Practice Creativity

I'm always on the lookout for inspiration, a new idea, a trick that makes it easier to accomplish my goals. No matter the passion of the moment … gardening, cooking, quilting, childrearing, playing the dulcimer … I assume every person I meet has something to teach me about how to do something better.

Of course, many of these tidbits are specific to one area of interest. But when it comes to creativity, the nice surprise is that some bits of wisdom may be applied across the board to all sorts of endeavors.

Years ago, when our creative young daughter wanted to learn to paint I signed her up for lessons with a local artist. I still remember her tips for success:

• Paint every day.
• Paint a lot.
• Don't throw anything away because you might be able to turn it into something else later.

A friend recently shared advice she'd learned from a professional fabric artist:

• Set aside some time every day to simply play at the sewing machine.
• No expectations. No judgement. Just sew.
• Choose a favorite piece of work and change it just a little. Then change it again.

Can you imagine applying these principles to your music practice?
Grow and stay fresh in your practice, no matter what that practice is.