FINDING YOUR CREATIVE CONNECTION
Weekly Inspiration to help you connect to your creativity.
This week’s creativity trigger is a good and fun spark for anyone…
#3 Listening to Live Music
Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer, has come and gone… and the weather in NJ has been amazing. Summer for us means outdoor live music! We keep a calendar as there are so many great programs in our area and we try to catch as many as possible.
Over the weekend a favorite one, Downtown after Sundown in South Orange, kicked off with Viva Flamenco… acoustic guitars, singing and flamenco dancing! Those haunting spell-binding guitars reach down into my soul. Sitting out in the fresh air and sinking into music like that sets something free for me. And my imagination is ignited. And look at all that color, it was also a visual feast.
Normally we bring chairs and beverages (sometimes adult beverages) and I will have a sketchbook with me. But we were heading to dinner from the performance so that night we sat on the wall with no accoutrements, and still it was lovely and wonderful.
The next day I put on some Spanish acoustic guitar and worked on some sketches. I was able to relive the feeling and tap into that creative energy.
Viva Flamenco
I loved watching the dancers hands, they were so expressive and definitive in their movements and positioning. It was fascinating to watch. I exaggerated the size of her hands in the sketch to draw the eye. And I just loved that she had on a purple dress, red shoes and a yellow flower. So colorful and So. Much. Fun.
I think getting out of your routine and experiencing the talent and proficiency of musicians is an excellent spark for creativity of any kind. You can bring a notebook or a sketchbook with you in case it triggers ideas and so there is no risk of forgetting any gems. I hope you will look around and see if your town, or surrounding area, have any free outdoor music programs this summer. It’s all about the flow and tapping into it whenever you can.
I encourage you to get outside, listen to live music, and see what surfaces. If you are inspired try some sketching or doodling while listening. Whether you think you draw well or not, the process opens the flow to the right brain.
Please let me know if it helps you! See you next Tuesday.
Stay creative my friends.
Erin
Click here to sign up for my email newsletter to stay connected.
This blog series is an exploration into staying creatively connected. How to find it, nurture it, and keep it flowing. And, possibly to find it again if it’s been disconnected for years, or decades.
In each weekly post I will share one idea/artist date/activity that I have tried and invite you to give it a try for your own creativity connection. If it’s flowing, there is so much more peace and enjoyment in life.