Why We Tell Stories - with Gregg Hurwitz (Ralston College)

Jonathan PageauSymbolic World Icon
March 15, 2025

I recently had the privilege to visit Ralston College where I had a discussion with Gregg Hurwitz about meaning, art, and the future of culture. We also gave advice to the young students at Ralston College about navigating the life of an artist.

RALSTON COLLEGE: A revival and reinvention of the traditional university. A fellowship for anyone, anywhere who seeks the truth with courage. While the review of applications for the 2025-26 year of our fully-funded Master's in the Humanities program has already begun, a small number of spaces remain for extraordinary candidates. Apply now: https://www.ralston.ac/humanities-ma

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Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/ My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

Timestamps: 00:00 - Coming up 00:41 - Intro music 01:06 - Introduction 06:40 - What they like about each other 13:03 - Dramatizing Genesis 17:01 - On writing and being an artist 22:41 - Ralston College students 25:37 - Advice to artists 28:09 - Why are you compelled to tell stories? 33:09 - Form and function 42:32 - Looking back on your 20s, what did you do well, and what did you learn from? 49:19 - What's been your experience being public figures? 59:03 - Do you ever wish you hadn't entered the public eye? 01:04:39 - How to keep the fire going without desperation? 01:09:30 - How to navigate the political? 01:19:22 - How to choose your priorities and commitments? 01:23:11 - How to go from an idea to a larger project? 01:26:36 - Should an artist cater to an audience? 01:34:43 - What does Ralston mean to you?

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