Thoughtful Thursday: Forcing Creativity Versus Creative Flows

Thoughtful Thursday 2022: Graphic includes a blue circle with a lightbulb on the right side of the circle. The circle includes the title, "Thoughtful Thursday," with additional text, "www.musictherapyworks.com" and "Thursday thoughts and musings."
It is finally Thursday. I have only six groups left in the week. That means that we have finished fifteen groups by this time every week. It is no wonder that Thursday usually includes some exhaustion. While we only have four groups today, our day is pretty full - in addition to our four groups, we have two individuals scheduled now. I am not the leader of many of these sessions - I do not have primary therapist responsibilities in our individual sessions and I lead half of the group sessions today.

I am spending time this week, during my office hours (non-session time in the music therapy room), writing therapeutic music experiences (TMEs). My goal is to have five finished by the end of tomorrow. I have completed two of the five and have the other ideas identified but not in TME format. I established a new Google form to work in to generate a database in a form a bit different from what I usually do, and I am finding the task interesting.

I am a creative person. I create all sorts of things, and I enjoy making a wide variety of things. There are times when I am very creative, and others where making anything at all is a huge chore. I just cannot predict when I will find my creativity and when I will be blocked. 

Right now, I am pretty creative, but I am also using my idea book to generate many of the TMEs that I am working on this week. I am flipping through those pages to get old ideas finalized and spark new ideas. I composed one song (in a minor key - it just seemed to fit) and then finished up a piggy-back song to the Hokey Pokey. Three more TMEs to write between now and tomorrow at 3pm. I can do it!

Most of the time, the TMEs that I have in my mind are not things that work with what I am doing with my clients during the week. That's why I use my ideas book and TME database. If I am composing a song that matches a monthly theme (like something with leprechauns, by the way), then I can keep it in my database until I am planning my March TMEs.

Inspiration strikes when it strikes, and I have found that I have to capture that inspiration when it arrives. I will not remember if I don't write something down. I have learned that the best songs that I have ever composed in music therapy moments are destined to be only in the moment. When I am improvising, the music that happens is usually engaging and wonderful, but when I try to write it down after the moments have passed, it eludes me. I can't remember enough to transcribe the music that arrived when it was needed. I have learned to let them go, but it always hurts a bit.

When I am inspired during brainstorming sessions, I have my resources ready to go. This allows me to capture partial ideas and not stress about making complete TMEs in the beginnings of the process - I just write down everything I can. I go back to those ideas over and over again until I know where I want to take them. I love that process, and it is one that serves me over and over again.

Today, in the spaces between sessions, I will be going through my ideas book and finish some of the ideas there. I will either compose songs or write chants or piggy-back songs as needed for the ideas. I will finish at least one (and, hopefully, two) TMEs from the ideas book. I will practice the song I composed Monday so it will be ready to go for some of my groups next week. By the end of the day, I hope to be significantly closer to my quest of placing five new TMEs into my database this week.

While I am currently in a creative mode, I know that there will always be time when I feel like I am in a rut. For now, I want to establish the creation of TMEs as part of my routine. So, when I am not feeling as creative, I can rely on the ideas that I have started but not fully implemented to accomplish the quest of five new TMEs each week.

See you later, readers! I am off to dress for work, get some breakfast, and then speed down the highway to my job. My favorite tree has been completely chopped down, so I have a couple of moments of grief every time I go down the road. Fortunately, I have taken pictures of the tree, so I have the ability to see it whenever I want. There you go.

Have a good Thursday!

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