{"id":347,"date":"2024-09-16T19:30:44","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T02:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/harpistanneroos.com\/blog\/?p=347"},"modified":"2026-01-04T01:57:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T09:57:38","slug":"unraveling-the-mystery-to-creativity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harpistanneroos.com\/blog\/unraveling-the-mystery-to-creativity\/","title":{"rendered":"Unraveling the Mystery to Creativity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gioachino Rossini composed music at the blink of an eye. He boasted that he wrote \u201cThe Barber of Seville\u201d<\/a><\/span>, one of the greatest comic operas ever, in only 13 days. He wrote the overture to \u201cThe Thieving Magpie\u201d<\/a><\/span> the same day it opened on stage. What was his secret to lightning-fast creativity?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even if you never heard of Rossini<\/span><\/a>, you\u2019ve heard his music\u2014His William Tell Overture, the soundtrack to anyone who is perpetually running late.<\/p>\n

\"Gioachino<\/a>
Gioachino Rossini–Comic opera genius, culinary artist, and procrastinator extraordinaire (Photo: \u00c9tienne Carjat, 1865)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It shows up in commercials, movies, and cartoons, but perhaps is best known at the theme to the Lone Ranger<\/span><\/a>. Rossini would be a mega-billionaire many times over from the accumulation of royalty payments, if he were still alive. He churned out an average of four operas per year, some taking him less than two weeks to complete.<\/p>\n

Why am I so interested in Rossini?<\/strong> If you haven\u2019t noticed, I\u2019ve been creatively stuck\u2014all you need to do is look at the date of the last blog entry to see that. Though I\u2019m busy performing, My creative juices hit a dry spell.<\/p>\n

So, I\u2019m turning to Rossini, plus a few other famous musicians, performers, and artists, to re-ignite that creative flame. Read through my list of seven keys to creativity below, and then<\/strong> add your ideas for creativity in the comment section for your chance to win one of my harp CDs or album downloads<\/span><\/a> for FREE! (Scroll down to learn exactly how to snag one.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Creativity revealed, by way of Rossini and a few other timeless celebrities:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Procrastinate.<\/strong> Well, that\u2019s pretty easy for me right now. I\u2019m stuck, so blogging dropped down to the bottom of my to-do list\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rossini was the king of procrastination<\/span><\/a>. He often waited until the last minute to start writing commissioned works. As he said in an undated letter, \u201cNothing primes inspiration more than necessity, whether it be the presence of a copyist waiting for your work or the prodding of an impresario tearing his hair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even Beethoven, one of Rossini\u2019s contemporaries, lamented<\/a><\/span> that \u201cRossini would have been a great composer if his teacher had spanked him enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

The inspiration to create can magically come to fore when a deadline looms, even when that deadline is self-imposed. Sure, it makes everyone around you go nuts, but sometimes it just takes a little bit of laziness to make the creativity percolate up.<\/p>\n

2. Do something else.<\/strong> Get away from the task at hand. Take a break.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The light of an idea will often come to me while I\u2019m running errands, exercising, taking a shower, and chanting and meditating. A little scratch pad is right nearby for scribbling down sudden and fleeting thoughts (except for when I\u2019m in the shower).<\/p>\n

Gazing at the movement of ocean waves and beach surf, and watching\u00a0 for shooting stars on a cloudless night, can also encourage ideas to pour into my mind. I don\u2019t need to be right there\u2014Armchair traveling via online videos does the same trick.<\/p>\n

I recently found this video of migrating monarch butterflies. Does it transport you into the creative zone?<\/p>\n