Using Music to Open One's Creativity

So many studies have been done on the benefits of music. Putting this on a more personal level, think about your own personal life and how certain music might enhance your emotions and affect your creativity.

I was raised on many types of music. I learned to enjoy all types of classical. My mother use to sing opera while cleaning house. I also experienced music such as the Ink Spots, Nina Simone, the Mamas and Papas, and Santana. Classical was my main focus, which I started learning to play on the piano as early as four years old.

I believe that the earlier children are exposed to different music genres, the more it will open up their flexibility in all other aspects of their lives, both personally and towards others.

Next time you watch a movie, focus on the music that is played in the background. It is natural to be focused on the story itself. But listening to the music can change the way you interpret a movie, or may affect what you get out of a movie.

I still remember when we would take our yearly trips in the summer to Canada, where we would stay in a cabin. One year, we stayed for six weeks (my dad was a teacher), and we had no television, telephone, or even a radio (no reception). All we had was a portable phonograph that played 33's, and the sounds of nature. The funny thing was, I did not miss those other items.

Not having constant mind-controlling items, such as television, computers, game systems, and phones, opens one's mind to creativity. When I am driving or walking, I hear the world "in classical". I notice the beauty of the earth, the wind, the trees.

If you are wanting to be more artistic, whether through art or the written word, try changing what is in your background. I have actually put together several different play lists to listen to, depending on my mood. You may be surprised at what develops with your writing because of this.

I also exposed my children to different types of music when they were little. Classical, of course, as well as golden oldies, and Yanni. It was a pleasure to see them so accepting of this type of music, and actually dance or even try to mimic the musicians as they played. Of course, they do not choose to fill their lives with this music now that they are older, which is okay. Yet my son still asks to listen to songs from "my era", and he finds that he likes them once he hears them.

I believe that music can remove a lot of the writer and artist blocks the creative people often experience. I also believe that the inventiveness and creativity will come back to our children if there is less exposure to things that do their thinking for them. Maybe once they learn to do their own thinking, they may get into less trouble from boredom.

So, try listening to different types of music as you write your stories, paint, or sculpt. Then look at what you have created, and think about what you listened to at the time. You may be surprised at the results.