Creativity Traded for Efficiency
If you are interested at all in the concept of creativity, you need to read this Wall Street Journal article, “Chains That Set us Free.” Now, there have been any number of articles, musicians, and all kinds of creatives that talk about the benefits of setting limits when attempting to be creative. But, none have put it in such a way that really explained why boundaries are necessary for our brains to be most creative. Jonah Lehrer says, The larger lesson is that the brain is a neural tangle of near-infinite possibility, which...
read moreOn Creative Work by Ira Glass
Here’s some good advice and things to remember from Ira Glass, the host of This American Life.
read moreMust Art Teach a Lesson?
I have read many theological discussions and defenses of the arts, and I am always torn in my response to them. For one thing, it saddens me when we feel the need to justify art by making it serve some other non-artistic purpose like teaching morality. But also, many of these defenses of art (think of Christian justifications for fantasy) seem to be afflicted with excessive seriousness, even self-importance. Do I believe that art can be a catalyst for social change, a commentator on the human condition, a conveyer of truth, a powerful agent of...
read moreThe End-of-Project Sharing Element
Do you ever wonder why there isn’t more excitement about what you think are fun projects in your studio? Shouldn’t art projects, composing their own music, sight-reading challenges, etc. be thrilling for students? I’m reading a book called Using Technology to Unlock Musical Creativity and the author Scott Watson talks about 8 principles for unlocking music creativity. I think his principles are fantastic and every teacher should read the book to improve their teaching. Just now I was struck by principle #8 just now...
read moreBoredom and Curiosity
Here’s a great thought to follow-up the post: Why Are Adults Less Creative? ‘I’m a big believer in boredom,’ [Steve Jobs] told me. Boredom allows one to indulge in curiosity, he explained, and “out of curiosity comes everything.” The man who popularized personal computers and smartphones — machines that would draw our attention like a flame attracts gnats — worried about the future of boredom. ‘All the [technology] stuff is wonderful, but having nothing to do can be wonderful, too.’ - Steve Jobs...
read moreLearning from Giants
When a giant figure like Steve Jobs dies, everyone feels a need to comment. Of course, writing or commenting often helps us process our grief and shock in sad moments like these. But, sifting through the volume of comments and articles can be overwhelming. I don’t have anything new to say about Steve Jobs’ death of legacy, however I think I found just the right article for artists, composers and any entrepreneur. It is by David Cutler, author of The Savvy Musician. You can read his article here: What Artists Can Learn from...
read moreWhy Are Adults Less Creative?
I’m always reading articles on creativity and last week, I came across a quote about asking questions and curiosity. This obviously applies to parenting and teaching, but I wondered, “What does can this teach us as adults about how to get our childhood creativity back?” Tragically, it [asking questions] does stop. By middle school they’ve pretty much stopped asking. It’s no coincidence that this same time is when student motivation and engagement plummet. They didn’t stop asking questions because they lost interest:...
read moreArt and Self-doubt
I bought a book last weekend called Art & Fear: Observations on the perils (and rewards) of artmaking. I have yet to determine if it’s a good book, but there have been a number of good points made that I wanted to share. Especially for the very reflective individual, I found this particular quote quite telling: Making art precipitates self-doubt, stirring deep waters that lay between what you know you should be, and what you fear you might...
read moreWriting is Easy
While this is not necessarily inspirational, it does remind me that it is normal if the process of composing is often difficult, tiring, and taxing. It also made me chuckle. Here is a reflection on writing from Gene Fowler: Writing is easy: all you have to do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead.”
read moreEternal Appetite for Infancy Source
Quite a few people commented and sent me messages about the life-altering quote from G. K. Chesterton on repetition. I thought it might be good to tell you the source of this in case you want to read this fantastic book yourself. The quote is from the 4th chapter called “The Ethics of Elfland.” Doesn’t that chapter title just make you want to read it all the more? Here is a beautiful centennial version of Orthodoxy along with the quote again. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit...
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