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A personal view of the creative process and my methods of working For me, composing can be a painful experience which drains the mind of thoughts and feelings. Like any form of creation it demands the greatest care and concentration from the artist to produce something worthwhile. Most creative people are driven by an overwhelming desire or compulsion to be creative while their friends stand and watch them being consumed by an invisible force of spirit. Sometimes resulting in states of depression and lack of self-worth, a creative mind does not stop working when one project is done and the next is begun. The ongoing cycle of enthusiasm followed by disappointment is like a continuous journey across mountainous terrain where, upon the summit of a hill can be seen the valleys of all the next ones to come. Without this, however, the creative mind would stop. There is no way to force creativity. In most cases, something produced under pressure or in a hurry seems to be either without sincerity (if that is important) or simply not as satisfactory as something which has enjoyed the benefit of relaxed contemplation. There are only a few days when I have the overwhelming urge to sit at the keyboard to write and actually have the time to do so for any length of time. For this reason, work is often very slow, sometimes with only a small number of bars being added to a work each week. The frustration comes when the desire to be creative is there but the circumstances are not; many thoughts and feelings that one knows could find their way onto the page get distorted or forgotten. | |
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