Creativity can often feel feral and elusive-a whimsical foil to the kind of analytical rigor required to be truly productive. For musician, podcast host, and producer Hrishikesh Hirway, however, producing his best work means marrying a creative idea with a disciplined practice. Some of his most notable projects, like podcast-turned-Netflix-documentary-series Song Exploder, explore this finely tuned balance of flow and structure. He spoke with Tiffani Jones Brown about his own creative process, how to tap into deep focus by limiting distractions, and the role of collaboration in creativity.