Practice, Practice, Practice

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(The following is a re-post of a previously published post):

The old joke goes something like this: A tourist in New York City asks a man on the street, "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The man responds, "Practice, practice, practice."

That's sound wisdom for any artist or creative (and I believe that all of us are creative, because we were made in the image of the Great Creator). Practice.

So we sit in front of a music stand with our instrument, or at the pallet with our brushes, or with pen in hand and we practice.

But we need to think beyond traditional practice and look for creative ways to improve our craft. The writer looks at people and in their mind creates a "character" based on what they see. The painter always has their sketchbook handy for when they stumble upon a scene.

I remember as a Jr. High student, learning music in my Beginning Band class. My director was teaching us about intervals, and the relationship between notes. Wanting to master this fundamental, I would listen for sounds in "life" (the hum of a motor, a blaring car horn, the test pattern of a TV station), and practice humming intervals while identifying them in my mind.

To this day I still hum intervals when I hear a sustained tone. I think I'm being creative. My wife thinks I'm odd.

And then there are scales, the lifeblood of instrumental music. Wanting to use more than just my "band time" and my "personal practice time", I would (as a trumpet player) practice the fingering of the various scales by tapping them out on any surface my hand was on. (For you brass players reading this, when I took up the French horn in high school, I had to practice tapping with my left hand also!)

Again, I still find myself unconsciously moving my fingers in the sequence of a scale. I've noticed guitar players working on fingerings using their forearm as a fret board (a tell-tale sign you are a guitar player).

We should never stop practicing, even when we've "arrived". Practicing should be as much a part of our creativity as the performance. To this day, the great cellist Yo-Yo Ma regularly practices, sometimes five hours a day.

May I encourage all of us to continue to practice. Whether it be purposeful or casual, in preparation for an event or simply to hone your craft, practice. Your goal may not be Carnegie Hall, but the investment is worth the effort.

Question: What do you do to practice your craft/art? Share your thoughts below in comments.

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Surprising Things To Learn About Yourself

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I want to always be a learner. I hope I never come to the place where I feel that I cannot learn something new. Especially, I want to make sure I am learning about myself.

I have learned a lot about myself in the last few years because of two major changes in my life that have given me an entirely new perspective.
 
The first change was this: After working much of my adult life as a pastor supported by a church, I have spent the last three years working a "tentmaking" job, while continuing to minister on "my time". Here are some things I have learned:

• I need to be less demanding with people. There is nothing wrong with challenging people. But between job, family, community, and relationships, most people do not have the amount of extra time to give to the church that the pastor wishes they would.
• I need to be more creative with time. If I needed to call my mechanic or run to Lowe's to pick up a plumbing fitting, I would call my mechanic or run to Lowe's. Now, I must schedule my personal business either during my lunch hour, after I get off work in the evening, or on the weekend.
• I need to be more purposeful with my free time. My free time has become less, and also very precious to me. I find myself reading less, writing less, and investing in relationships less. I need to make time during my free time to accommodate those listed disciplines.

The second change was this: I have been to India, multiple times. Here are some things I have learned:

• I do not need to consume all of the food available to me. I stopped eating as much as I used to. I have seen multiple times where a family of four shares the same amount of food over the course of a day that I would eat in one meal.
• I take luxuries like air conditioning and electricity for granted. I have stopped complaining when the power goes off. Regular "power cuts" are a daily occurrence in India, and they often happen during the hottest part of the day.
• I don't always need the newest and the best. I have learned to value and preserve the possessions that I have been blessed with. Many Indian men have only three shirts in their closet. Some don't even have a closet. Old and worn, yet still functional describe many possessions of the people of India.

Please do not take these comments as a rant against materialism. Know that they are simply a confession of surprising things I have learned about myself.
 
Question: What have you learned ablout yourself by changing your perspective or lifestyle? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

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Teaching Creative Thinking

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We love to have all the answers. When someone comes to with us with a problem, we want to be the one who solves it for them. We want to be a hero.

Our children's school project, our work group's assignment, our team's goal. We want to be know as the creative one: The smartest dad or mom in the world to our kids. The most knowledgeable boss or co-worker.
 
Part of that is because many of us have a need for validation or a desire to accomplish. When we are presented with a problem we act, we think, swe olve, we create.
 
But what if the person bringing us the problem needs also to learn how to solve problems for themselves? Part of us desires to do it ourselves because we're good at it (who hasn't built their child's volcano for the science fair?). Part of us desires to do it ourselves because it's easier for us to do it.
 
But with a little creativity we can use times like these as opportunities for growth and creative development in the lives of those we lead (children, students, employees, team members). When we get asked for help, consider responding by asking the person questions like these, so they can grow in their creativity and problem-solving skills:

• What would you do?
• How do you think it should work?
• What would produce the most favorable result?
• What if you're not able to pull it off?
• Is that the best way?
• If you had the time, what would you do differently?
• If you had the money, what would you do differently?

Being creative may be easy for you. But reproducing that creativity in the life of another is a greater use of that creativity.
 
Question: When are you tempted to solve creatively rather than teach creativity? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.
 
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Creativity And Chaos

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I recently read a blog post where the author indicated that he had been less than frequent in his posting because of stress and work overload. I myself recently wrote a blog post indicating that my creative well was dry: I've Got Nothing.

Is there a correlation between stress and creativity? Does the amount of pressure that you face every day have a direct result on your output?

I know of some who thrive in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment. They get bored if they're not doing at least five things.

I know of others who come up with some of their greatest ideas when the heat is on and the expectation level is high.

On the other hand, there are many who need a quiet and peaceful atmosphere to bring out their greatest creativity. For them calm is king.

The key is finding our what brings out the best from you.

Here are some tips for finding your creative sweet spot:

• Try scheduling some quiet time where you are free from distractions. Does that work for you?
• Evaluate yourself in groups and while alone. What place generates the most and best ideas?
• Try creating in the morning, in the middle of the day, and at night. What fits you best?
• Whatever works best for you, find a good app on your smart device or have an old school pen and notebook handy to facilitate recording creative thoughts and ideas.

Question: Which kind of person are you? Do you thrive in contentment or chaos? Share your thoughts below in 'comments'.

If you like this post, you can re-post it, ‘share’ it on your Facebook status, ‘Tweet’ it, or forward it to your friends. Follow me on Twitter @bigcloudmusic if you find me interesting. Subscribe to this Blog if you’d like at the top right of the page.