Lin-Manuel Miranda Daydreams, and His Dad Gets Things Done
ReThinking
TED
4.7 • 626 Ratings
🗓️ 29 June 2021
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In a world obsessed with efficiency, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s smash Broadway hits Hamilton and In the Heights began with idle curiosity. Adam interviews Lin together with his father, Luis, about finding harmony between creativity and productivity—and rhythm between work and life. They discuss what motivated Lin to take a big risk on the biggest stage of his life, the challenges of fitting in when you stand out, the importance of delegation and deadlines, and the lost art of doing nothing. Read the full text transcript at go.ted.com/T4G9.
ReThinking is produced by Cosmic Standard. Our Senior Producer is Jessica Glazer, our Engineer is Aja Simpson, our Technical Director is Jacob Winik, and our Executive Producer is Eliza Smith.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Luis, did you think your son was out of his mind? |
| 0:03.9 | No, no, I never think he's out of his mind. |
| 0:08.8 | I just think that he's nuts. |
| 0:14.5 | Nuts. |
| 0:15.5 | That's one way to have your dad describe you. |
| 0:18.4 | But when you have a creative streak like Lynn Manuel Miranda's, maybe it's not |
| 0:22.2 | such a bad thing. I'm Adam Grant, and this is taken for granted, my podcast with the TED Audio |
| 0:30.9 | Collective. I'm an organizational psychologist. My job is to think again about how we work, lead, and live. |
| 0:44.3 | You probably know Lin-Manuel from creating and starring in the cultural phenomenon that is Hamilton. |
| 0:50.4 | Maybe you were one of the millions who saw it on Broadway or streamed it on Disney. |
| 0:54.7 | Maybe you have the T-shirt I bought. |
| 0:56.9 | My thoughts have been replaced by Hamilton lyrics. |
| 1:00.7 | But before Lynn created the musical that has redefined the way many teachers cover history, he was a teacher. |
| 1:07.2 | And before that, he was a student himself. |
| 1:10.1 | In 1999, he began writing his first hit musical, |
| 1:13.4 | which went on to win multiple Tony Awards. |
| 1:19.5 | What does Sweenito mean? |
| 1:23.1 | Sweenito. |
| 1:25.2 | It means little dream. |
| 1:29.5 | That's it. |
| 1:31.5 | No story? |
| 1:33.5 | All right, all right. |
... |
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