Dare to shine

I’ve been obsessed with film music for a long time. I would watch the extras to movies like Pirates, Sweeney Todd and Phantom of the Opera until the center of the DVDs cracked. I’m also way more interested in seeing the behind the scenes action than the result. Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski doing their find the peanut routine cracks me up every single time. Keira Knightley kicking ass sword fighting. Keenan Kampa dancing. Helena Bonham Carter singing. Benedict Cumberbatch actually playing the violin. Tim Burton drawing or directing. Hans Zimmer composing.

Hans Zimmer is a genius. I recently watched a recording of his live tour and I swear I had goose bumps for two hours straight and regular chills down my spine. He’s treating it like a GIANT jam session and it’s awesome. The way he layers different sounds and unexpected instruments… I don’t care what it’s called, it’s pure brilliance.

There is something about watching exceptionally talented people do extraordinary things that are sometimes completely out of their comfort zone - especially when they weren’t trained to do it to begin with. It gives me hope that if I want to I can learn to do whatever I want.

I played the piano when I was younger and can sort of read sheet music, but that’s as far as my musical knowledge stretches. I’d be hard pressed to distinguish between a violin and a viola despite having friends who play both. But I think we all have an intimate relationship with the effects of music. We also all had someone we admired so much they annoyed us into jealousy when we were younger, whether they were acting, dancing, playing an instrument, singing, or something else entirely. Maybe we still do. Watching someone do their own thing is fascinating and inspiring in equal measure! It doesn’t matter if it’s photo editing, painting, programming or gardening.

I’ll never forget Alex just staring at me and exclaiming something like “You’re just so damn happy!” in a slightly exasperated manner while I was bouncing around like a small child on Christmas during prom practice. In Linköping, prom is serious business. We practiced Wiener waltz for several months and I listened to An der schönen blauen Donau more times than I can count, twirling as fast as the limited space in my bedroom would allow. The only thing that has kept me from signing up for a dance course is that I couldn’t decide between tango, quickstep and salsa. I considered ballet, too. I don’t have to become an expert in either of these, just trying something would be great. I certainly wouldn’t expect to ever go on pointe. Hmm… that last was a lie. I’m nothing if not ambitious, still.
Aspiring never got anyone anywhere though, you actually have to do something about it. You have to choose. Find a focus, at least for a while. Do I want to paint aquarelle, take up my singing lessons, or learn some type of dance or another? I hate choosing, but what happens when I don’t choose is this:

Nothing

Instead of picking one thing and going for it, I often sit on my hands waiting for divine intervention or something, which is about the most useless thing you could ever do. What is it that makes us think procrastinating will help? Just pick one. You can always change your mind, and change it again. Fear and lack of knowledge (which boils down to fear of the unknown) are usually the real obstacles, in one shape or another. If you have identified that, you’re well on your way to beating that inner indecisive coward of yours.

Honestly, there’s a part of me that just wants to get up on stage and never get off. It doesn’t matter if it’s an actual stage or just a room with (sometimes a lot of) other people in it. The rest of me is absolutely terrified of doing just that. But honestly, we all step up on stage every single day, whether it’s in our relationships, at work, in various hobbies or some other activity we undertake. We all have infinite opportunities to create something of value that we can be proud of, every day. Regardless of your circumstances, don’t limit your power - go find more of it! Wherever you are right now, there’s plenty more where that came from! Nothing beats a healthy dose of curiosity and an unlimited appetite for life.

Take a long hard look at the obstacles, then promptly get them out of your way. Unleash your creative ambitions, whatever they are!

What are you gonna do today that you didn’t do yesterday?