when art, place, and memories become entwined The main Zurich art museum was our safe haven when my daughter was tiny and we were new to Switzerland. Hand-in-hand up those stairs to the monkey and the grapes, then on to the sleeping horse. A destination for those endless afternoon hours Read more…
What goosebumps can teach us about creativity I sit down at the piano, play a chord I like, and then try something different. It’s a gloriously unpredictable process and, occasionally, in the middle of all that uncertainty, something gives me the chills. Chances are I’ll never be able to play Read more…
Why creativity is not just about coming up with ideas but also trusting the ones you already have My Kindle has about 1700 books on it and it always weighs exactly the same, whether there’s one book on it or a thousand. The same is true of people and the Read more…
We’re all born creative (yes, really) When my daughter was a baby I made up songs all the time because it was fun and I loved seeing her face when I sang to her. Around the same time, the ‘Mozart effect’ had parents everywhere playing classical music to their babies Read more…
How wise words from my fifth grade teacher still influence how I create When I was in grade five, my teacher Mr Jones taught us the most effective way to use coloured pencils. Start very lightly, he said, because once you’ve gone too dark you can’t go back to light Read more…
How taking time before you begin can elevate your creativity The temptation when someone asks me to play or sing something is to dive straight in. Too often I’m halfway through the first melody before realising, even as I’m playing, that it’s too fast, too loud, too something. And it’s Read more…
what creativity looks like before it’s finished I have a habit of playing far too many notes when I first sit down to create something at the piano. They spill from my fingers, float up into the air, fall into my lap like crumbs, threatening to flow out of the Read more…
why learning to recover from mistakes builds creative confidence We’ve been watching the Olympic ice skating. Comfortable couch, peppermint tea, watching with awe as they glide, twirl, jump, pirouette, spin…and fall. When they fall we scream and cover our eyes. But they’re usually up again, often with the next breath, Read more…
on building music and creativity one brick at a time When my brother and I were kids we had a Humpty Dumpty game. Big blue plastic blocks and a cheerful, chubby Humpty. Build a wall, place Humpty on top, then take turns removing bricks until he falls off. These days Read more…
and what slowing down can do for music and creativity He bursts through my door, up the stairs two at a time despite my protests. ‘Kate, I practiced it slowly, just like you said, and it worked!’ We high five, do a little dance, and get on with the piano Read more…
