The Value Of Creativity - Why Aren't YOU Doing It?Aug 16 '00 (Updated Dec 30 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line There’s opportunities around to study things that intrigue you. There are resources available to help. All you have to do is free yourself to be open to them.
So Why Aren’t YOU Creating Something Now? There’s a lot of material in this category about music education for children and music education in academic settings. There’s a good portion about performing skills and methods for people who are already performers. Seems to me that there’s a lot of folks who are left out. The few epinions from people talking about the value of music that they felt as a child, then stopping and regretting it are an example of this. Why aren’t there more epinions like the touching one about the person who took up piano at age 50? Creativity is part of the human condition. Part of getting in touch with the very core of our self. Part of striving toward our Creator, for we celebrate our Creator with our creations. The activity of music and the rest of the creative arts are not confined to professional performance and child and adolescent study. So why aren’t you doing it? Oh, I don’t have time ...or...I don’t have any talent ...or...It’s too late ...or... What's your excuse? The Good Lord endowed us all with talents. Unique talents, and the desire to develop them. It’s all part of the plan. But do you know what makes YOUR heart sing? It doesn’t have to be music. There are so many ways - graphic and visual arts, movement, such as athletics, dance and martial arts, mediation, active faith, the written word (Epinions has some GREAT creative writing), drama, lots of things. One of the recurring concepts of the self-development material I’ve read is that success is self-bestowed. In other words, if YOU are in control of your rules for success, discover what you really want, and discipline yourself to move toward it, you will be a success. I’m an example. I was never blessed with blinding talent. After much work, I’m pleased to report that now my musical performance skills are that of a journeyman, defined as ordinary and competent at the professional level. Realizing my lack of blinding talent, I stopped playing after college and focused on a business career. So I got my CPA, got an MBA and have had (and continue to have) a series of jobs that have been interesting, for I do like numbers, and have provided for my family better than music could. My horns were in the basement for 10 years. Then, I went to have one appraised and decided that I just couldn’t sell it. I had music in me. Once I started playing again, I defined my musical rules of success as being able to express myself and things changed. I began to play a little better, because I wasn’t putting expectations on myself. My skill level as compared to other people mattered not - what mattered is how I was developing the means to express myself. Then, things started to happen. I took up the tenor (I had always played alto beforehand) and discovered, at age 35 that it was my natural instrument. I found a teacher, Mark Colby at DePaul University, who not only was the living embodiment of great guy, great player and great teacher,he saw something in me that I didn’t and he BELIEVED in me. During the 5 years I studied with him, I developed the skills to express myself and perform competently. After the way I evaluated my musical skills coming out of college, I'm thrilled to be a journeyman. I'm thrilled to be able to find gigs where I can perform with quality musicians. Also, I now try to be supporting and empowering wth my music students, whatever their talent level. I know what a special music teacher can do for a student. What about you? There’s lots of opportunities around to study things that intrigue you. There are plenty of resources available to help. All you have to do is free yourself to be open to them. So, what would YOU do if you knew you could not fail? Is it in you? It IS in you. But what? What makes your heart sing? I was fortunate enough to discover it before it was too late. Will you? Thanks for reading. God Bess! If you like mainstream and fusion jazz, check out my web site, www.jazzobsession.com. You’ll find information on my newly-released CD, The Power of Two by John Temmerman's Jazz Obsession Quartet. It is available through Amazon.com and www.cdbaby.com. I have a special discount available on sales through my web site. Come on by!  |
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