Creative Wellness Letters - follow your whims? ✨

Hi Reader, 

Have you read anything fun lately? I just picked up Bookish People by Susan Coll from the new books section of the library (my favorite area to browse), because it looked fun (and so far, it is!) Almost every time I walk in to pick up one book on hold, I come home with 5 or 6 that I picked up on a whim.

I just came across one of Austin Kleon’s recent newsletters, Read at Whim!, that speaks to the idea of reading whatever looks fun, regardless of any “guilty pleasure” status you might have assigned to it. (It’s behind a paywall, but you can get the gist from the beginning of it.)

That got me thinking about the word “whim”. What comes up when you hear someone say, “Oh, I just did that on a whim?”

     Spontaneity? Someone who resists planning? Immaturity?

     Or sparks of wonder, delight, and excitement?

It probably depends on what they were talking about, of course, but I can confidently say that, if I hadn’t followed whims, I would have written very little, if any music! 

Following these whims, sparks, glimmers, whatever you would like to call them, is a key part of our creative processes.

Another enjoyable read for me was Ben Folds’ memoir A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons, which speaks to the same concept, except he frames it as following interest, not instinct.

Side note: I loved this book for its insights on the creative process, but it also thrilled my inner 16-year-old, because Ben Folds Five was the first band that got me truly obsessed with music, motivated me to learn songs I liked by ear, and showed me that the piano could be cool! I want to go down this rabbit hole of talking about formative artistic influences, but that needs its own letter (soon!)

Ben Folds writes: 

“I used to tell people that I followed my instinct when making artistic and career decisions. But these days I am more likely to say that I follow my interest…I’m compelled to turn corners and pages out of interest, not because of instinct. Whenever I’ve announced, “I’m going with my instincts on this one,” I’ve felt like I was throwing down a challenge against all advice, facts, or common sense. …That places too much pressure on my instinct. It’s too results-oriented to feel artistic. I believe an artistic decision should be allowed to feel innocent, unburdened, and uncorrupted by considerations of outcome.

“…I used to feel guilty when I strayed from the Script™. Mine, of course, has always been tour-record-tour-record…Whatever your personal Script™, others become accustomed to, and dependent on, your following it. Veering off to follow interests can raise great concern. For instance, anyone whose livelihood might depend on my success might not want to see me taking too many unlucrative detours. Too many of those and lights out.

But I no longer feel guilt for following what glows, for going off-book. It turns out that it’s actually my responsibility to identify and follow my interests. Being interested is why I still have a gig at all.”

He goes on to explain how following his interests has led to all kinds of interesting opportunities that he couldn’t have predicted, like The Sing-Off, an NBC prime-time singing show for a capella groups, taking a year to compose a concerto for piano and orchestra which was premiered by the Nashville Symphony, and lobbying for arts funding with Americans for the Arts.

Sure, these are all pretty high-profile opportunities that many of us wouldn’t necessarily have access to without Ben Folds' level of fame, but you never know what might happen down the road!

However, the spontaneous, uncertain nature of trusting your whims and interests can be exactly why we might dismiss the creative urge in favor of something more certain / easy to finish / moneymaking / etc. 

It can feel terrifying to follow the urge to create, even when it’s technically very non-threatening. (There are no tigers waiting inside my piano to jump out and eat me if I play something that sounds bad.)

Even so, last week I struggled to convince myself to spend meaningful time at the piano creating. 

Practicing music for a choir I accompany or reading through something classical to learn the notes didn’t feel scary, but the vulnerability of trying to improvise or compose really did. 

I was excited about having 2 open days that I could fill with luxurious music making, but instead, I convinced myself that it wasn’t that important, because I was scared of not knowing where to start.

I have tons of tools for this, and routinely use them to help creative coaching clients and myself out of these sorts of creative evasions, but sometimes it’s just hard!

The thing that cracked through this bout of resistance (and yes, they are always temporary, as long as you don't give up) was coming across this fun quarantine-era pandemic musical collaboration with a few of my Brazilian music friends. 

I remembered that I liked this song, and that I haven’t played it in a while, so I started there, playing along with a percussion backing track, and let my interests lead me through lots of tunes, improv, and even a minor compositional breakthrough!

The critical ingredients for easing myself into what, at first, felt like a cold bath: plenty of time (alone time!), and letting myself follow what felt good, no expectations or rigid goals - a leisurely yet productive Sunday. 

Sometimes it doesn’t matter where it’s leading, the purpose is just to get you back on the path of making something, and more importantly, enjoying it. 

Engaging in the process and being present IS the purpose.

We get to (and need to!) do things just because they’re fun!

If you need to practice trusting your interests and whims, reading, connecting with fellow artists, and seeking out inspiration is a great, low-stakes way to start. As Ben Folds says, “…surrounding myself with the people I find interesting, and who share the same interests, keeps my inner robot at bay.” 🤖

Embrace the randomness and chaos of being human where you enjoy doing so - you really never know when that thing you did on a whim, that random email you wrote to a potential collaborator because “why not try” will grow into something unexpectedly cool - seeds scattered are full of possibility! 

🌰  ➡️  🌱  ➡️  🌳🌳🌳

So what spring whims are you following lately? What seeds are you planting? Please do share, I would love to cheer you on!

Stay well, my friends - I'm always rooting for you. My inbox is always open, so please feel free to reach out if I can help in any way. 

I always love hearing from you!

Have a lovely week! ⁠

Rebecca

• Lightning Bugs - This is the accompanying podcast to Ben Folds' book, where he talks to creative people about their work, and they give advice to fellow creators. It is also great!
• What A Happy Life As A Musician Looks Like - A series of pie charts reminding us of the many possibilities - you don't have to fit yourself into one prescribed kind of artistic career box.
• Building A Better Brain Through Dance, Music, and Poetry - Our art is important for many reasons! 

BAWP is currently on winter break (new spring episodes coming in May!), but I popped in with a new year update: 

• Ep. 71: My 2023 Word of the Year + Reflecting on 2022

I still love the practice of choosing a theme word for the year, to help guide new year intentions and goals. It can be a wonderful filter for what feels intuitively right to do and create, whether in place of or along with more structured planning and goal setting.

In this episode I share about my intentions for my 2022 word PLAY, how it turned out in practice, why I’m excited about my new word for 2023, and some tips for choosing your own word of the year.

Join us in Compassionate Creativity Coworking Club 

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• Rise Above the Overwhelm: laser-focused 1-time sessions

• Creative Season (3 months)