Anyone interested in creativity and imagination will find some very useful posts on the blog of Derek Sivers. Derek is a musician and was the founder of CDBaby which became the largest seller of independent music on the web. Since selling the company, he has begun to focus on new ventures to benefit musicians. I am particularly fond of his MusicThoughts.com website where you can find quotes especially inspiring to musicians and creatives.
Derek recently wrote a blog post called “Why Wreck a Blank Canvas?” I chuckled when I read it for several reasons, one being that I have a large white wall in my living room for which I have searched for just the right piece of artwork. After several years of searching, my wall is still blank! A more obvious, composer related reason that I love this post is that it reminds me that a blank piece of staff paper is a beautiful opportunity to daydream, imagine, and brainstorm which is my favorite part of composing. Here is part of what Derek writes:
At the last apartment I rented, everything was white on white when I arrived. White walls, counters, table, furniture, and carpet.
So I took it one step further, bought five blank canvases, and hung them around the apartment. Especially one big one, right at the entrance.
Visitors would get upset, saying, “You’ve got to put something there! You can’t just leave it blank! It needs color!”
I’d say, “Good point. Like what. What do you imagine?”
They’d say, “Y’know, like some bold splashes of dark red, but not too heavy. Something with clean lines.”
I’d say, “Hmm…. I’m not sure what you mean. Can you describe it more?”
They’d stare at the blank canvas a bit, and go into more detail about what should be on it.
Eventually I’d say, “Nah. Not going to do it.”
“Why not?!?”
“The reason I love the blank canvas is because it makes everyone day-dream. The process of imagining what should be there is much more fun than if something was already there. There have been a hundred paintings imagined onto that canvas. It’s got unlimited potential. It’d be a shame to wreck that with a bunch of paint.”
Why not do as Derek suggests and leave that paper blank just a little longer to allow more time for unencumbered creativity?
