Okay, that may sound flaky to some of you. But that is what Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, neuralanatomist and intellectual, discussed in her talk at Ted.com.

Speaking about the left and right brain, she distinguishes between the work of the two sides of our brain, and how the two are really different personalities.

She then illustrates what will happen to us if, just like what she experienced after a hemorrhage, her left brain stopped functioning.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. You should listen to her talk first:
And so, wouldn't it be wonderful indeed to devote more of our time processing our right hemispheres, and as a result project the peace and love and kindness that makes up the energies around us? Now that sounds really flaky. Or is it just my left brain acting as censor and comptroller of my life?
 
 
That's how Amy Tan describes how she creates her story. By imagining herself in the story she is writing, believing in the belief system of the place and people she writes about, being in the story, she is able to come to what she says are "particles of truth" that allows for some understanding of things.

Here's Amy Tan's talk on Ted.com:
 
 
Not just about their art but also about making a change in this world. That's exactly how Isabel Allende was in her talk on Ted.com, as she told tales of passion. And the operative definition for passion here is from its etymology -- the Latin for "suffering." Here's Allende:

 
 
The tricky part indeed is the morning after when the dancer wakes up to find himself the mortal being with weak knees.

I like the notion of giving the idea of genius back to its supernatural source only because having it reside in the artist is quite a burden for the latter. Especially the morning after.

Because come to think of it, the artist already has a lot to worry about mastering the craft -- especially for moments when "divine inspiration" takes the day off, leaving the artist to earn a living.