Herbie Hancock on Miles Davis

One of the most fruitful places to look for evidence of creative practice is obviously in the arts.  Jazz musician Herbie Hancock is one of the most articulate on this topic. Many years ago, he was interviewed about his relationship with Miles Davis and what he learned from Miles.  He tells a story about playing with Miles and making ‘a big mistake’ during one of their performances.  Miles didn’t see it as a ‘mistake’ and simply worked with it, without reacting to it as a problem but essentially just another creative opportunity.  This moment can be translated into life directly again and again and is one of the most important creative habits, seeing challenges as simply another opportunity to look at something from a different angle.  

Herbie Hancock on Miles Davis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6fVZtp9vGQ

The Dangers of a Single Story

The TED Talk summary for Chimamanda Adichie’s talk says it best…Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding. 

This truth parallels what I say so often about creativity, which is the dangers of telling ourselves a single story about who we are and what’s possible for our lives.  

The Transformative Power of Classical Music

With almost 17 million plays, this talk brings me to tears each and every time.  Conductor Benjamin Zander has been teaching people how to listen to classical music for many decades.  The way he engages the audience in this talk gets the highest marks.  Worth every minute of your time for your own inspiration about what it is to be human.  

https://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_the_transformative_power_of_classical_music