Creative Thinking Tuesday, 28th October 2014

In the last creative thinking post I was thinking about inspiration. I was writing about this in terms of things which either act as raw materials for novel ideas or things which support a creative environment. For the latter there was something which I clearly overlooked – obviously in hindsight – and that’s music. What’s your soundtrack for doing creative thinking or creative work?

Selections from the Ryder Playlist

I have a playlist to try to jumpstart my brain when I get to the office. Top of that is a piece from the 28 Days Later soundtrack called “In The House – In A Heartbeat” by John Murphy. I like how it starts quite slow and builds. It helps me, I think, to raise my thinking speed. By having the same piece when I start the day I also think it helps to focus me a bit (I recently read that people who have routine for the start of the days are productive? I wish I could remember where I read that). Maybe there is an element of personal belief in thinking that this works?

Another piece of music that excites my brain is “Put On Your Sunday Clothes” from the musical Hello, Dolly! I first encountered it through the film WALL-E; the song is just so joyful. Being happy helps one to be creative! I use it to improve my mind and get in a creative frame of mind. I sometimes use it as backing music when I have lots of little tasks to do and want to get them done quickly.

I think that music from film soundtracks works quite well; I often go for purely instrumental pieces, as there are no words for me to latch on to, and have playlists with music from films like Inception, The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars on them. I have a small collection of video game music as well, which ranges in tempo and style: a real mix of things helps me to stay fresh. I can create a four-hour playlist and set it to shuffle, never knowing what is coming up.

Music is…

…a catalyst for creativity. It inspires thinking and helps with doing. Creative thinking is an essential part of creative doing. What do you listen to for creative thinking and creative doing? Are the two kinds of playlist similar or different? What works for you? And when do you need silence to be creative?

I’m curious! (of course) If you have ideas about music supporting your creativity, or a particular piece of music that helps you then let me know in the comments. Let’s see if we can create a playlist for creativity, and if there are comments I’ll share them in the next catch up post in two weeks.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan (@DrRyder and @VivaSurvivors)