Video courtesy of TED.

Unless one has been living under a rock for the past four decades, musician Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner — better known as Sting — needs no introduction. The English crooner and bassist has sold over 100 million records, penning such hits as “Every Breath You Take” and “Roxanne” with The Police and “They Dance Alone” and “Fortress Around Your Heart” during an equally successful solo career. But what many don’t realize is that Sting also suffered from a bout of writer’s block that lasted not for days or weeks, but years. Yet he finally overcame it by learning how to channel the stories of the shipyard workers he knew in his youth. The rest, of course, is history.

In this frank, confessional TED Talk, Sting discusses how to be inspired by everyday life, and even treats viewers to songs from his upcoming musical The Last Ship as well as an encore of “Message in a Bottle.” By channeling the experiences from our lives, he says, we will never run out of stories to tell.

Check out the video above and tell us what you think!

Photo Credit: Ryan Lash/TED.