We have been talking about how to stop learning and start thinking. The next step is to start creating. Because in the process of thinking you open yourself up to the Universe or to God, depending on your belief system, creativity comes naturally.
Oscar-nominated composer Pharrell Williams shares with Oprah that he creates his music either in the shower (think sensory deprivation) or in the moment when he’s got no more ideas. In the case of his song Happy, Pharrell reached the point where he had tried everything and the movies executives still did not approve.
To be exact, Pharrell took eight different songs to those who hired him to do the soundtrack for Despicable Me 2. They pushed him to try again by saying, “Close, but that’s not it.”
Did Pharrell give up? Did he tell them to get another guy? Did he start thinking negatively? Nope. He went back to the drawing board. When he finally agreed he had nothing, he opened up to God (he is a believer) and, in that clear space, he received the chorus. Then, the rest of the song. The result was a song that’s so infectious, people started uploading their own youtube videos to show that they are happy.
This song can pick anybody’s spirits up. Pharrell brought in a church choir to deliver parts of the song and he admits that he got inspired by the church experience. “When we go to church, they want to lift us up… doof, doof, doof, doof” he goes, making the sounds of a typical African American church rhythm.
[tweetthis]Half a billion views of his own video later, Pharrell is now left to wonder why he could not get any air time in the beginning.[/tweetthis] But that’s another thought for another time. Suffice it to say he opened himself up to God and became a clear channel of inspiration. I know I have been blessed by this empowering song.
Creating a new song, a new book, or a new movie requires the same struggle as creating a new organizational system for your homeschool, a new schedule, a new lesson plan or a new curriculum for your students. Homeschooling parents are creative by definition. So don’t be afraid to create something new in your homeschool today.
Who knows? You might become a curriculum provider one day. Or a blogger. Or you might offer a class to your local support group. Or, simply, you might stumble upon the right way to teach your children how to read long words. Homeschooling requires creativity. Those of us who choose to homeschool should not be afraid to create. We, by definition, are creators of an entire school system, the one in our home.
