Reading between the lines.
Thinking on your feet, creative problem solving, connecting
the dots. Whatever the label, it all comes down to the same thing: finding
patterns and connectivity between seemingly disparate objects, situations and
people.
Jeff Selingo writes convincingly in “The Hottest Job Skill Isn’t A Technical”
that the seemingly mysterious quality of being able to “connect the dots” is of
high value to employers…much more so than accepting that perfectionism is the
surest path to success.
Life is an organism…the quintessential zoetrope. Nothing is
perfect.
As composers, songwriters, producers (any creative
individual) we are called upon to find unique solutions. Be it the turn of a
musical phrase, a lyric, capturing a performance or deliberately choosing a
oboe or English horn to play a passage, we constantly make decisions.
How do we make decisions anyway?
We can either be aware of our choices or, we can
unconsciously stumble through relying on fear and/or habit. This too is a
choice. So, which path is more valuable?
We are conditioned to follow rules. Conformity and common
purpose provides the glue that holds us together as a society. But, at what point
does compliance become a liability?
Conformity isn’t necessarily bad. But, unconsciously
following rules stifles individual thought, creativity and innovation.
And, in our pursuit for perfection, adherence to the status
quo can lead us away from contemplating and questioning whether or not the
status quo is relevant for us… or not.
The older you get the more you see that life is messy, there
are no easy answers and, regardless of what you’ve been taught to believe we
spend the majority of our time making it up as we go along. We constantly live
our lives making choices.
If this is true then why not spend our time improving our
decision-making skills?
Why not focus your attention on how to make good choices
rather than get swept up in competency being the determining factor of self-worth?
What does any of this have to do with studying music and music creation?
Those of us who have been trained in the arts hold a distinct and powerful advantage over those trained as specialists in a trade.
We are trained to make decisions and to judge the relative
value of our choices. We are not exclusively constrained by rules of the status
quo.
We continually make it up as we go along…self-determining
how far to stretch the “box”.
For me, the key to making good choices and consistently
being able to connect the dots is to be aware and conscious of the choices I
make.
And, if you are a creative individual never forget you have
the power to choose, the ability to measure the consequences and the inherent
courage to make good choices.
It is precisely your connection to creativity that gives you ability to connect the dots…in any situation.
It’s that something special about you that creates value…
the unique way you approach problem solving and decision making.
Step One: the road to better decision-making
Spend your time listening to your inner voice. Don’t be afraid to dig deep to find out what is special about you…that something you do better than anyone else.
I suspect you will be surprised at what you find.
