What I tAlk abOut
how to heal the world with your creativity
What you create on the small scale is reflected in the large one.Most people don't believe they're creative. And that belief has consequences — not just personally, but collectively. This talk draws on qualitative research and the science of fractals to make a simple and profound case: what you believe about yourself and what you believe about the world will dictate your experience of both. When you use your creativity to bless the world around you, something shifts — first in the small, then in the large. This is a talk about your beliefs, your creativity, and why they matter more than you think.
the lexicon of imagination
We are living in a world someone imagined. Is it the one you want?Imagination is not child's play. It is the precursor to every single thing that has ever been created — including the world you're living in right now. This talk makes the case that imagination is not a soft skill but a vital human capacity that most of us have severely underdeveloped. Spoiler: your brain might have skipped leg day. Drawing on research, tools, and a little humor, audiences leave with a completely new relationship to their imagination — and a practical lexicon for activating it on purpose. Radical responsibility has never been this fun.
how to make stuff
Start with a question. Relinquish control. See what arrives.Most of us were taught to make things by starting with the answer. This talk proposes something different — and more honest. Drawing on two decades of studio practice, this is a talk about the actual creative process: how to begin, how to stay in it when it gets hard, and how to trust that the work knows something you don't yet. Less about strategy, more about sovereignty. For anyone who has ever stared at a blank page, a blank canvas, or a blank future and needed a way in.
wHen I leAve, thiS stAys
Every talk comes with an illustrated guide — a hand drawn, playful, visual companion to the ideas we explore together. People remember what they can hold. These guides are designed to be beautiful enough to keep, specific enough to be useful, and personal enough to feel like they were made just for you. Because they were. Every guide can be customized to your organization, your theme, or the specific moment your team is in — making it not just a takeaway but a touchstone.
What peOple arE saYing
“Erin Shaw is an endless source of creative energy of all types. A deeply talented artist, Erin Shaw is constantly looking both inward and outward, which has given her a unique and honest perspective with which to view the world, and interpret that world through her art.”
hugh meade
“Erin's artist talks are truly unique and dynamic, addressing our student audience with engaging storytelling, tactile imagery, and motivational enthusiasm that encourages creative risk-taking.”
jason rafferty, university of tulsa
“Erin is an extraordinarily gifted artist, teacher, author, trainer, and guide. More importantly, Erin is a trustworthy culture translator for the power of imagination, creativity, and faith in a new future.”
lance humphreys
