Some people believe that freedom means doing whatever one pleases. Nothing could be further from the truth. Freedom is about making choices. And one's choices defines whom one becomes. People seem to forget that freedom actually means taking responsibility for oneself and others. Freedom is about choosing which burdens to bear. Freedom is about choosing one's passions and obsessions. As creative leaders, we are free to choose how we express our ideas, beliefs and opinions including what paints or metaphors to use. Our freedom is in the choices we make. But freedom is not just about our expression, it is also about our obsessions. What are we focused on? Where do we spend our time? What are our passions? What drives us to share? Freedom is also about choosing to accept our burdens. None of us live without pain or challenge. We all face the darkness that haunts our dreams. We must choose to accept that which weighs us down, to shoulder our responsibilities, to bear the brunt of our pain.
About Hephzibah Menuhin
Hephizibah Menuhin was born in San Francisco on May 20, 1920 and was descended from a distinguished rabbinical dynasty. She became a pianist, writer and human rights activist. She died January 1, 1981.
"My future starts when I wake up every morning. Every day I find something creative to do with my life."
— Miles Davis
American Musician
1926 - 1991
Commentary
How do you wake up every morning? Are the creative juices flowing? The life of the creative leader is about creating — about finding new ways of seeing the world. About living the creative life.
The creative life is an attitude — a way of embracing the world. Are you open to the possibilities? The new beginnings? Or have you closed your mind and heart and see only a narrow path before you? Miles Davis, the musician, was always changing, exploring the music, finding new pathways, seeing new possibilities. Whenever he felt himself growing stagnant, he would change directions, take a new path. As a jazz musician, he improvised, played off of his fellow musicians, and changed the notes.
Are you living the creative life? Or are you stagnant? Do you hide behind what you created? Or are you growing? Improvising? Exploring alternative paths? Are you open new ideas?
Creative Practice
Try something new this week — a new painting technique, a new form of poetry, a different style of music. Do something you have never done — work with clay, write a song, learn to dance. Wake up the creativity inside. Develop a creative attitude.
Biography
Miles Davis was born in Alton, Illinois to Miles Henry Davis and Cleota May Davis. His father was a dentist and moved the family to East St. Louis in 1927. Miles thought of going to medical school, but his love of music was too strong. His father gave him a trumpet at the age of thirteen and paid for music lessons. By sixteen, Miles was playing professionally when not in school. At seventeen, he spent a year playing in the Blue Devils, Eddie Randle's band. In 1944, the Billy Eckstine band, which included Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, visited East St. Louis. Miles had an opportunity to play with the band for a couple of weeks because the regular trumpet player was sick. In the fall of 1944, Davis moved to New York to study at Juilliard School of Music. He eventually dropped out to play music full time. In 1945, when Dizzy Gillespie left Charlie Parker's band, Miles was hired to replace him. He recorded and traveled with the band. During these years Miles played as well as recorded with various bands. In 1955, Davis had an operation to remove polyps on his larynx. He damaged his vocal tones and consequently, he had a raspy voice the remainder of his life. Davis recorded 48 studio albums and 36 live albums during his life. Video: Spend some time listening to a discussion of the Miles Davis Kind of Blue Album, created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the production of the album. Then listen to the album itself.
As I write this I am listening to the songs of Simon and Garfunkel, one of my favorite groups. Like many people, I was disappointed when they broke up. I loved their songs which defined the world for me when I was a teenager. I loved the lyrics. I stopped following either musician after they broke up. I probably should have followed Simon since he was the creative genius behind the group. The above lyrics come from Kathy's Song, which he wrote in 1965 while in England.
Do you have any creative work left unfinished? A painting? A poem? A novel? I do. I have a novel I spent 4 years writing, but never finished. I also have several short stories. These days I tend to write my poems in one sitting with little or no rewriting.
Do you believe in what you create or do you like Simon in these lyrics doubt what you have created? Have you lost faith in your creative skills?
Here is Simon and Garfunkel singing Kathy's Song. Enjoy.
The act of creation is an emotional act. We write because we need to express our emotions. We paint because we need to express how we feel. We sing because our hearts are crying. And we connect with our audience because they too feel what we feel. Novelists and poets fail when their work become too cerebral, too much about ideas. Novelists are at their best when they tell a story that connects with emotions of their audiences.
"I learned you have to trust yourself, be what you are, and do what you ought to do the way you should do it. You have got to discover you, what you do, and trust it."
Learning to trust one's instinct is probably one of the most difficult tasks that every artist needs to learn at some point in one's career. This trust goes deep to the very core of one's being. Trust begins by discovering who you are and accepting yourself. Trust comes with time and experience.
When I speak to an audience, I have learned to trust my instincts — to listen to that small voice inside and do what it asks me to do even when I don't know why. The times I run into problems are when I question that voice and don't listen to it.
Artistic folks are often perfectionists who are slow to let their work out into the larger world. We need to learn to take a leap of faith — to believe enough in our work to let others experience it. Sure, the work will find critics and those who don't understand and maybe even controversy, but that is okay. The work must see the light of day. So take the leap and jump off the cliff. Share your work with others.
Have you embraced your fears or do your fears control your every move? It is by facing our fears that we become who we are meant to be. Holding our feet to the fire makes us stronger and wiser. Step into that circle. Look fear in the eye and demand that he set you free. You are stronger than your fears.
Self-confidence is a key trait of creative leaders. We need to believe in ourselves and the work we do. We need to be confident that we will be successful. But we also need to be humble. Self-confidence is a great characteristic to have, but if one is not careful the self-confidence can turn into arrogance. Self-confidence coupled with humility makes for a better leader. Many times if one digs deep enough one finds that the arrogant person actually lacks self-confidence. He covers up the lack of confidence by acting tough. If one is truly self-confident in one's ability and skills, one has no need to be arrogant. One is instead humbled by the gift he has been given.
"A teacher's hardest lesson is to limit his explanation to the minimum."
— Ernst Bacon
American Composer, Pianist, Conductor
1898 - 1990
Sometimes less is more. For creative leaders this is a valuable lesson. Writers often put too much into their works. Sometimes what is not said is more important than what is said. Too much explanation can destroy the novel. We need to learn to leave out the kitchen sink. The same is true for painters. What is left out of the picture is more important sometimes than what is included. Photographers understand this. What can we take away from this photo to make it even stronger? Remember less is more. What sentences or paragraphs can be left out of the story?
"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong."
— Ella Fitzgerald
American Singer
1917 - 1996
Too many people give up too soon on their dreams. Keep in mind that dreams have no time limits. Keep dreaming. Keep striving. Keep believing. Once you give up on your dreams there is little reason to keep living. Remember it is about the journey, not the destination. Keep writing. Keep singing. Keep painting. It is not about money or sales or celebrity. It is about the work. Keep creating.
"When I speak of the gifted listener, I am thinking of the non-musician primarily, of the listener who intends to retain his amateur status. It is the thought of just such a listener that excites the composer in me."
Artists, musicians, actors, speakers, storytellers and writers all want and need a caring audience who is interested in their work. We want and need an audience who understands and appreciates what we create. Finding such an audience takes time and patience. And sometimes it takes several lifetimes. Be grateful for the audience you have and give thanks to those who take the time to appreciate what you create.
Pick up any book on writing and the person will invariably say something about writing about what you know. And that is probably true about any of the arts. The best place to start is with something you know something about. That does not mean you have to know everything. And we have all had experiences including emotional ones. It is the emotion that we need to convey in our art.
"Despite a lack of natural ability, I did have the one element necessary to all early creativity: naivete, that fabulous quality that keeps you from knowing just how unsuited you are for what you are about to do."
As creative leaders we must begin each project with beginner's mind. Being naive allows us to try new things without the history of the past. I heard a story of a new garment salesman in New York. Every experienced salesman knew that the buyers did not want to see a salesman during the Christmas holiday so they did not make sales calls. The new guy didn't know the past so he made sales calls and outsold everyone that month. Don't let the myths get in your way. Choose to see the world with the eyes of a child. Be open to new ways, new habits.
"I will make a mistake on stage. And you know what? I welcome that first mistake. Because then I can shrug it off and keep smiling. Then I can get on with the performance and turn off that part of the mind that judges everything. I'm not thinking or worrying anymore."
Being perfect does not make us successful. Often it is the mistakes that make us who we become. The mistakes make us human. People often identify with our mistakes more than our successes. I once hired a speaker who through her stories appeared to live the perfect life and she turned off at least a third of the audience. Sometimes it is better to show weakness than strength. So forgive yourself your mistakes. They are what make you human and will eventually make you successful. Often new ideas, products and opportunities come from failures. How have you benefited from your failures?
Often we don't know the source of our creativity and so pretend that it came from a muse. Have you ever written something and had no idea where it came from? Have you ever painted something and surprised yourself with your own originality? You are no different than the greatest writers, painters or musicians. Be happy that the muse visited you. Celebrate the gift of creativity that you have been given.
Do you have faith in your creativity? Do you believe in yourself and your work? Do you wake up cheerful each day eager to begin creating? Gentleness and humor go a long way to making the day joyful. Cultivate humor in your life and heart. Be gentle in your criticism of yourself, your work and your friends. We all need a little more faith to help us through the challenges we face.
When does an artist stop learning? According to Frank Glazer who in February turned 97: "Never." He says he is still learning to play the piano. Are you still learning? Are you continuing to grow and develop? What have you learned today? Last week? Last month? What books have your read? What seminars have you attended? What conversations have you had with other artists? You should never stop learning. The older I become, the more I realize what I don't know. I hope that like Frank Glazer I will still be writing, speaking and learning at 97. Don't give up on yourself.
Here is a video clip of Glazer playing the piano and discussing his first public appearance.
(Glazer made this comments in 2010 at the age of 95 to Bill Glauber of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.)
We all face challenges in life. How we handle these challenges helps to form our character and our soul. Sometimes these challenges will knock us off our feet and leave us lying face down in the mud. We must find the strength to climb to our feet and regain our courage. Only in distress do we learn who we really are. What challenges are you facing today? Have the challenges knocked you down? Have you picked yourself back up? What are you learning about yourself?
Here is Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon performing Old Ship of Zion. You have to hear this.
You and I live in a very negative world. Just listen to the news on TV, read the daily newspaper and listen to the people around you. If we want to remain positive amidst this negativity, we need to give ourselves daily doses of motivation. We need to daily feed our minds and our hearts with inspirational words. We feed ourselves food daily because we are hungry. We take baths regularly because we become dirty. The same is true for our spirit. We are in charge of what enters our minds, our hearts and our souls.
The reason this blog is called Daily Inspiration is because each of us needs to feed positive energy into our spirit. So how can you use the the positive quotes I share with you everyday? Here are some ways to daily feed your soul.
Memorize each quote and repeat it to yourself throughout the day.
Write the quote down and reread it throughout the day.
Share the quote with others and tell them what it means to you.
Meditate on the meaning of the quote for 10 - 15 minutes.
Keep a journal and write down what the quote means to you and how you will apply it to your life.
Do you put all of yourself into your art or do you hold a part of yourself back? The more you give of yourself, the more powerful your art becomes. Painting and writing are not nine-to-five jobs. You must be involved in your art 24/7. Every conversation and every book you read impacts your creative expression. Every broken relationship and every love affair affects the art you create. So are you blowing your horn with your body and soul? Are you giving everything you have?
Listen to Satchmo sing "What A Wonderful World" and enjoy the photos.
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