Staying Creative

Thanks, I'm pretty sure, to Alex Ross ("Unquiet Thoughts", his blog), I read what I found an interesting piece by composer Anne Gosfield ("The Score: Advice to Young Composers", New York Times, 5 December 2009).

She said in her introduction that, via an email interview, she was surprised by the question "Any advice for young composers?" It seems that part of the reason she was surprised is that she thinks of herself as a "young" composer, but–well, we aging people feel that pretty frequently. Sometime I'll go through all those "that made me feel old" anecdotes.

I liked her advice, which I found oddly useful despite it's rather philosophical self-help sound; evidently what she said aligned well with what I think myself, but it's very helpful to see your thoughts written in someone else's words sometimes! This is creativity that we're talking about here and it can be hard to pin down and specify just how to do it. For creative types, useful advice can be ideas that stimulate other ideas and trains of thought.

In this case I think "creative types" could be rather broad, too, to include artists of all types and scientists of all types, to address the two halves of my own brain. Here are the maxims she wrote down, ideas that struck me as useful points for reflection. If you'd like to read the paragraph that accompanied each one with Ms. Gosfield's ideas about how they apply to being a "young composer", follow the link above.

  1. Always consider yourself a young composer.
  2. Take your work seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously.
  3. Details count.
  4. Be willing to put yourself and your music on the line.
  5. Avoid well-worn paths.
  6. Don’t fear rejection.
  7. Don’t assume you know what’s accessible to the audience and what isn’t.
  8. If you chose to study composition, spend your time in school studying what you can’t learn in a club or a garage.
  9. Make sure you’re always doing some work that is yours and yours alone — not composed for the approval of teachers or colleagues.
  10. Never discount the power of the library.
  11. Remain curious and ask questions.
  12. Allow yourself to be led down the garden path.
  13. Make music, and make music happen.
Posted on December 10, 2009 at 20.52 by jns · Permalink
In: All, Common-Place Book, Personal Notebook, Wanderings

2 Responses

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  1. Written by S.W. Anderson
    on Thursday, 10 December 2009 at 23.14
    Permalink

    That looks like excellent advice for those engaged in a host of creative endeavors.

    Reading this advice, I couldn't help but wonder how the typical "Saturday Night Live" music guest performer(s) would react to it. I'm talking about performers who are current, hip and obviously want to make music in the worst possible way, and succeed spectacularly in doing exactly that.

  2. Written by Melanie
    on Friday, 11 December 2009 at 12.41
    Permalink

    Thanks for the link – I am always interested in ideas about creativity. And I am particularly fond of #10!

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