Disruptive Creativity

Sometimes in the world of music we think there's nothing new under the sun. We hit creative walls and don't know how to get past them. We think all musical ideas have been covered before - that there are no new chord progressions, no new melodies, no new styles.

So when something so innovative and fresh comes out, I wonder, "how did the artist come up with that? Did it just pop into their head? Was it something they heard that inspired their sound?"

Take a look at this TED talk. Tim Harford talks about how sometimes the best way to solve a problem (or get past a creative wall) is through disruption. He suggests that we take random, even stupid steps to get new results. For example, he talks about Coldplay, and how during the production of one of their albums they didn't like what they were writing. So each band member decided to switch instruments with one another - a seemingly pointless move - and the resulting sound turned out to be just what they were looking for.

Of the anecdotes he shares, my favorite is about Keith Jarrett and the unplayable piano. It's the perfect case of a "messy problem": Jarrett, a world-renowned jazz pianist, shows up to play a solo concert in Cologne, and discovers that the piano is in poor condition and won't serve for his performance. But after being persuaded to play, Jarrett adapts his playing to meet the piano's deficiencies. The result? The #1 solo jazz piano album of all time.

So next time you hit a wall, remember to mix things up. Try something stupid and random. Break out of your boundaries. Disrupt your creativity.