Tag Archives: Creativity

Start Anywhere

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Start

You’ve set a goal. You’re determined to reach it. Now what?

Just start.

Not sure how to start? Don’t let that hold you back.

Start anyway.

Do I have to start at “the beginning?”

Nope, it’s okay to start anywhere.

Straight lines? What are those? Business (and life) is non-linear.

Start wherever.

Figure things out as you go. Try. Think. Ask. Prototype. Make mistakes. Learn. Course-correct. Repeat. Learn some more. Try again. Keep moving.

The single most important step is to start.

Start now.

by Rebecca Cochran

Day 121

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by Rebecca Cochran

Bach logo

At the beginning of 2016, I began a personal experiment. I call it My Year of Bach. As a flutist, for as long as I can remember, Johann Sebastian Bach has been my favorite composer. I’ve written about Bach several times here in this space.

I decided to challenge myself by writing a short daily post on some aspect of Bach and his music. Otherwise, I didn’t set too many more rules. Like I said, this is an experiment, and I think we all need to experiment more.

My original goals were these:

  • Post daily
  • Learn as I go
  • Share what I learn
  • Enjoy myself

Now, 4 months in, I can report that I’ve achieved my original goals and more! I have posted daily, mostly “living in the moment,” rather than writing and scheduling posts ahead of time. This approach challenges me to be more observant, remaining on “high alert” for anything even remotely related to Bach that crosses my path each day. I’m conducting quick research, online and off. I’m asking more questions. I’m starting conversations with strangers. I’m listening more intently and attending more concerts and recitals. What I discover today will probably end up in tomorrow’s post. Bach is everywhere.

I’m learning to write more quickly. And, more importantly, I’m learning to trust what I write, rather than second-guessing myself. (There’s no time for that!)

I’m maintaining focus. Rather than going down rabbit holes in search of photos to accompany my posts, I’m staying focused on my writing.

I’m learning a great deal about my favorite composer. Every day, I seem to have yet another “aha moment” about some aspect of JSB. The more I learn about Bach, the more I want to learn.

In sharing my daily posts via Twitter, I am making new friends all over the world. I’m receiving wonderful comments (“Thank you, your latest post has helped me finish my term paper!”), great questions (“How do you recommend I start building a Bach listening library?”) and words of encouragement (“Wow! Keep up the good work; I know you can make it to Day 366!”).

Most importantly of all, I’m having fun!

Walking Backwards

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BackwardsDid you ever try walking backwards? I did the other day. Well, not actually walking backwards…

I take a walk daily. I’ve been doing so since I was a little girl. It feels so good, so natural and it’s such a simple way to exercise my body and my mind.

The other day, on a whim, I decided to start at the end of my usual route and walk from there to where I usually begin my walk. I know…that wasn’t exactly rocket science, but it was interesting to take in everything in reverse, to see the “backs” of things: trees, buildings, signs, everything.

As I “reverse-walked,” I couldn’t help but see things differently. I spied a hidden garden that I’d never noticed before. I saw sunlight glistening on a building, giving it a dazzling glow that I’d been missing all those years I’d been approaching from the opposite direction. And, I couldn’t help thinking that I should walk backwards more often, literally and figuratively.

What might I be missing each time I start a project at “the beginning”? Could I achieve a better result if I started somewhere in “the middle” or, even, at “the end”?

Could I be a better problem solver if I consciously worked backwards? By clearly defining what the end result should be, could I reverse-engineer the steps needed to reach that goal?

Certainly, as a musician, I recall teachers suggesting that the best way to learn a piece of music is to “learn it backwards.” In other words, start from the final measure, then append and learn a few prior measures, little by little, until you find your way back to the beginning. This works particularly well when memorizing anything.

Might I be more creative if I consciously “work backwards” more often? It’s incredibly easy to fall into the habit of sticking to a system, especially when that system has been working well for a long time. If I reverse my creative process, might my results be, dare I say it, more creative?

The simple exercise of taking my walk from “back to front” has reminded me that there is more than one way to approach a problem, reach a goal or generate a new idea.

I need to practice walking backwards more often.

What analogies can you add to this list?

by Rebecca Cochran