On the final night in the flirtatious Dunedin, my fingers were buzzing with the inspiration that I was seeking.
After playing a Sheep show at the Crown, I took my electrical fingers back to the lonely Chambers street flat as everybody continued the party elsewhere. I sat down with my Korg R3, and the musical spirit surged through my hands, cracking fire-whips upon the keys. A fiery new incarnation of my musical expression had emerged! , Energetically expressive, I couldn't believe such style could explode through my fingers. It was undeniable ..
I had discovered Jazz!
My first jam was like stumbling upon a box of fireworks. My fingers were zipping and popping like they had never done before. They were enlivened with a new force! Jazz was the sweet stormy touch that spawned flora and fauna on what were once barren fields. 'Jazz' - the word itself was tugging at my heart strings; gnawing at them, chewing on them. It was as if 'Jazz' was a little nymph that had broken free of its captivity within my soul and was jiving.
This jazz nymph was terrifically keen! She was like popcorn in my bones as I was focussing on the road back to Queenstown in my puttering emerald. The roads were icy, and I needed to concentrate! I could tell that she anxious to see my hands upon a keyboard again, because my fingers were fretting the steering wheel during the whole journey. 'Jazz' was restless; elemental. Its alchemy was seeping into my skin as I was delivered safely back to the Shotover Lodge, my headquarters in Queenstown.
Flustered with flair, I swung back to my room, turned the key, and burst in with arms like springs. But my romance fell short - my room was so boring! This was no St Clair headquarters.. It was the room of somebody else - the uninspired, unenthusiastic Josh. It was trying to smile at me with filthy yellow teeth, and here I was, a pearly white. How was the fresh breath of life meant to flow through here?
Meanwhile, the jazz nymph had swiftly obtained rule in the kingdom of my mind, and was heralding a new approach to life. Before doing anything else, I zipped over to my keyboard and communed with this spritely character by linking hands through the keyboard. I extended my invitation, and she gladly accepted. We conversed through improvised rhythm and melody, and I quickly understood what she was envisioning. It sounded like the blooming of creativity and expression!
JAZZ HABITS!!
It was time to get jazzy! It was time to sprinkle the stardust of my character into all the things that captured my soul. This is how I understood Jazz. It is not a genre of music, nor is it a collection of 'standards' composed by masters - it is the spice and spontaneity of character and of life!
The lameness of my room was like a lid concealing a bubbling pot of soup - the broth of my artistic efforts. This lid blocked me from really sprinkling the hottest and tangiest spices into the soup. My room didn't allow Feng Shui - it didn't invite me in, nor did it invoke the bubbly jazz nymph. I needed to build a golden gateway for my creative force energy to flow effortlessly. So, I made a Creative Space!
It was so simple - just a few rearrangements, and I had established for myself a creative throne. I could conduct my art here like Zeus on Everest, making it as stormy as I wanted to. Here is what I used to decorate my Creative Space:
- Colours. I wanted my creative space to be warm and cozy, yet graphic like a jester. So I touched life into some paper, and turned them into mirrors for my muse. I could gaze at these colours as I played the piano, and let my eyes be romanced.
- Original artwork by Auntie Jean. Auntie Jean was my number one fan in music, but sadly, she passed away earlier in the year. I included a collection of her original artwork and some photos of her looking fruity to remind myself of the immense love, support and artistic verve that she carried within her heart. This was the most Jean-ius idea! Like the moths kissing the light of the lamp, she was with me every moment I conducted my art.
- A 'Me' Sheet. This is the physical manifesto of my higher self. On there is written my Life Purpose, my top 10 values, my top strengths, and my top 5 goals in life. I put this here to ensure that every time I sat down to practice the piano, I would be reminded of who I was and what I was here to do. Mundane deliberate practice of my instrument now became like drinking a higher self super charger smoothie.
A 'Me' Sheet is an extraordinarily powerful tool that only takes a few minutes to make. It is your master key, your bible, your friend. You could make multiple copies, and put them in places where they are hard to ignore. I made two, putting one in my creative space and another on my bedside table - it became the first thing I looked at every morning, instead of my electronic device.
With the 'Me' Sheet around, you start to cultivate an intimate bond with the highest version of yourself, as it is how the Truth that you are can communicate to you even when times are rough. Such a bond is your Alohomora spell!
-Action shots of my idols! Bill Laurence, Cory Henry, Michael League, Shaun Martin, Jacob Collier, Herbie Hancock.
These are guys are just like you and I, and yet they managed to find a way to tap into the musical genius within, and deliver their sagely music to our very ears. There is deep wisdom emanating from the masters, for they are the comets that have blazed a path for us to follow. They are wizards! And in the Creative Space, they are deities that empower musical growth, creativity, trailblazing, practice, determination, and a myriad of other boons!
With these good luck charms in place, my creative bubble was plump and juicy. It was the end of procrastination! The springs and watering holes of my musical savannah had filled and the whole safari had come to rejoice. The waterfalls were roaring once more!
In just two short weeks, I had composed 3 new tunes and a handful of ideas, each with that new jazzy touch. My artistic abilities had matured! Where I was gurgling milk chocolate in the past, now I was nibbling dark chocolate. I loved my new sound, calling each of the new tunes my 'darlings'. Playing them was like caressing my own heart on Christmas eve.
Here is one one of the darlings, 'Ladybug'.
I even started wearing a jazzy hat - an item that I found back on Hamilton Island. It was a generous addition to the vibe.
When I checked back in with the fluttering nymph, her foot was still tapping restlessly. I wondered why she was still not satisfied - I had designed a bubble castle for her magic. She expressed to me through improvisation that her reign had only just begun, and that she wanted Jazz to reach all the corners of my life, and not just one. She also told me that a great deal of her almighty Jazz prowess was still locked up, because she hand't met the entirety of Joshua St Clair.
How could that be? I tugged at my desk draw, and nestled in there was the monocle from the start of this chapter.. Why of course, I had completely forgotten about my classes!
In the warmth of my creative space, I hosted council with all the faces of Joshua St Clair. The Artist was bubbly and excited, perched and ready with a quill. However, the Adventurer was licking his wounds as his scroll unravelled behind him, and the Warrior had taken a vowel of silence. In the blink of an eye, the jazz nymph arrived, waved her wand, and darted off like a firefly comet. The golden staircase revealed itself before the archetypes!
From then on, Jazz poured into all the corners of my life, bringing with it originality, creativity, and emerald passion. I ventured forth into all of my habits and activities with flair, approaching them with style. While the Artists practice was conducted on the piano within the creative space, the Adventurer's practice was journalling, and the Warrior's practice was meditation. Jazz made me realise that I could find a 'creative space' to entertain all of these practices.
So, I took my meditation to the great outdoors, sitting peacefully in the forests, along the rivers, and against the brush of Lake Wakatipu. Fresh Qi gulped me every time. Meditation was no longer a chore, it was an adventure!
I took my journal and a pen through a cinema of different environments: park benches, mountain crevices, busy cafes and the flirtatious Queenstown waterfront. Writing practice was no longer a burden. It was a journey!
I was fizzling like a fire cracker. All the habits and practices that had once felt insurmountable now tasted like hokey-pokey. And it was all thanks to Jazz.
Jazz is not only for musicians. It is for all people! Jazz is the child that we are, that benevolent force that wants to be free, expressive, creative and spontaneous! Invite Jazz into your life, and be magical!
And with that, the jazz nymph winked it me, blew a kiss, and dispersed into the wind like a dandelion flower. Until next time, jazz nymph!
After playing a Sheep show at the Crown, I took my electrical fingers back to the lonely Chambers street flat as everybody continued the party elsewhere. I sat down with my Korg R3, and the musical spirit surged through my hands, cracking fire-whips upon the keys. A fiery new incarnation of my musical expression had emerged! , Energetically expressive, I couldn't believe such style could explode through my fingers. It was undeniable ..
I had discovered Jazz!
My first jam was like stumbling upon a box of fireworks. My fingers were zipping and popping like they had never done before. They were enlivened with a new force! Jazz was the sweet stormy touch that spawned flora and fauna on what were once barren fields. 'Jazz' - the word itself was tugging at my heart strings; gnawing at them, chewing on them. It was as if 'Jazz' was a little nymph that had broken free of its captivity within my soul and was jiving.
This jazz nymph was terrifically keen! She was like popcorn in my bones as I was focussing on the road back to Queenstown in my puttering emerald. The roads were icy, and I needed to concentrate! I could tell that she anxious to see my hands upon a keyboard again, because my fingers were fretting the steering wheel during the whole journey. 'Jazz' was restless; elemental. Its alchemy was seeping into my skin as I was delivered safely back to the Shotover Lodge, my headquarters in Queenstown.
Flustered with flair, I swung back to my room, turned the key, and burst in with arms like springs. But my romance fell short - my room was so boring! This was no St Clair headquarters.. It was the room of somebody else - the uninspired, unenthusiastic Josh. It was trying to smile at me with filthy yellow teeth, and here I was, a pearly white. How was the fresh breath of life meant to flow through here?
Meanwhile, the jazz nymph had swiftly obtained rule in the kingdom of my mind, and was heralding a new approach to life. Before doing anything else, I zipped over to my keyboard and communed with this spritely character by linking hands through the keyboard. I extended my invitation, and she gladly accepted. We conversed through improvised rhythm and melody, and I quickly understood what she was envisioning. It sounded like the blooming of creativity and expression!
JAZZ HABITS!!
It was time to get jazzy! It was time to sprinkle the stardust of my character into all the things that captured my soul. This is how I understood Jazz. It is not a genre of music, nor is it a collection of 'standards' composed by masters - it is the spice and spontaneity of character and of life!
The lameness of my room was like a lid concealing a bubbling pot of soup - the broth of my artistic efforts. This lid blocked me from really sprinkling the hottest and tangiest spices into the soup. My room didn't allow Feng Shui - it didn't invite me in, nor did it invoke the bubbly jazz nymph. I needed to build a golden gateway for my creative force energy to flow effortlessly. So, I made a Creative Space!
It was so simple - just a few rearrangements, and I had established for myself a creative throne. I could conduct my art here like Zeus on Everest, making it as stormy as I wanted to. Here is what I used to decorate my Creative Space:
- Colours. I wanted my creative space to be warm and cozy, yet graphic like a jester. So I touched life into some paper, and turned them into mirrors for my muse. I could gaze at these colours as I played the piano, and let my eyes be romanced.
- Original artwork by Auntie Jean. Auntie Jean was my number one fan in music, but sadly, she passed away earlier in the year. I included a collection of her original artwork and some photos of her looking fruity to remind myself of the immense love, support and artistic verve that she carried within her heart. This was the most Jean-ius idea! Like the moths kissing the light of the lamp, she was with me every moment I conducted my art.
- A 'Me' Sheet. This is the physical manifesto of my higher self. On there is written my Life Purpose, my top 10 values, my top strengths, and my top 5 goals in life. I put this here to ensure that every time I sat down to practice the piano, I would be reminded of who I was and what I was here to do. Mundane deliberate practice of my instrument now became like drinking a higher self super charger smoothie.
A 'Me' Sheet is an extraordinarily powerful tool that only takes a few minutes to make. It is your master key, your bible, your friend. You could make multiple copies, and put them in places where they are hard to ignore. I made two, putting one in my creative space and another on my bedside table - it became the first thing I looked at every morning, instead of my electronic device.
With the 'Me' Sheet around, you start to cultivate an intimate bond with the highest version of yourself, as it is how the Truth that you are can communicate to you even when times are rough. Such a bond is your Alohomora spell!
-Action shots of my idols! Bill Laurence, Cory Henry, Michael League, Shaun Martin, Jacob Collier, Herbie Hancock.
These are guys are just like you and I, and yet they managed to find a way to tap into the musical genius within, and deliver their sagely music to our very ears. There is deep wisdom emanating from the masters, for they are the comets that have blazed a path for us to follow. They are wizards! And in the Creative Space, they are deities that empower musical growth, creativity, trailblazing, practice, determination, and a myriad of other boons!
With these good luck charms in place, my creative bubble was plump and juicy. It was the end of procrastination! The springs and watering holes of my musical savannah had filled and the whole safari had come to rejoice. The waterfalls were roaring once more!
In just two short weeks, I had composed 3 new tunes and a handful of ideas, each with that new jazzy touch. My artistic abilities had matured! Where I was gurgling milk chocolate in the past, now I was nibbling dark chocolate. I loved my new sound, calling each of the new tunes my 'darlings'. Playing them was like caressing my own heart on Christmas eve.
Here is one one of the darlings, 'Ladybug'.
I even started wearing a jazzy hat - an item that I found back on Hamilton Island. It was a generous addition to the vibe.
When I checked back in with the fluttering nymph, her foot was still tapping restlessly. I wondered why she was still not satisfied - I had designed a bubble castle for her magic. She expressed to me through improvisation that her reign had only just begun, and that she wanted Jazz to reach all the corners of my life, and not just one. She also told me that a great deal of her almighty Jazz prowess was still locked up, because she hand't met the entirety of Joshua St Clair.
How could that be? I tugged at my desk draw, and nestled in there was the monocle from the start of this chapter.. Why of course, I had completely forgotten about my classes!
In the warmth of my creative space, I hosted council with all the faces of Joshua St Clair. The Artist was bubbly and excited, perched and ready with a quill. However, the Adventurer was licking his wounds as his scroll unravelled behind him, and the Warrior had taken a vowel of silence. In the blink of an eye, the jazz nymph arrived, waved her wand, and darted off like a firefly comet. The golden staircase revealed itself before the archetypes!
So, I took my meditation to the great outdoors, sitting peacefully in the forests, along the rivers, and against the brush of Lake Wakatipu. Fresh Qi gulped me every time. Meditation was no longer a chore, it was an adventure!
I took my journal and a pen through a cinema of different environments: park benches, mountain crevices, busy cafes and the flirtatious Queenstown waterfront. Writing practice was no longer a burden. It was a journey!
I was fizzling like a fire cracker. All the habits and practices that had once felt insurmountable now tasted like hokey-pokey. And it was all thanks to Jazz.
Jazz is not only for musicians. It is for all people! Jazz is the child that we are, that benevolent force that wants to be free, expressive, creative and spontaneous! Invite Jazz into your life, and be magical!
And with that, the jazz nymph winked it me, blew a kiss, and dispersed into the wind like a dandelion flower. Until next time, jazz nymph!
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