Yanni Talks About The Creative Process

Wow, I saw this video by Yanni, and I was like blown away.  Sorry, for using cliche' phrases, but I'm just in awe. 

He explained in such detail how the creative process works for him.

Yanni was totally in his vulnerable state sharing which makes it even more special to me.

I love Yanni's music.  It has always been an inspiration to me because he just allows himself to create from his heart and from that deep space.

I love seeing these videos where he shows a side of himself that we don't normally get to see.

In the video he talked about when you're in the creative process, you can't observe it and if you are trying to observe it, you aren't in it.  (watch the video below)

I've found that the music just flowed from me when I was in the creative process.  Like a conversation is how I normally describe it.  We don't think about the conversation with a friend that we are having, we just talk to them.  For me, how I create is much the same way.

It is something that comes up from deep within me where it just spills out.  It just happens.  It just comes together.  If I try to force it (or in Yanni's words, observe it), it stops.  If I just surrender to it and let it happen, it shows up.

One of the things that I've never mastered and it may be in how my ability comes through, is whatever I create on the piano, I am never able to play again.  I wish I could, but if I try, it feels like one big blank space in me and I just stare at the piano.  So, all of my music has to be recorded at the time it is created or generally it is lost.

This is why I compare my creative pursuits on the piano to a conversation.  While you might try and paraphrase the conversation after it is over, you cannot repeat it.  I can't repeat it.  So, unless I'm recording, the music is lost.

I still remember the song, Meditation Music: Healing Angels, that I recorded some time ago.  I sat down at my keyboard just to mess around on it.  Sure, I felt this stuff that was bubbling up in me, almost like energy that needed to come out.  Yet, I didn't expect to be writing a song.

I sat down with my recording equipment running and put my fingers on the keyboard.  What came out of my hands at that minute surprised me.  Of course, in the moment I did not hear what I was playing.  I never do when I'm creating.  It isn't until after I'm done and listen to it, that I actually get to hear it.

Through that song, I felt so much warmth and energy and feeling and emotion.  I was crying hard.  I was swaying to what was going on.  I felt this empowerment come over me almost making it difficult to keep my hands on the keyboard.  When I got done, I had created the song, Meditation Music:  Healing Angels.

Most of the time, the songs I create are named for whatever thoughts are going through my mind at the time.  I jot them down and then find a title that brings them out so others can understand.  The songs are feelings and emotions and a conversation from a place I can't even describe.

Hearing Yanni talk about the Creative Process just helped me understand where I create from especially on my keyboard.  I have not recorded anything new for some time and I'm beginning to feel the urge to sit at my keyboard and do this again.

Often when I go through difficult periods of life, I'm not in a mood to sit at the keyboard.  Generally though, it is after I'm coming out of the difficult moment where I sit down and record.  I think until I've found my way through it, even if it is hard for me to see in that moment, that's when I can share it through the notes that I play.

Thank you Yanni for sharing this video.  You helped me understand myself a little more.

#Yanni

---

Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

---

Creativity And Judgment Are Opposites

Recently, I saw a video response on twitter to a question by an artist regarding the art of creativity. The question that was asked about the advice Yanni would have regarding the creation of their own music. Yanni's response can be seen in the following video but it was exactly correct in what I have found in creation of my own music.

The best music, writing, paintings I have done were when I was totally in the zone and not judging what I was doing. In those moments, I was not aware of the process, but just allowing it to come through and surrendering to it.

Judging can come in many forms of thoughts and questions running through your mind. From what key do I play next, to how does this sound, to what word should I write or color should I use to many others. There is a great book on the art of Mindful Creativity written by Ellen J. Langer. When we are critical or judgmental about our creative work, we are in a mindless state, not a mindful state. In those moments of judgment, we are not in the zone.

And judgment can come in very subtle ways that inhibit us from connecting and creative to the flow coming from us. We may often think it shows up through distinct ways but if we observe our thoughts and our questions in those creative moments, we will learn more about ourselves and help our self go deeper into creativity.

It is a frame of mind and the more we practice allowing our self to surrender into this space, the more we can connect to our creativity. It is not always easy to do this with the demands upon our day but creativity also gives us a greater fulfillment in life. So take a moment and listen to the following video response by Yanni because it is very true. Check out the link below to Ellen Langer's book because even though it has an emphasis on painting, it applies to all who want to be more mindful not only in their creativity but in their life.






Further Reading
1) Music by Yanni
2) Book by Yanni - Yanni In Words
3) On Becoming An Artist (Mindful Creativity) by Ellen J. Langer





Blog Post & Images (c) 3/15/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

It Took A Miracle

Several days back, I was at the point of wishing life would really stop. Life as I know it had given me a lot to deal with and culminated in an episode of vomiting and complete exhaustion of my body. One could make a claim that I had a 24 hour flu bug or that I had eaten something that didn't agree with myself but the facts would not support these theories and hypothesis. However, there was one factor that played a significant role in this entire night of horrible anguish.

Leading up to this night, I was full of anger that seemed to just replenish itself every moment that I drew from its well. There was no end to its supply. On top of that, my neck muscles, back muscles and overall body were in a state of tension from stress with pains radiating from many different parts. It included the creep crawly feeling on my legs along with the muscles twitching that drives me nuts! Headaches were coming and going and my eating diet was so far off with wild mood swings from one extreme to another. I felt like a pendulum going back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth.

Than when the fury of the night unleashed its gigantic storm on me, I sat on the bathroom floor wishing this would stop but knowing if I continued to resist it, things could and most likely would get worse. By the time, the vomiting had stopped; I could barely stand up on my two feet or make it to my bed to just go to sleep for the night. Every internal organ inside of my body was twisting and turning and I could feel every movement which was not enjoyable. I just wanted the night to be over and all of this to end. I had reached my end point. I had reached the point of saying enough was enough and did not have the ability to even begin fighting this in the moment. I had reached fatigue. I had reached exhaustion. There was no going back at this moment. The only way beyond was to accept the current state I was in and worry about the next moment when it arrived.

The next day, I still felt horrible as far as abdominal pains from the night of vomiting. I was weak and had little desire to eat anything at that point. I was extremely tired and desired sleep. However, my body felt much more relaxed than it had felt in some time. The tension was remarkably less. The headaches were gone. It felt as if my body had gone through a big release as if I had been through a bodywork session on a table. You could argue and probably would be correct that the night of vomiting was point that built up to the release in my body. However, my body was not the same as it was the previous day and even though my mind was still tired and exhausted, I knew there was a change.

As I regained my strength throughout the day, I finally broke down and said, "Universe - you win". I continued speaking to the universe that what I had been given in life to deal with was more than I could take. I needed a break. I needed a reprieve from it. I just could only deal with so much and it seemed as if I had been given more than my fair share. I remember uttering the words "I really need a miracle" and I was not going to share that point with anyone. I wanted the miracle to come my way totally unsuspected and in a way that I knew I was not creating it. I just left it at that. By this point, I felt strong enough to start doing some yard work and so I spent a couple of days outside in the sun not worrying about any of the stresses I had to deal with in life at that moment.

Then on Monday morning bright and early, I was awakened by a phone call. While that was annoying, I stepped back and saw that what this person had to share with me was a prompting to pick up a project that I had almost given up on. I was sitting there thinking - wow.. that's amazing! Later that day, I found out about an opportunity to sell some music through a national retailer website that just had not connected in my mind and so that process started. On Tuesday, I had sent an email to someone and so wanted to be able to attend an event coming up but knew there was no possible way. Out of that email, came a response that completely changed every aspect of that particular situation. In the process of this time, I was able to connect with an online friend who up until this point, I was too shy to talk to on the phone and that single act of speaking on the phone was a big moment for me. The possibilities of that single phone call are out of this world.

Tuesday morning of course was met by another phone call for a 5 day contract job. While the pay was less than normal, it was 5 full days of work which was a welcomed relief. Things had been getting pretty dire with income and so after going many weeks without any phone calls, this contact meant so much. Later Tuesday afternoon, I was working hard on a project when a call came through from a friend on the Yanni Fan Club message board. I missed the call initially but then check the messages and knew I needed to call her back right away. She had initially bought tickets for her family to see Yanni in Orlando next but her husband just had pace maker surgery and was advised not to travel to Orlando. That meant, she had an extra ticket and she just wanted someone to be able to use it. While she had called others about this, I was the first one to return her call and I’m so happy I was. The ticket is in the 4th row and I've never been to a concert where I sat in the 4th row before. She gave me the ticket and wanted nothing for it. Without this act of her kindness and generosity, I would not have been able to go see Yanni. I never expected something like this to happen when I woke up yesterday.

My mind is drifting back to the statement I made to the universe just a couple days ago "I need a miracle". I didn't get "ONE" miracle. Instead, I received several miracles. And I wrote the following, "I love it when the Universe and the Angels let me know they are there and today, it has been in some very dramatic ways. I asked for a miracle and I'm amazed at how quickly things happened. Wow... Why did I ever doubt this? That's the lesson I still haven't fully learned."

Yes, I still struggle with the issue of knowing I'm not alone in this world. My upbringing led me to the point of not ever relying or asking for or accepting any help whatsoever. I was taught that if you did, than the people who were giving these things to you could and most definitely would demand how you ran your life and what decisions you made and every little thing you would do. I was taught by example that once you accept help, than you give up all freedom. When I look back at the previous week, it is obvious that I'm not alone and it is very obvious that there is something out there listening to me. You may want to call it the Universe, God, The Angels, The Spirits or a host of other identifiers. To me, it doesn't matter what I call it, because I know they exist. However, I usually refer to them as my Angels or as the Universe. It is what fits for me.

My heart is filled with joy at this time because of all that has transpired for me. I can see that if we drop our guard down and allow ourselves to connect with all that is around us, than we truly are not alone and we are blessed beyond imagination. I realize that we don't have to go any further than what is right around us. It isn't something that we need to look to others for the answers but is something that is right within us. Others may help us discover what is within ourselves, but we can access it at any time.

Of course, like many others, I fail to remember this. That just gives me the opportunity for further growth and continued steps on down my journey. So once again, I'm reminded of all that I am part of and all that is a part of me. May I remember this as I draw on the strength I need to fulfill the purpose that is before me.

RELAXATION To Yanni

R E L A X A T I O N

I am laying here trying to find a sense of relaxation. Listening to the CD by Yanni, Live At the Acropolis, I felt as if I was miles above the earth. There were vast mountains below me with a rippling, flowing stream leading down to a quiet, peaceful lake on the left. To my right, was the sun set in a gorgeous horizon filled with beauty and splendor. In front of me rising high into the sky, were the blackest, meanest and most horrifying storm clouds you have ever seen. As the music started with its fast tempo, I could see myself flying all around over the earth. Not a thing was holding me down and at that moment in time, I had risen above life and the problems it so freely gave me. As the music slowed to an eerie tempo, I found myself scared and anxious. Waiting and watching; looking out for someone that may bring harm to me. I was cautious and frightened, not sure where to hide but knowing I was not ready to go back down to the earth and face the pain. As the music became a slow, peaceful pace, I could see two large hands coming down from the heavens. These two hands scooped me up with a warm gentle touch that made me feel so safe and secure. As the music carried on, I rested in the warm safety of these hands.

(c) Don Shetterly 6/2/98

Dealing With Pain

On the LiveStream event with Yanni Live today, Yanni said, "the best way is to take pain on head first." So very true! It does hurt, but it is the healing force.

Piano Meditation Music

Meditation - the moments you spend in solitude and silence with reflection and a listening ear. Yet, these moments sometimes seem to me to be one of the hardest things to embrace in any given day. Between everything that is going on and all that I need to get done, the minutes fly by.

Today as I was sitting there playing my piano, I thought back to all the days that this has been a constant in my life. No matter how difficult the days or the events got in my life, there was always the piano. In fact, between the piano and my pets, I can always find life's center with these things. When nothing else in life gives me a moment of peace or stillness, I always have my piano.

When I was a child, my house was never dull and quiet. There were constant times of screaming, yelling and criticizing. In addition to that, love, touch and companionship, were shown to us in ways that were abusive, harmful and full of evil. It was in those moments, that the only thing I could do was to find a way to escape. For I could not deal with what was taking place at that time and it was not like I could just run away from the situation. There was no place to run to and no place to hide.

During these times, I would turn to my piano and play the songs that I so loved. Most of these were church hymns and choruses because that is all I knew and about all I was ever allowed to work with. Their easy melodies and harmonies along with the gentle and peaceful words found in the verses of the songs, made for some beautiful moments of connectedness for my life.

Today as I was playing some of these songs, I noticed that the pain and turmoil of the past are brought up within the notes. For the pain and turmoil was as much a connection for me to these songs as the peaceful moments were. And while the pain and turmoil is sometimes still overwhelming to me, there is a side of these songs that takes me into a space unlike any other. It is a place of deepness, far removed from this world.

One could say it is a place of meditation or spirituality but to me it goes much deeper than that. It is very hard to describe. I know I have read that Yanni talks about going into a black space when he creates. I'm sure what he is talking about and what I'm talking about are our own similar experiences with this. I'm sure each artist knows first hand what this space is.

It is a beautiful place to be and travel into. It does give me the opportunity to be deep in meditation. To me, meditation is not only about sitting cross legged in silence. It is much more that that. Meditation is a deep connection to what is not readily seen or heard. I'm always amazed at just how much insight, awareness and communication I receive when I'm deep in the meditative moments of playing my piano and creating.

May you find those deep moments within yourself that give you reset, renewal and a different outlook. May your own meditation bring you deeper within yourself.

While I don't record most of what I play in these moments, some of the music has made it on to my CD's of relaxing piano music from the heart. This music often comes out of those times and sound clips can be found on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify.

For More Information on Don Shetterly, Visit his website at http://www.donshetterly.com


*For more articles, check out the Mind Body Thoughts Blog

Bending Time And Music

I never really think much about this subject, but it is one that has always impacted my life.  Bending time and music gives so much depth to our every day experiences.  I don't believe time is any more consistent than most facts that we believe in.  I think there is a much more to this world than we often see, feel, experience, or know.

Today I saw two totally unrelated postings on social media about how many people felt off as to what day of the week it was.  It was like a collective mind thought of something we all take for granted.  What intrigued me more was how the two totally unrelated and unconnected event just caught my attention today.

Many may explain it one way or the other and sometimes it is often hard to say with certainty what is going on.  Yet, I don't think you can deny that something is shifting and changing in this world.  Sometimes those shifts and changes come with great struggle and difficulty because we are morphing from one plane into another.

I'm Picky About Music

This is one thing I am very picky about in life.  My ears hear music in a different way than most because I think I FEEL the music, more than I hear it.  I'm extremely picky about the music I listen to and it either hits me instantly or it gets discarded in my mind.

I was watching a show on TV the other night and I exclaimed "that is some awesome music".  Of course, it dawned on me that it was from a couple of decades ago where they actually did music with live instruments and not electronically created sounds of live instruments.  It was an aha moment for me.

There is a big difference and I know that in today's world, electronically generated music is the norm.  However, most of the time it doesn't feel right.  It doesn't move me like the stuff made with actual instruments.  I can feel the difference.

Instrumental music has so much depth to it and the sound crosses so many spectrums.  Electronically generated music is a sound, not necessarily a depth filled musical note.

I'm sure many will disagree with me because that is what everyone has become accustomed to in making music and listening to music.  Yet, I know that the music that really moves me is the one where live instruments harmonize together.

Hope For Haditha Children And The Trauma Breaking Point

Hope For Haditha Children
Song by Don Shetterly

Back in 2006 when I heard about the Haditha massacre, I wrote the article below. At the time I was horrified. Yes, I understand that sometimes in war, innocent people are killed. However, in this case, this was not an innocent event. From all accounts in the news, it was a deliberate act upon innocent people. If the war had not been going on and this happened in the US, the individual(s) would have been on trial for murder.

Out of this tragedy, I wrote a song called "Hope For Haditha Children". This song never really took off, but I still wrote it in memory of those children who faced the horrors of watching adults murdered before their eyes. While I can fully understand the trauma breaking point, especially in a time of war, I weep for those little children.