.When I first started writing for symphony orchestra – in the decade that led up to my recording and filming “Invention & Alchemy” – it often drove me crazy that it took months and months of preparation to create all the music for a 5-minute symphonic piece.

The people in the audience would experience this piece, they would see me acting as if I were inventing it in the moment (because I often was semi-inventing my own part), and they were completely oblivious to the months of work and writing and editing that went into making this thing that seemed so simple.

That’s when I began better understanding how huge a part preparation plays in any activity.

I used to just expect myself to suck-it-up and be creative or productive in any kind of environment. I figured if I were really creative I should be able to do it under any circumstances.

Then I began to realize that was a form of self-abuse.

It’s something I still struggle with but I have no question now that preparation and creating conducive conditions is the real work of getting anything done.

Once that’s done, the ‘real work’ feels like play.  (At least … until we get stuck … but that’s a discussion for a different day!)

For right now, we’re creating structure in the music, in our notes, and in our workspace.

I want you to have enough structure for your music, your notes and your workspace that it can support what you’ll learn in the class.

Preparation and conducive conditions prepares the stage for big leaps because you have everything you need in order to MOVE with the moment.

Here’s an example:

To play Baroque Flamenco with a symphony, it took years of creating the piece, preparing the orchestra score and creating 70 parts for the orchestra to play from.  Here’s just the final part of that process, all the parts for the orchestra & conductor:

And here’s the exhilarating moment of lift-off, when all that preparation leads to a moment when you just sit down and ‘do it’ and it feels like the ultimate play and joy.

We can experience a kind of lift-off  NOW by preparing for and playing something very small.

Is it perfect?

No…

It’s gloriously imperfect.

Is it big and impressive and wonderful?

No…

It’s small, and simple and wonderful. And it helps YOU become powerful.

My first step to creating and playing “Baroque Flamenco” was finding 10 coins, and using a hand-drawn grid to structure my practice time into 20-minute segments.

Those two very simple things have powered my creative expression my whole life.

In order to dare to go to parts of ourselves we don’t yet know, we need a kit of tools we can count on — to ground, support and sustain us as we reach for the infinite magic of creative expression.

Creating that kit, committing to creating conducive conditions, is a powerful commitment we make to support the gifts and talents we’ve been given: our passion for music, the beauty we hear, and see and reach for in every note.

And now … go forth and create conducive conditions for your muse to appear and flourish!