Too many notes

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 music room door and down the stairs into the kitchen. 

The urge to fill every gap is strong, as if more notes mean more certainty, as if I can control the outcome simply by adding enough. 

Even as I’m doing this I know it’s too crowded, but I also know this is just part of the process.

And I know I’m getting close when the music can breathe, and so can I. This week’s Creativity Helm newsletter is about what creativity looks like before it’s finished.