Are we all ultimately craving - transcendence?

And, trust us, it doesn't only happen on a psychedelic journey 🌌

Hey there,

DD HQ here. Have you ever wondered what’s the point of ‘being more creative’?

Like, yeah, it’s *fun* to do. It helps us feel better. But, why does it ultimately matter? We’re not trying to be emo or existential here, but what the heck are we all striving for, anyway?

Over the past few weeks we (Katina and Dupi, Daydreamers’ co-founders) have spoken with hundreds of our new members individually - and, it’s made us think a lot about our place on this planet. It’s made us wonder how do we, in reality, become more human, less robot? More connected, to ourselves and others, less frazzled by the constant hamster wheel?

According to Victor Frankel, Holocaust survivor, psychologist and ultimate meaning-seeker, the moment that we become fully human is when we experience transcendence. It doesn’t just happen when we fulfill our own individual goals, but when we’re supremely connected to everything at once - ourselves, our communities, the Universe (well, everything except our own anxious thoughts).

And, guess how we get there? No, it’s not just psychedelic experiences or 10-day silent meditation retreats. It’s much simpler than that.

It’s reconnecting with our naturally creative brain.

This, at its core, is exactly what our purpose is at Daydreamers (and ultimately, what creativity helps us do more often). We’ll explain how it’s all connected in a moment - but in the meantime, it’s the last week to get a one-on-one call with our co-founders to join DD Early Access. Get yours before it’s booked out! 👀

Okay, serious armchair philosopher question 🤓: Have you ever felt like you were one tiny speck floating on a ‘Pale Blue Dot’ in the middle of the universe - and suddenly, none of your worries seem to matter?

This feeling of being more alive; more connected; more miniscule-but-purposeful has both a scientific and philosophical name: It’s called transcendence.

In a world driven by deadlines and accolades, it can be a difficult one to remember. But simply, transcendence happens when we do three main things (hopefully these elements these sound familiar):

1. Shift our focus outside of ourselves and towards helping others;

2. Change what we value from extrinsic motivation, like materialistic stuff, to intrinsic motivation, like doing something because you want to; and

3. Prioritize moments of awe, creativity and inspiration in regular life

Now, this isn’t just an interesting thing to ponder about, or do once everything in your life is settled. It’s core to our well-being, creativity and sense of connection.

Dr. Lisa Miller has spent her career studying the importance of transcendent, spiritual experiences from a neuropsychological POV - and her research has found that even just remembering a transcendent experience can help us escape overthinking, rumination and stress. Over the long-term, it’s been found that prioritizing transcendence regularly transforms the brain and helps us moderate feelings of pain and fear, while prioritizing feelings of love.

Even more, as we evolve towards living a transcendent life, we become wired for altruism and selfless acts. We begin to look outside of our own heads and start to notice the world.

Here’s the coolest part to us: you don’t need to have a deep, out-of-this-world journey in order to live a more transcendent life. Based on the latest neuroscience research, actually, we can access it through creative flow.

Yes, by sitting on your couch.

We kid, but that’s because transcendence centers on two emotions we talk about often at Daydreamers: awe and openness. The first shows up in the small, everyday moments in life. It might be noticing, “a baby in her mother’s arm, a tiny wildflower in a rock, or the smile of a wrinkled and toothless old man.” It’s our ability savor the human spirit on a micro-scale.

The second happens when we take a step back, and appreciate the vastness and beauty of the world - and that you’re one being in it. This openness and curiosity transports us to a different realm. Think about how this short, beautiful POV from our favorite, Carl Sagan, makes you feel. This one makes our brain 🤯: “Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark; a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”

At Daydreamers, we see creativity as a spectrum of effort: it ranges from being alive enough to notice small, everyday moments of awe all the way to feeling energized enough to take part in transformative transcendental experiences, like creative flow or deep conversations.

And ultimately, all we’re striving towards is a more sublime, more human way of being. At DD, we see it as our duty to help us all live more meaningful lives - and that means, experiencing the vast spectrum of humanity as often as we can. Feel us?

No matter what, we can’t wait to create in the big moments + small with you 🛸

Katina + Dupi

and the entire team @ DD HQ

Last chance to get a one-on-one call with our co-founders before joining DD Early Access. Plus, we’re gearing up launch some pretty transcendental stuff to our Early Access crew - so grab your spot while you have the chance. Time for more sublime, less frantic are we right? 🧠

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An idea to noodle on 💭

A moment of transcendence is a form of creativity.

THINK ON THIS: Transcendence is an answer to suffering, not just reaching our full potential. Victor Frankel came up with the ‘self-transcendence’ theory in psychology after surviving the Holocaust, and we love this POV: “[Frankel] was awe-struck by both the beautiful sunset and remarkable kindness and courage shown in some inmates, which enlarged his heart and soul rather than his mind.” What types of moments enlarge your heart > your mind?

…MAYBE NOT THAT: Transcendence isn’t a once-in-a-lifetime type of emotion. It actually happens, most often, in the small everyday moments - if we let it. Research shows that moments of awe, like paying attention to an interesting tree branch or playing with your dog, for just 15-minutes can increase your creativity, connection + mental resilience.

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Inside our brains at DD HQ  🧠

This is the most DD project we’ve seen in a while - giving the ‘finger’ to power. We’re talking a lot about beauty, but should you leverage your negative biases + be creating a ‘To Don’t’ list? What we learn through leafing through seed catalogues + finding beauty in the mundane. This beautiful theory of the mind left us in awe.

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What’s new in the DD World this wk 🛸

We had a deep chat about this week’s Head in the Clouds topic - and what this all means this in our private DD community this week. The thoughts our members shared are still floating around in our brains, in the best way 🤯

We pondered everything from the meaning of life (seriously), loled about scenes from American Beauty + parsed through the difference between dissociation and creative flow.

If you’re looking for spaces to think big, exercise your creative brain in new ways + connect with ppl about topics that live in the back of your mind - you’ve found your crew. Last chance to get a call with our co-founders + join us!