(part 20 of 20)
The Elusive Creative Flow
It’s crucial for musicians to understand the thought process behind effective practice, so they can rapidly identify problematic passages and work effectively to master them. It’s also crucial for composers–and all creative artists–to understand the thought process behind creative productivity, so they can fully harness inspiration when it strikes, making those strikes richer and more frequent. This involves identifying both what slows the composition process and what speeds it up. Unfortunately (but interestingly), the path can be elusive, varying from person to person.
Listed below are things that can help maximize creative productivity. These are not all universal, so experiment to find what works. For some people, the polar opposite of an idea below might be best.
- Time of day that inspiration is most likely to strike:
- For many people, the closer to sleep the better. Either right after waking up in the morning, or in the evening.
- Composing immediately after a nap can also be quite productive.
- Feeling unmotivated to compose at these times can be very common, but do it anyway. Push to begin. With a little luck, that feeling of being “in the zone” just might start to set in.
- By midday creativity often wanes, ideas may flow much slower, and they might be less likely to excite.
- Less creative times of day can be good for working on ear training, piano technique, or taking a nap.
- Creative flow:
- While writing the outline of a composition, when melodic and harmonic ideas are flowing, it’s easy to get distracted by details. Details are often easy to flesh out later, and inspiration won’t wait, so quickly write as much skeleton/general outline as possible, maximizing inspiration when it strikes. Think of it as making a quick rough sketch.
- Build up stamina for composition:
- While composing, push to continue as long as good progress is being made. At some point–be it in two hours, four hours, or twenty minutes–the mind will tire and ideas will flow less easily. This is a logical time to take a break, but first, push to continue just a little bit longer. Really concentrate to regain some of that creative flow and push on for another 10 minutes or so. This is a great mental exercise not only for building up stamina to compose, but also for training the mind to recognize the state of creative flow–to more easily enter it in the future.
- Mental and physical health are intertwined. Both play an immense role in productivity of all kinds. Eat healthy foods, drink water, get plenty of sleep, and exercise daily. Everyone should seek out and spend time with people they can talk openly with, people who respect and care for them, people who they enjoy being around. This is true for creative artists like composers too.
- The romantic idea of “the tortured artist” is simply a case of correlation, not causation. Creative artists often see the world from a different perspective. This different way of thinking might in some cases make them susceptible to economic difficulties or mental illness, but it doesn’t mean artists are doomed to tragedy–and it certainly doesn’t mean artists need hardship in order to create. These myths are extremely harmful and need to be dispelled. Great artists of the past generally saw their productivity plummet during extreme hardship, and many of their greatest works were conceived when things were going well. Genius shines brightest when the mind is in peak form. All artists should strive to improve their mental health, for the sake of their art!
- Artists must find what works for them:
- When inspiration strikes, be extremely attentive to this current mental/emotional state. How does it feel? What led up to it? Did it start from being tired, alert, angry, sad, excited, calm, stressed? Was their some notable mental or emotional shift as this heightened creative state set in? The variables won’t always be the same, but search for patterns. Creative flow can be elusive, so keep an open mind and be persistent. Take notes.
- As patterns emerge, shedding light on entering the state of creative flow, it should be easier to return to that state through practice and experimentation. This can be similar to achieving a meditative state, or lucid dreaming.
- When composing (or anytime creative energy is used), inspiration reserves are drained. Recharge them. Go to an art gallery, read poetry, listen to music, take a walk, watch a movie, have a good in-depth conversation with a friend–anything that’s likely to inspire and stimulate thought from an interesting perspective. A general rule of thumb: roughly equal parts input (things that inspire) and output (creative work) are needed for optimal creative productivity.
Combine inspiration, creativity, technique, and discipline, and great things will be possible.
END
Index
- Introduction
- Why Piano?
- Improvisation:
- Notation:
- Related Skills/Knowledge:
- Composition: