Finding Your Own Path | A conversation with Thomas Burns

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SPEAKER 2

everybody is so sort of hyper-focused on achievement that there's enormous pressure to choose your direction and stick with that and specialize and specialize and never waver. And I think that, at least for me, that isn't really a feasible model. That led to a lot of burnout, basically. I mean, in life, your interests are going to change.

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I think wondering is good for the soul. I think that's where a lot of really great innovation comes from, is allowing yourself to wonder.

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SPEAKER 1

Hi, I'm Nathan Toopes, and this is the Functionally Imperative Podcast. This is a show dedicated to the conversations with autotelic creatives. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defines autotelics as internally driven, deeply creative people who exhibit a sense of purpose and curiosity in their work. In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Thomas Burns.

Finding Your Own Path | A conversation with Thomas Burns

Nathan Toups

Jun 21, 2024

Transcript

In episode three, I have the pleasure of speaking with Thomas Burns.

I first came across his work when his YouTube video “The coolest robot I’ve ever built” (link below) went viral in the summer of 2023. Thomas is a Senior Hardware Engineer on staff at the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences at UMass Amherst.

I really enjoyed his perspectives on creativity, wandering, and finding your own path, and I think you will, too. We explore a wide array of topics, from allowing yourself to wander, charting your own path, taking risks, the intersection of creative and technical work and much more. I really enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do as well.

The Coolest Robot I've ever built -