I’m standing backstage with two of my friends. In a few moments we will walk out on stage and play a two-hour concert. By intention we don’t have a score; we don’t even have a sketch or plan. The kind of music we play—free improvisation—is made by composer-musicians on the spot, without any predetermined content or form. From moment to moment we listen with deep concentration to find the path that we will share from the beginning to the end of the performance.
It might seem scary to step out in front of an audience without any plan. But we all do it every day. Maybe we’re trying to find a way to solve a business situation, offer encouragement to a friend in need, or be a good parent. We don’t necessarily know what will happen, but we need to find a way to make things work.
Some people use the word creativity to express the concept of generating ideas out of their own thinking. But I’ve learned that the source of great ideas is a lot more reliable than simply hoping a solution pops into my head today.
