Saturday, August 10, 2013

Updating the Playlists

In the course of just two days, I've been reminded twice of the importance of using music to motivate, inspire and "get in the zone" where I can be most productive.

I was incredibly fortunate to be at a sports psychology seminar with Daniel Stewart - former coach of the U.S. Equestrian Team (and one of the most energetic and up-beat people I've ever met). The first thing he discussed was the importance of using music to improve performance. He recommends developing playlists with motivating messages and that you start listening to that playlist the Monday or Tuesday before a competition.

Today, Writer Unboxed has a post that asks, Does Music Put You In The Mood? For me, the answer is clearly Yes! My favorite type of music for writing involves female voices and a jazzy sound - Madeleine Peyroux, Joan Osborne, Diane Schurr - I can write all day when they are singing.

For some reason, I'd forgotten how important music is to me - both to spark creativity and to motivate. As the summer draws to a close and I begin to reclaim my day for writing (rather than playing the role of chauffeur), I will remind myself to also take the time to update my playlists and turn on the music.

2 comments:

  1. This may be a cliche,but I like the classical and folk guitar of John Renbourn. Then my inner hippie gets a little overwhelming, so I open the windows and listen to the birdies sing. And caw. And gobble.

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  2. I opened the window today - and was witness to something dying a slow death back behind the house. At first, I thought Mickey had gotten loose again, but no - he was sleeping on the deck. I don't know what it was (perhaps a fox - they always sound like they are in pain), or maybe one of the gazillion rabbits raiding the gardens met an untimely end. But it certainly didn't help create the "mood" I was looking for.

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