Last December I started collaborating on a musical. My friend Matt had written the entire script, including lyrical drafts of almost all the songs. What he needed was a composer and tunesmith who could provide musical ideas as well as craft the lyrics into workable form.
I began working over Christmas break. By March 1st, we had nine songs completed, which we sang as part of a read-through with twenty or more people present.
Nine songs in a little over two months!
Prior this project, I have written dozens of songs, put out two piano albums, and written music for multiple live theater shows (including an instrumental score for “Frankenstein,” which I had six weeks to write and work with the band to get ready for performance). In addition, I’ve been writing in this blog for four years, which included an entire year where I wrote every single day. For 365 days in a row.
The point I’m trying to make here is that, with all of these creative projects, I always had faith that the ideas would be there. I stepped up to the plate, so to speak, and every single time, I swung away, and hit the ball somewhere. I may have not known ahead of time where it was going, but I knew it would go somewhere!
Like writing this blog: I absolutely did not have a plan for what I would write about. Sure, there are trends. But mostly, I am doing the same process I do for song-writing or composing. I get up to the creative plate and swing!
I have learned a few things from this experience:
- You need to be in a receptive mode. The idea might hit you while you are watching a movie, or having a conversation. Again and again, I received the inspiration. I received the ideas. It may not seem that easy but once you experience what I mean, you see how easy it is!
- You have to set your intention to be creative and then let go. For the musical, I didn’t have to overly control the process. I I set my intention, infused with desire to write these awesome songs, and the ideas kept flowing to me. One by one, I got them done.
- Again, the ideas are ALWAYS there! They always come!
- You must believe in your ideas, you must believe in your creativity. You must let it flow. That’s how creativity happens.
So if you are wanting to be more creative, slow down. Calm your thoughts. And let yourself receive.
Let the ideas come to you. If you tune in, they just… come!