Develop a childlike curiosity

Recently, whilst clearing up around the house, I rediscovered one of the first music books I ever acquired. It was The Observer’s Book of Music by Freda Dinn and Paul Sharp (no humour intended I am sure), first published in 1953 and revised in 1959. For a 14-year-old just starting to learn about music it was a great primer for some of the basics. It described the main instruments played by orchestral musicians, the major musical terms you would most likely see on a concert programme and, towards its end, it provided a series of short paragraphs describing the major classical composers and their work.

Having rediscovered the book I could not resist having a quick flick through and one composer’s description made me do an instant double take. The entry was for Anton Bruckner and it read as follows:

‘Bruckner, Anton (1824 – 1896) Born in Upper Austria, and composed many large – scale works. Influenced by Wagner. There is a certain naivety in his work, and it is not popular outside Germany and Austria.’

The above entry made me do a double take because Bruckner is now considered by many to be a composer of the first rank who, along with the slightly later Mahler and Sibelius, took the orchestral symphony to previously unattained heights of expressiveness.

The dates of the book’s publication and revision perhaps provide a clue to the somewhat dismissive description of Bruckner and his work. The book was written within a decade of the end of the Second World War and its only revision undertaken a mere six years later. It is tempting to think that the memories evoked by the recent hostilities between Britain and Germany (and by association Austria) adversely influenced the authors’ opinions of anything remotely perceived as Germanic.

This is borne out by the entries for other composers influenced by the late romantic Germanic style. Gustav Mahler is said to be ‘more highly regarded in Holland and Germany than elsewhere’ and Richard Strauss, although described as ‘the most successful of Wagner’s successors’ is in the end damned with faint praise:

‘His orchestration is brilliant. Outstanding are his symphonic poems, which are of a passionate, emotional nature, sometimes excessively so.’

Sometimes our thinking and perceptions can be so influenced by the attitudes that pervade our times that we begin to look for and, not unsurprisingly, find those things that we have been conditioned to expect. As a consequence we can fail to appreciate the true worth of what is in front of us.

The next time you find yourself struggling with an issue or problem or trying to evaluate the worth of an idea or potential solution, do your best to filter out the prevailing attitudes that impinge upon your thinking.

You can do this best by following the example of Bruckner, who explored life and music with an open, childlike mind. It is this childlike quality that makes the authors of ‘The Observers’ Book of Music’ correct in their assertion that Bruckner’s music is naïve but wrong in the implied criticism that accompanies it. Bruckner’s music is naïve only in the sense that it communicates his innocent, wide – eyed wonder at the world and the universe that surrounds it. It is this immediacy of expression, unencumbered by convention and the accepted views of the time, which gives his music its unique power to move and inspire people.

Get into the habit of being curious and asking why. Look for what is intriguing, stimulating and fun. Play with the ideas and concepts put in front of you. Take a few things at face value and give them a chance to shine and sound out.

If you do this you might well begin to see more of what is really there, rather than an image distorted by the attitudes and assumptions that attach themselves to you as you go through life. In the process you may also gain one or two unique insights you can call your own.

Diary of a creative person: the last day (for now)

Developing and practising creative skills and habits over many years

Marc has developed his musical talents and expertise over many years. First he developed his technical expertise which, given time, enabled him to express himself fluently through music. Once fluent in music's accepted technical languages Marc was able to experiment and gain experiences that, again given time, enabled him to create his own creative habits and processes. Eventually, after many years, these helped him to begin discovering his own unique musical voice.

Creativity and innovation seldom happen without significant expertise and experience which are developed over many years. As we gain this expertise and experience and become fluent in our chosen disciplines we also become curious about what more we can discover and what more is possible. We then use our expertise and experience and the tools we have gained to uncover new insights and craft our own ways of doing things; this is where creativity and innovation happens.

Follow the example of the great composers and other very creative people by studying your subject with curiosity: immerse yourself in it; gain expertise in it. Gain experience of using your expertise. Gradually find your own voice; gradually find your own way of doing things.

Then ask what more is possible.


To read the complete article click here.

Diary of a creative person: day 16

Sharing at a distance

An interesting aspect of Marc's creative process is his use of social media. As well as writing a blog detailing his tasks and activities he regularly posts on various social media sites, sharing his latest thoughts and experiences and informing about commissions and performances. These posts obviously raise his profile and the interest in his works but also, given their ongoing and often quite specific nature, provide tangible touchstones inscribed with ongoing reflections and insights that Marc can use to not only mark out his progress but also crystallize his thinking. They also attract feedback and comments from readers which can provide additional insights and/or reinforce specific ways of thinking or proceeding.

And the use of social media means that this sharing can all be done at a distance, so allowing Marc's creative process to evolve and mature unhindered: to develop in its own way in its own time.

Each of us can do a lot to develop our creativity. Sharing our creative ideas in a managed way 'at a distance' can help us do even more, crystallizing and adding to our insights and delineating and illuminating interesting and innovative paths we can take.

Work at finding ways to share your ongoing ideas and experiences with others. Carefully manage social media so that you not only share with people but also create and maintain an empowering distance from people: a distance that creates an incubating space between your creative process and those that see and comment upon it. Perhaps go further; build upon Marc's practice by creating a virtual version of Amy Beach's supportive attic club.

To read the complete article click here.

Diary of a creative person: day 15

Having a planned and timed process in mind

When researching, writing, rehearsing and performing his compositions Marc has a clear sense of what he is going to do, where he will do it, when he will do it, how he will do it, why he will do it.

He allocates and timetables times to walk, times to sketch and make videos, times to reflect, times to revisit past ideas, times to rest, times to begin composing, times to share his ideas, times for rehearsal, times (and places) for performance. When reading his blog one can sense that Marc has a timeline in mind that he populates with the various tasks and activities he needs to do to complete his work and deliver a new piece of music.

The real challenge is not to be creative: it is to be productively creative. This requires that we marry a strong sense of purpose with the discipline to achieve it. Effective creativity equals purposeful and productive creativity made possible through the planned use of time.

Plan out the what, when, where, how and why of your creative process. Write out a timeline of your activities and keep them in mind as you go about your work. Identify the key milestones of your creative journey and mark them as you reach them.

To read the complete article click here.

Diary of a creative person: day 14

Developing a driving purpose and mission

On reading Marc's blog one gains a strong feeling of mission and purpose: of a burning desire to create music that is not merely original but also new, innovative and stimulating in meaningful and lasting ways. This desire is a major source of his creative energy, driving his efforts to uncover diverse perspectives that can enable his music to develop in intriguing ways.

If we are honest with ourselves, we will probably admit that developing a driving purpose and mission is not something we think about very much, if at all. But it is undeniable that those of us who do develop a strong sense of purpose and mission tend to discover more, innovative more, achieve more.

If you need or want to be creative find your strong purpose for being so: be purposeful.


To read the complete article click here.

Diary of a creative person: day 13

Working at doing things differently

Almost as a counter-balance to reworking and reusing old material Marc works hard at doing things differently from other composers, especially those from previous eras. His aim in doing this is not about being original for originality's sake. It is about offering something fresh for his musicians to play and his audiences to hear.

It is not always necessary or appropriate to do things differently. Many of the demands of life and work are best dealt with in tried, tested and generally accepted ways. This not only helps others quickly understand what we are doing but also helps us quickly achieve things. Creative thinking, however, requires fresh and stimulating thinking and approaches and one of the best ways of achieving this is to work at doing things differently.

When you need to be creative practise the previously described skill of suspending judgement to avoid automatic assumptions about how you will do things. Set yourself some awkward rules to help you not only suspend your judgements but also encourage you to do things differently. Look out the window again, but this time look for what someone else is doing to solve your problem and start doing it yourself. Force yourself to do things differently by setting yourself a one-day challenge to solve a problem or address an issue. 


To read the complete article click here.

Diary of a creative person: day 12

Reworking and reusing old material

A key part of Marc's creative process is reworking old material to create new works. He will take the music from a previously written piece and challenge himself to develop it in new ways. This gives his work not only a consistent style but also a strong sense of continuous growth and development. 

When trying to be creative we can easily fall into the originality trap, where we assume that innovative ideas must be based upon completely new concepts and approaches. This is not true. In fact, as Marc's example shows us, being creative is as much about putting demands for originality 'back in their box' as it is about thinking 'outside the box'; finding ways to reimagine old ideas and use them in new ways to solve new problems is an often undervalued but essential aspect of effective and productive creative problem solving.        

So, remember the phrase 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue' and focus upon the old and borrowed: adapt old ideas and approaches to current problems; borrow existing solutions from elsewhere and adapt them to your needs. Go back to the original idea; uncover what has been forgotten or is no longer used and find ways to adapt it to your current situation. Time shift your thinking: ask yourself how you would have solved a problem ten years ago and find ways to adapt the approach to your current needs.


To read the complete article click here.