creativity
Do Do Do What You Have to Do!
Yesterday I was lucky enough to experience an amazing concert in Gothenburg, Sweden that included Coldplay and The Ark, a Swedish band. Both acts were amazing as Coldplay's Chris Martin and The Ark's Ola Salo revealed their passions for song and expression. As I watched from about 30 feet from the stage surrounded by wildly excited fans who practically jumped out of their shoes (including me for sure!) while inspired songs rang out under blue skies, I couldn't help but think about purpose and dreams.
We human beings crave the ability to share what lies deeply within our hearts. We have things we need to say, things we need to do...and yet...sadly we all too often don't make it happen. Our dreams lay buried within and the next thing we know we can barely breathe.
In one of my favorite songs of the night, Ola Salo shared that "it takes a fool to remain sane." This hits home because the minute we give up on our creative spirit and what makes us unique in an effort to become conventional in every sense of the word, our sanity begins to slip. Salo's words then shifted to what would happen if he were to bury his dreams: "I'll become like the others who become unhappy mothers and fathers of unhappy kids....because they have forgotten to play...or maybe they are afraid to feel ashamed...to seem strange...to seem insane..."
The world we know was built by the "insane." Those who said it could be done when everyone else assumed it was impossible. It is easy to forget that there are visionaries behind the things we cherish...from the pyramids to our favorite cities to the arts. It is easy to take innovation for granted as we live our safe and convenient lives. The bold are those who listen to what is within...and in the words of Salo "do do do what you want to do...don't think twice...do what you have to do....do do do do let your heart decided what you have to do."
What do you want to do? Have you found yourself buried and unable to breathe because you have forced yourself to forget? Salo says "take it to the stage...with a multicolored jacket...with your hair dyed red and blue...and then do do do what you have to do."
Wishing you a beautiful day!
- Jen Engevik
Project Be Bold
Elizabeth Gilbert's Inspirational TED Speech -- A Must See!!
Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and extremely motivating for artists and non-artists alike!
Stroke of Magic- February 11, 2010
"If tomorrow morning by some stroke of magic every dazed and benighted soul woke up with the power to take the first step toward pursuing his or her dreams, every shrink in the directory would be out of business. Prisons would stand empty. The alcohol and tobacco industries would collapse, along with junk food, cosmetic surgery, and infotainment businesses, not to mention pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and the medical profession from top to bottom. Domestic abuse would become extinct, as would addiction, obesity, migraine headaches, road rage, and dandruff."
-Writes Steven Pressfield in The War of Art
Now go make this day a masterpiece...