We are all different. We know that. One could argue, given our proclivity for an instrument very few people every attempt, much less become proficient, we are quite different. Yay us!

One of the major ways we differ from one another is in our fearlessness. Full disclosure – I’m a chicken most of the time. How about you? I am fortunate to be able to hang out with some incredibly fearless people though.

Ok, fearless can mean a lot of things but right now I’m thinking about being brave while being creative with our playing. And on that, we all run the gamut!

We all know of people who somehow rub two notes together and suddenly an amazing, lush, brilliant blanket of sound bursts forward, enveloping us and taking us places we never even dreamed of!

And we all know people who take something beautiful and amplify it, generating landscapes of abundance that leave us breathless!

And then there are those who are tentatively bold, making little nips and tucks but sticking fairly close to the well known – never straying too far from the shore.

And there are those who are small and timid, sticking strictly with the program, using what was given and becoming comfortable, never straying off the beach.

As I read this, it feels judge-y. Its not meant to be – I can’t seem to leave sight of the shore myself. What I do know is that we are all in awe of the first two and may wonder how we get into their lofty ranks! How do we move in that direction (even if we don’t get to the pinnacle)?* Here’s how:

“To create, one must first question everything. Never adopt someone else’s conclusion without putting it to the test of your own reasoning and imagination.”

Eileen Gray (architect & furniture designer)**

And right there is the crux of the differences between our boldness and creativity – it’s in the questions we ask. In the questions we think to ask and in those we’re willing to ask.

Here’s the secret – it never hurts to ask a question. And it nearly always opens door to another dimension of thinking about the original question. But if we’re not in the habit of asking questions of ourselves and our music – how do we do it? How do we ask ourselves musical questions and create our own music?

1. Be quiet. Asking questions (even of yourself) will go better if you have a moment to think. Because really, that’s what your question starts as – a moment to think. We often don’t give ourselves this luxury – even when we think we do. Breathe, quiet your mind, focus, and ask.

2. Is this good? isn’t a starting question. When you’re in questioning mode to get your creative juices flowing you don’t need to critique right out of the gate. Just ask – there really are no stupid questions.

3. Ask questions that lead to more questions. What will clarify your thinking and build your creative flow? You don’t want to know if it’s good, you want to know what it’s missing, where might this lead, or how it might fly higher. Don’t stop with the first question you think of, keep going, there’s gold in there.

4. Focus on your thoughts, not the tune. Eventually you’ll need to polish up your ideas, but when you’re asking questions, your focus is on discovery not performance. You can worry about how to make your ideas come out of your harp later. For now, the questions are focused on what might be, could be.

5. Challenge everything. Sometimes the best, most creative ideas get cut because implementation is intimidating (“I won’t ever be able to do 3-on-2”, “My four note arpeggios aren’t good enough”, “I can’t play that fast”, blahblahblah). Just because you don’t think you can do something right now doesn’t mean that you should abandon the questions. Questions lead to creative ideas. Implementation is improved through practice – totally different animals. Grab your ideas – worry about pushing your limits later!

6. What-if is your best friend. What-if has a million possible answers. What-if opens doors, windows, dog flaps, and other entrances! What-if leads to other questions, other opportunities, other ideas, other chances to be brave.

You might have noticed that being brave is a central element here – and you’re right. But let’s leave this here with creativity this week. We can talk about being brave later. As for now – what other questions would you want to ask you as you continue to create your music? If you’re more timid, what questions would you ask yourself this week to push your creativity just a little farther from the shore? Let me know in the comments!

* This is also a continuum – we’re all over the map, there’s no defined categories.

**Source: Eileen Gray: Her Work and Her World