There’s a strange bliss in experimenting, trying the unusual (and even the bizarre, at times) simply to see what happens - where that new thing leads. That bliss comes from the power of raw, unfocused creativity.
When a musician sits down with the specific purpose of composing a song, that’s what is born: a new song - a sequence of chords and notes played in a specific tempo. It may or may not be good, but anyways, it’s a song, ready to be bagged, tagged and hopefully sold.
But when a musician decides to experiment, to mess around with his instrument, to pluck the strings of his guitar in a way he never did before, or maybe to just knock on its wood to listen how that sound gets filtered through dozens of effect pedals until it finally finds its way to the amplifier… Something different is born. It’s not really a song, but it is often closer to pure art than a regular song. And that is a good thing.
That is the main difference between focused and unfocused creativity. When we were kids, our creativity was unfocused, as everything was new and exciting. But during our journey towards adulthood, we’re encouraged to focus our creativity - to use our brains to solve specific, defined problems in smart and efficient ways. That kind of creativity has its value. But it simply is not enough if you’re looking to find the true excitement of discovery.
Unfocus.
Don’t expect anything at all.
Don’t set goals.
Just jump.
Who knows where you might land?
