This week on YouTube, I watched an interview with Paul McCartney. Among the many interesting topics he covered, McCartney's view of the creative process intrigued me the most. When a person has written hundreds (and hundreds) of songs for more than 50 years, how does something new come to be?
Sir Paul responded to those questions with answers I did not expect. He said that his musical creativity arises primarily from the abundant music in all genres he has listened to over the years. I envision him filling up with beauty until it overflows into his own work. The process does not entail planning and thinking, organizing and structuring according to the rules of music theory. It emerges organically (to mix the metaphor) as a seed sown, watered and grown in sunlight with tender care.
During my previous career, I had many occasions to speak in public. Some were painful and stilted; others flowed naturally and were enjoyable, both for the audience and for me. Thepleasant occasions always surrounded subject matter I knew well and cared about deeply. My mind was filled with facts, connections, and emotions that overflowed as an integrated whole without a lot of effort. It was less enjoyable and effective to speak on an unfamiliar topic, when I labored to piece together sparse information, memorize, and deliver it with a modicum of organization and flow.
For the six years of writing Reflections, I have found a similar dynamic in play with my creative process. The earliest issues were awkward, as I wrote and followed outlines constructed around key messages and grammatical rules. Only as I spent more time practicing this new craft did I begin to notice the link between my writing, reading, and conversations with others. The more I explored the fields of personal growth and spirituality, the more easily and artfully my own reflections and the words that expressed them emerged.
It occurs to me now that these examples apply broadly to our lives as a whole. The more we seek out and take in worthwhile experiences, the more easily we can create the lives that we want. We must, however, choose those experiences with care. If I want to be cheerful, I will celebrate regularly, read positive literature, and hang out with positive people. If I want to be wise, I will look for influences that deepen my understanding and expand my perspective. If I want to be loving, I will find and savor expressions of love in the lives of others. Rich and well-crafted music sows the seeds for a master composer. Skillful writing feeds the author. A love of learning develops the creative teacher.
It is easy to imagine that creative effort springs forth, fully formed, as an outcome of unique inborn gifts. While natural talent is, no doubt, a factor, the choice of how we fill our hearts and minds sets the course for what overflows into what we do.
Where do you see the connection between intake and output in your life? Would some different choices take you more easily where you want to go?
