GOING FOR THE GOLD

One man’s exploration of the tie between cannabis and creativity.

If you’ve never listened to Madvillainy, the collaborative album from era-defining producer Madlib and late master wordsmith MF DOOM, now’s the time to do it. On one of the album’s strongest and most memorable tracks, “America’s Most Blunted,” a comically clinical voice sample relays the following: "Creativity, it’s a known fact that grass increases creativity from eight to eleven times. In fact, everyone finds that they’re more creative stoned than straight."

This may well be a fact for many people: weed makes you more creative. Anyone reading this magazine can likely think of a few artists, designers, and maybe even bankers who use cannabis daily and can attest to how it helps them think outside the box. But probably just as many of us try to get creative while we’re high and end up watching TV or worrying about bills.
Shawn Gold has been both types of people, and that’s why he started Pilgrim Soul. He’s been a high-energy marketing guru, lifelong cannabis enthusiast, and multi-industry entrepreneur—and in all of his ventures, especially now, a connoisseur of creativity. Pilgrim Soul is, in Gold’s words, “a creativity company with cannabis as one of its products. We create curricula, content, community events, and merchandise, all meant to increase the efficacy of the cannabis product.”

Its latest offering, the Pilgrim Soul Creative Thinking Journal, has “Please use this journal while you are high” printed in bold capital letters on the cover. Its purpose is exactly that. It contains exercises and prompts encouraging audiences to view the world with a sense of humor, empathy, and creativity—especially when high. The prompts range from creating imaginary protest signs or intentionally bad poems to motivational speeches for a child’s basketball team you bet money against. These challenges help you get out of your own head and spark just enough creative thought without overthinking. “There can be a misconception that creativity means drawing, painting, writing poetry, etc.,” Gold says.

“I started thinking about the journal from the perspective of creative thinking. Anyone can think creatively, but I am trying to reach more people, like educators, computer programmers, engineers, lawyers, and anyone paid to create or innovate—or who just wants to.”

Gold explains that cannabis is a tool to aid creative thinking. It encourages nonlinear connections, empathy, focus, and more. “Cannabis is a hack. It enhances firing in the frontal lobe, which is great for idea production, but it also represses the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex—the judgment area of the brain that’s repressed when you daydream.” By leveraging cannabis's natural effects, the journal helps users discover their innate creativity.

Gold’s entrepreneurial path reflects his love for innovation. After struggling to fit into traditional corporate environments, he thrived in ambiguity, solving problems in undefined systems. Beginning in digital advertising with major brands like Procter & Gamble and Mattel, he later became a founding publisher of Weblogs, Inc., which AOL acquired. At Myspace, Gold helped grow the platform’s audience from 25 million to 110 million users. Gold’s approach to problem-solving and his experience in burgeoning industries prepared him for the cannabis industry, where creativity is paramount. Pilgrim Soul partnered with ABSTRAX LABS to analyze cannabis strains that index high for creativity. Using this research, they released four 0.5-gram live resin vapes in California. After Myspace, Gold became the CMO of Inside Studios, head of entertainment brand partnerships at Wattpad, and later CMO of TechStyle Fashion Group. His fascination with cannabis led him to roles advising CEOs at MedMen and Charlotte’s Web. Eventually, he became CMO of Lowell Herb Co., one of the top-selling cannabis brands in the U.S.

Gold views creativity as a process that thrives under restrictions. “A lot of people think creativity is this no-holds-barred, fully free thing, but I think it’s more something that transpires with constraints.” The journal’s exercises reflect this principle, using structured prompts to guide users into creative problem-solving while alleviating pressure.

One of Gold’s many passions is quotations. As a child, he devoured quote books, even highlighting entries in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. His favorite sayings include: “Where there is an open mind, there is always a frontier,” and “Only the insane take themselves seriously.”

For Gold, creativity isn’t limited to traditional artists. It’s accessible to anyone willing to laugh, experiment, and explore the world through a different lens. As “America’s Most Blunted” playfully reminds us, creativity can be as simple as misspelling “marijuana” with your friends.