The Value of Time and Space for Peace of Mind and Sustainable Creativity
In my role as a music mentor and vocal coach with a focus on artistry, I work with a wide range of emerging and professional singers and performers within the world of popular music. My main client base consists of original singer/songwriters who are either solo artists or lead singers in bands and a range of other creatives who work in different art forms and environments; playwrights, orchestral composers, record label management teams, disability arts, performance artists, teams within the corporate sector, etc.
I wanted to write this blog in order to shed some light on what is means to live a professional, creative life as a singer/performer and highlight some of the benefits, risks and challenges that it brings. If like most successful creatives whose early dreams of success become reality, the benefits of immense satisfaction and fulfilment can be invaluable. The risks are that being in the public eye means that you are laying yourself open to criticism as well as praise and the challenges are how to navigate your way through it all and cope emotionally, mentally, physically and dare I say, spiritually - and I’m talking faith and not the bottle.
It’s one thing being judged, whether positively or negatively, for your talents and another thing entirely when that judgement extends to your private life, personal appearance, and other more terrifying but sadly prevalent scenarios that I will refrain from expanding on in this particular blog.
I am passionate about helping my clients to find the true inner confidence to develop clear strategies towards fulfilling their creative ambitions. I have 30 + years of professional experience of the transformative powers of daily lifestyle practices, changes in mindset, and the enhancement of creative skills in order to attain and sustain long, balanced and successful careers.
I think that in order to be successful in this industry and remain balanced, happy and secure, it is important to:
• Invest in yourself
• Keep a check on your mindset
• Stay curious
• Find networks of people to identify with
• Pay attention to how you feel when you feel it
• Prioritise a healthy lifestyle
• Get to understand your mind/body connection
• Create robust and flexible daily routines for yourself and implement them
• Practice your craft
• Keep learning
• Collaborate
These are just a handful of some of things that are needed to stay focussed and positive in a sea of uncertainty and increasing negative judgement.
A large part of my work is discussing the notion of deep listening and I don’t just mean listening to external things. It is really important to listen to ourselves in order to gain access to the inner flow of insights, ideas and inspirations that guide us towards our creative outputs. Time, space and ideally, silence is required in order to do that most effectively.
Deep listening provides answers that need time and space to be heard. Amidst the constant bombardment of technology and information overload, our ability to listen to ourselves has been blocked. Addictive scrolling is now a normal part of daily life but at what cost? Definitely my peace of mind if I’m not careful!
Personally, I make a point of being careful though because I know it’s better for my physical and psychological health. It gives my brain a rest and I can breathe more easily and more deeply. I can hear the sounds of life around me and remember that the natural world makes me feel better. Birdsong exists and the sounds of the elements inspire new thoughts and a sense of wonderment that I can easily forget about when I am mindlessly glued to a screen.
The recurring theme of my clients’ biggest anxieties are the demands on them to constantly have creative content for their social media platforms. They can never switch off and it means that when I suggest taking time away from social media to nurture their souls and re-energise, the resistance is real!
In recommending that they take an action of non-action which will enable them to regain a sense of safety, hope and optimism, it instead evokes fear, panic and a plethora of reasons why it isn’t doable. Further negotiation on how to introduce tiny steps towards creating balance is what seems to be working best, and the range of practical suggestions and solutions that I have in my creative recovery kit is definitely working. The main takeaways are that slowing down is good for us on so many levels and doing absolutely nothing on occasion is even better, especially if your creativity demands high productivity. Life feels better when there is balance and a sense of calm.
Technology is here to stay and there are some aspects of it that are wonderful but it is really important to use it wisely and not let it use you. It’s important to take a break from the massive dosages of continuous low-grade information that social media often gives us and allow ourselves to just be.
When we do this we can be introspective and reflect. Reflection is so important for our creative development and without it we just go from one thing to another without any real acknowledgement of our achievements, our mistakes, the lessons learned or the lessons to be learned. Reflection allows us to move towards autonomy and away from being blocked.
Try this very simple test.
Try switching technology off at regular intervals and enjoying peace without it. If you can incorporate that into your daily routine it will benefit you greatly. When your technology is off, really acknowledge how you feel. If you discover that you feel frustrated, angry or overwhelmed then it is an issue that needs to be addressed. Alternatively, if you feel calmer, a sense of relief and more at peace, then allow yourself to experience more of that on a regular basis. Whatever your response, use the time to breathe deeply and appreciate the natural beauty of the things around you. 30 minutes a day of stillness, doing absolutely nothing is a wonderful starting point and one that I highly recommend.
Over to you. I invite you try to it and share how you feel in the comments below.