

    Loved this! This guy has a genius.

  23. Alaina Allen

    August 12, 2020 at 12:34 am

    Wonderful. Sums up my philosophy but nice to be reminded.

  24. K Butler

    August 12, 2020 at 1:01 am

    Did he not marry, have children, then divorce because HIS creativity came first. Did he not do that! So what did he do, fall out of love, out of like, out of commitment, what, fall into what he wanted, himself and his own personal creativity. Tell ME!

  25. Yoga Plants Dogs

    August 12, 2020 at 1:25 am

    Creativity has no expiration

  26. SpaghettiMitch

    August 12, 2020 at 5:05 am

    i thought i liked this actor before knowing what he was like OFF camera. now its 2X

  27. integrateself

    August 12, 2020 at 6:41 am

    ❤️❤️❤️🔥🙏

  28. Dominique Amendola

    August 12, 2020 at 6:50 am

    Ethan, I never thought that my appreciation for your acting would transform into the amazement to hear you talk about Krishna! Keep being yourself, keep being connected to your heart… I really admire that simplicity.

  29. Steve Deasy

    August 12, 2020 at 7:40 am

    Created in the image – Creators All!

  30. Juwayne Bruh

    August 12, 2020 at 7:55 am

    Ngl thought he was Jim carey at first glance.

  31. Christian Kong

    August 12, 2020 at 8:31 am

    incredible

  32. mokai1618

    August 12, 2020 at 10:42 am

    This was fantastic! Thank you, Ethan Hawke. ❤️

  33. Mohsen Rahimifar

    August 12, 2020 at 11:11 am

    WOW

  34. Piyali RB

    August 12, 2020 at 11:27 am

    Great advice ‘play the fool’

  35. Nicole Chalklen

    August 12, 2020 at 12:28 pm

    Question: is habit the enemy of creativity. Or is there creativity is the habit of something you passionate about?

  36. Victoria Quiroz Rivero

    August 12, 2020 at 2:14 pm

    Gracias por la traducción a quien corresponda!! Excelente charla Ethan, Bendiciones desde Colombia! !

  37. Ram

    August 12, 2020 at 2:46 pm

    I want what Ethan is having.

  38. Juan Ignacio Reyes

    August 12, 2020 at 4:10 pm

    Wow

  39. Donna Snyder

    August 12, 2020 at 4:13 pm

    There is no path.

  40. Er P

    August 12, 2020 at 4:31 pm

    The before series is a life changing movie and everyone should see it

  41. Simone

    August 12, 2020 at 4:56 pm

    This was unexpectedly fantastic

  42. Karuna Ml

    August 12, 2020 at 7:20 pm

    Is it a real song that he sings at the end??

    • ash

      August 13, 2020 at 1:20 am

      yep it’s called ryan’s song

    • Karuna Ml

      August 13, 2020 at 3:10 pm

      thanks for the information.@ash

  43. Louis Berube

    August 12, 2020 at 8:50 pm

    Thanks Ethan Hawke, now i can’t stop watching Firing Line on Youtube!!!! Ginsburg, Leary, Kerouac!!! Great TED Talk, Deceitfully insightful!!!

  44. ganabiah

    August 12, 2020 at 9:27 pm

    Takk Ethan 🙂

  45. Andrey Simonov

    August 12, 2020 at 9:54 pm

    get the full effect of a fool, got it.

  46. LachanceM

    August 13, 2020 at 12:39 am

    Please everybody watch Predestination. Thank me later.

  47. PaulBeen

    August 13, 2020 at 1:07 am

    Inspiring af

  48. Cestrum Nocturnum

    August 13, 2020 at 1:09 am

    Manic!

  49. ash

    August 13, 2020 at 1:14 am

    I wish he was my uncle or something. He’s so cool

  50. Jesse Mavis

    August 13, 2020 at 2:29 am

    Colonizer will always want to control our songs and spirituality.

  51. Flávia Werneck

    August 13, 2020 at 3:10 am

    Great talk! 👏👏👏

  52. Jesse Hattabaugh

    August 13, 2020 at 3:35 am

    I don’t feel the need to “impress” upon anyone my “individuality”, I don’t really like any of you that much.

  53. No one star

    August 13, 2020 at 6:58 am

    Damn right.

    My entire channel is not only verification of that, but… I have two others that are brand new… starting *NEW* methods for me to “play the fool”. 🙂

    Greatest part about it all, too, is… it’s never been “because of anyone or anything else”. No matter what, I know who and what I am. No one can take it from me.

  54. D D

    August 13, 2020 at 8:52 am

    Play the fool. And he is smokin hawttt!!!! My my!!!🥴🥴

  55. Mimidhof

    August 13, 2020 at 12:01 pm

    What a great actor and a great artist…

  56. D H

    August 13, 2020 at 12:04 pm

    I got so much positive energy from this. Great talk!

  57. Trisha Tan Sitosta

    August 13, 2020 at 2:37 pm

    Watching this. I’m just thankful for the encouragement. It’s so hard when I want to pursue arts but I don’t have the foundation. But I’m still taking my leap and sometimes I just have to remember again and stop doubting. This video.. thank you 🥺💜

  58. Ben A. E

    August 13, 2020 at 3:00 pm

    If everybody was doing what they like to do, there would’ve been more bad singers and actors than all the construction and janitorial workers combined.
    That’s not how the society works sir!

  59. Khushi

    August 13, 2020 at 3:54 pm

    Be lated happy Janmashtmi (Birthday of lord Krishna) to you guys.

  60. しまじろう

    August 13, 2020 at 4:24 pm

    I’m learning English by using TED.
    How can I learn to listen to English well??

  61. Arsen Danylenko

    August 13, 2020 at 4:43 pm

    Nailed it!

  62. El Bicho

    August 13, 2020 at 11:33 pm

    ohhh look, a low-life ahole who has never had a job in his life.

  63. Nicholas Isaacs

    August 14, 2020 at 1:20 am

    Hitler followed his passions.

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