Confessions of an Outlaw: A Creativity Workshop, with Philippe Petit

High-wire artist Philippe Petit, who four decades ago performed illegally between the World Trade Center towers, explains how his personal brand of outlaw creativity can be harnessed to inspire and solve problems.

Confessions of an Outlaw: The Self You Bring

How to you inspire people? How do you touch an audience? High-wire artist Philippe Petit explains that the secret is to not try at all. Instead, be yourself. Follow your own personal muses instead of being a crowd pleaser. Genuine individual creativity is endearing enough on its own that if your passion emerges through your work, your audience will be reached.

This is the first video in a nine-part series with Philippe Petit available in playlist form here.

Confessions of an Outlaw: Chaos and Order

High-wire artist Philippe Petit describes his process of compressing chaos in order to build a model for creative output. When faced with a long list of goals and subjects for a creative endeavor, make a list. Introduce order. Compartmentalize your thoughts and ambitions. The key is to find the precise marriage between madness and structure.

Confessions of an Outlaw: The Alchemy of Sleep

High-wire artist Philippe Petit explains how he practices creativity while sleeping. If he falls asleep with an idea in his head, Petit allows his subconscious self the opportunity to find a solution. Often he wakes up with the solution sitting there waiting for him.

Confessions of an Outlaw: Finding Focus

High-wire artist Philippe Petit doesn’t own a cellphone, doesn’t own jewelry, doesn’t wear a watch. These are all distractions that would draw his focus away from his art. And when you’re walking a wire and a millisecond’s loss of focus results in tragedy, perhaps eschewing gadgetry is the way to go.

Petit explains how an occasional foray into being a Luddite will allow you to reconnect with your raw humanity.

Confessions of an Outlaw: Discipline and Play

A marriage of discipline and play seems contradictory, but Philippe Petit says he thrives on being an extreme and contradictory artist. The high-wire artist explains why being a successful artist requires a marriage of extremes. You have to work hard and play hard. There is no sacrificing either.

This is the fifth video in a nine-part series with Philippe Petit available in playlist form here.

Confessions of an Outlaw: The Art of Balance

High-wire artist Philippe Petit wasn’t just born with superior balance; it’s something he’s developed all his life and something he applies to all his life. It’s balance — in more meanings of the word — which keeps Petit alive.

Confessions of an Outlaw: Intuition and Improvisation

High-wire artist Philippe Petit explains that intuition and improvisation are not opposites. They are cousins. One must take an intellectual approach to an adventurous exploration of the unknown.

Confessions of an Outlaw: Valuable Mistakes

As a high-wire artist, Philippe Petit doesn’t have much room for mistakes. Still, he finds that mistakes are our best teachers and advises friends and students to treat them as such.

This is the ninth video in a nine-part series with Philippe Petit available in playlist form here.