Have you ever wondered how creative people find inspiration? Is it a sudden flash of brilliance, or does creativity grow through small, everyday practice?
Artists, writers and musicians may work in different ways, and although indeed flashes of brilliance can happen, creativity often develops through curiosity, experimentation and regular practice. (This can help the flashes of brilliance occur more often too!).
Creativity is a practice, not just a talent
We sometimes imagine that talented musicians/singers/artists simply wait, and beautiful music appears. In reality, creativity often grows through small, repeated actions. A writer might spend fifteen minutes putting ideas on paper, an artist might sketch every morning, and a musician might spend half an hour exploring a new melody, or play around with a work in progress, then come back to it another day.
Scientific research supports the importance of purposeful practice. A 2014 meta-analysis by Platz and colleagues found a substantial relationship between task-relevant practice and musical achievement. But developing musical skill is only part of the story. What happens to our experience of music as we practice, listen and explore?
Beyond practice: The aesthetics of making music
Having completed a Master’s degree in Aesthetics, these were some of the questions that came up whilst studying: What makes an artistic experience meaningful? How does the process of creating something change the way we listen, think and feel?
The philosopher John Dewey, in Art as Experience (1934), invites us to consider art not simply as an object to admire, but as something we actively experience.
This feels relevant when it comes to learning music.
When we play, improvise or discover a new melody, we’re doing more than developing a technical skill. We’re learning to listen more deeply, respond to sounds and find our own ways of expressing ourselves.
If creativity were only about the end result, I don’t think many of us would keep coming back to it. The journey itself matters just as much- the experience of exploring, experimenting and actively taking part in the creative process. Making music isn’t always enjoyable! There are times when practicing feels frustrating, when ideas don’t come together and nothing I play sounds good. In those moments, it can feel anything but fun! Yet even then, something worthwhile is happening.
I’m learning, exploring and working through the difficult parts, which are often necessary to move towards the moments when creating music really does feel like magic.
Improvisation: Where routine meets creativity
An interesting connection to art as an experience can also be found in the research paper Music Improvisation as an Aesthetic Event: Towards a Transactional Approach to Meaning-Making by Christina Larsson and Johan Öhman.
The authors explore how students make meaning through musical improvisation. Their work encourages us to look beyond the finished musical product and pay attention to the process itself: how we listen, respond, experiment and discover new possibilities.
When we improvise, even for a few minutes, we step away from simply reproducing something correctly and begin to explore our own relationship with sound.
Perhaps a creative routine is not simply a means to an end. It can be a daily opportunity to become more attentive, curious and open to new possibilities.
Make room for curiosity in your creative practice
Practice routines don’t have to be rigid. Some interesting musical discoveries happen when we stop worrying about getting everything right and allow ourselves to play. I encourage my students to work on improvisation and composition tasks along with their regular practice. Often it is the most challenging part of musicianship for them, but growth lies outside our comfort zone sometimes.
Ideas:
- Try changing the rhythm of a familiar tune
- invent a melody
- spending three minutes improvising.
- 15 minute practice session: Spend a few minutes warming up, work on your practice peices, and finish by playing freely, without worrying about mistakes.
These moments of exploration can make music more personal, enjoyable and meaningful.
You might be surprised by what you discover.
Creativity doesn’t always arrive before you begin. Sometimes, it appears because you began.
Further reading
- Dewey, J. (1934). Art as Experience. Read the paper
- Larsson, C., & Öhman, J. Music Improvisation as an Aesthetic Event: Towards a Transactional Approach to Meaning-Making. Read the paper.
