Bright Sparks: Creative Practices to Light Your Way

Mistakes! Monsters in my worlds of creating, teaching and performing. The number one fear I hear from creatives is “What if I make a mistake?” Not “what if I don’t sound expressive?” Not “what if I don’t sound interesting?” No: mistakes dominate as the greatest fear. And I completely relate. I gave up my entire music career for four years due to mistake-phobia.

It’s strange, because as humans, we’re born problem-solvers. We’re always looking to fix and improve things. Problem-solving is the basis of our innovation and evolution: it’s creativity and life-affirmation in action, from the pianoforte to record lifespans.

Sometimes we humans are accused of “negativity bias.” We look for problems without appreciating what actually is working. We get stressed out as a result. But here the thing; problem-solving isn’t inherently negative. What is negative is our fear of making mistakes, our “complete embarrassment” when do we goof up as Olivia W. puts it, and our tendency to flee the scene af...

Do you feel giving & getting feedback is a bit scary? I understand. I feel the same. Yet it's a risk well worth taking, as the joys far outweigh the lows. Yes, by both giving and receiving feedback we:

• cultivate community

• accelerate our learning process

• stoke our inspiration

• identify blind spots

• build resilience

...to name just a few of the benefits!

How to give and receive healthy feedback? Start with this sweet technique: you'll set the stage for positivity and true communication.

You already know practicing in small chunks usually gets better results. But! It's easy to get caught up in the moment and practice too long, reversing your gains. Or, if you don't have a full hour at our disposal, we often don't practice at all, thinking it's not worth it!

Do you have a Practice Journal? For any art form, your Practice Journal = your personal Artistic Diary! See many examples of Journals here - you'll be able to find 1 in your space right now so you can get writing & reflecting immediately. Your Journal helps with tracking, motivation & inspiration, & more. Bonus: learn the several-second move that helps you get into the right frame of mind, heart & soul for productive practice.

Do you know how to take something from short-term memory into long-term memory?! Learn how and get a head up on Mastery with this Bright Knowledge Instant!

You asked: "What is the best way to transfer improvised music into notes to be able to replicate it?" Watch this Bright Knowledge Instant to hear the answer!

"Is it best to balance creativity with structure?" Addressing a question from you, our community today on this Bright Knowledge Instant!bright knowledge instants

How is breathing contributing to your creativity? Take a breath. Think about it for a moment. Then watch this brand new Bright Knowledge Instant and let us know!

Are you harnessing the power of community? Watch this Bright Knowledge Instant and find out how!

Do you need more time? Watch this Bright Knowledge Instant and reclaim your energy!