Creative Pilgrimage Revisted

There is a magic to this human experience. It is hardly possible to walk along the ocean at sunset and not stop, getting lost in the colors spread across the horizon.  Stress seems to pour from our bodies at the mere scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and there are pieces of music that cause our soul to dance even when our feet remain still.

On our most recent podcast, Kari went full fan-girl while we interviewed Grammy-Award winning musician Sam Martin about inspiration and the creative process.  He told behind-the-scene stories of miracle epiphanies; hit songs that were written in a dream and even the musicality of a healthy human genome.  Mostly we discussed how to stay on the creative journey and avoid burnout.

Here are Sam’s eight creative practices from 2020:

1.     Show up (have a hard out):

The moments of creative epiphany are impossible to predict, but they happen.  Not everybody is John Lennon or Nikola Tesla, but we all have our own magical moments.  Sam laments the great music he squandered because he hadn’t been disciplined in his craft.  

Unexpectedly, Sam also found that he could “show up” when he knew he had a “hard out.”  His “hard out” was a 4:30 stop time so he could be emotionally available to his family.  It was amazing that as the clock approached 4:30, his creativity would sometimes hit a new gear.

2.     Take the weekends off:

Burnout is a sincere human fear.  It has almost caused Sam to quit music more than once.  Instead of stubbornly working seven days a week, Sam follows that piece of ancient human wisdom and takes the weekend off.  Not only does that keep the creative engine from burnout, but it also refreshes the soul when a day or two are focused exclusively on home, family, and rest.  WHERE DO YOU FIND RHYTHMS OF RECOVERY?

3.     Stick to what I’m good at:

Sam has written several hit songs.  His abilities include: melody writing/rhythms/lyrics/all the instruments/singing/editing/producing/etc. but he asked, “What am I best at?” or to ask it another way, “What is your superpower?”  Sam’s superpower is writing melodies, melodies that are pleasing to the ear. WHAT’S YOUR SUPERPOWER?

Also, when you stick to your superpower (mixed with balance and showing up), there is a better chance to function at your ninety-nine percentile and see the epiphanies come.

4.     Delegate tasks:

Now that he identified his superpower, Sam has committed to sharing his work with others so he could stay inside his sweet spot.  That commitment has required that he give up some of his income to others to complete projects.  

This discipline has always been difficult for me, partially because of the financial cost, but I know I need to get better at delegation.

5.     Live to fight another day:

Again, burnout is the enemy of the creative process.  Show up, try and push through the creative wall once or twice, but there comes a point when the muse does not descend.  In Sam’s past, he would keep failing, sometimes all night long, and then drive home feeling defeated.  

 Just like being on pilgrimage, the goal is the long-term destination.  Sometimes we push ourselves too hard in the moment (or on that day’s walk) and the result is failure and shame.  KNOW YOUR LIMITS.

6.     Aim at the top of the charts:

The music industry takes Sam right to the edge of his abilities, and it’s hard to find that edge alone.  Leaning on the mentorship of industry legends and accepting assignments from other professionals in his field, helped him find “success”… and that success often exists beyond mere inspiration.  Leaning on examples like Michelangelo, Sam stretches himself with “assignments.” 

7.     Take on new styles and evolve techniques:

Staying within his superpower of melody writing, Sam has found new creative expression by playing with his tunes:  mixing up tempos, rhythms, pitch changes and even singing melodies backwards.  The amazing thing is that he was not learning something brand new, but instead finding new ways of playing with his superpower skills.

8.     Learn new non-musical creative activities:

Taking a break from music but staying creative has been helpful to stem burnout.  For Sam, that meant woodworking.  Where are your changeup  interests?

The creative pilgrimage is a lifelong journey.  Burnout and staleness are the enemies of that journey.  Much gratitude to our friend Sam Martin for sharing some of his secrets to staying creatively engaged.

(Cover Photo by Luis Morera on Unsplash)