Cultivated Creativity and Insights with Aging

Cultivated Creativity and Insights with Aging

10-09-17 “Cultivated” is a podcast that explores faith and culture, especially Creative culture. There is a 2 part episode with Steve Taylor, a Christian pop/rock, satirical-at-times, singer who, after a solid 10+ year run of writing, recording, touring and producing, mostly stopped his solo music making for the better part of 20 years, and instead focused on making films. Now, later in life, music has reappeared in his life. It was 15 years ago (in the midst of his 20 year solo music hiatus) that I met him at the FedEx counter in Hillsboro Village in Nashville. We chatted briefly, I told him I was a fan from way back (the first cd I ever purchased was Steve’s “I Predict 1990”), I asked about new music and he said he was now making movies. Fan boy Joal, still wishing-to-make-it-in-music Joal, couldn’t fathom why Steve would not do music. 

My wife, children, cat and I moved to Texas, leaving Music City, a bit over 3 years ago. We moved in a holy-spirit-fueled-whirlwind of circumstances, knowing we should, but not ever having an inkling we would, until we did. (Side note—moving a cat that’s valiumed up is hysterical!)

I used to write songs. Not as a career, though I always wished it would play out that way. Most were for my own therapy; some were tied to I'm-gonna-chase-the-folk-star dreams of my 20s and the first half of my 30s. A handful of the songs were actually pretty decent, most weren't horrid, just interesting to a select few; but there was a portion that are best forgotten. Friends helped me capture some of them on an indie CD in 2008....a full 9 years ago...yet it doesn’t seem like that long ago.

Here I am, now in my mid 40's, married to the same beautiful woman for over 25 years, parenting 2 distinctly different boys for 21 and 14 years, currently leaving the cat undrugged, and working for a company I’ve grown to love for over 19 years. I’ve done this one kind of work for nearly half my life and I can tell it’s changed me.

Specifically, I haven't written a song (actually a completed musical thought) in the whole 3+ years we've lived in Texas. I haven't really tried. I have managed, however, to be a part of our church worship band, playing on average 6-8 times a year, with some fine players. I've taken a small band of musician buddies with me, twice, to teach music in Belize with World Music Mission. I've played at countless company events, rarely my own tunes, just usually pieces that fit the theme of the gathering. And in recent days, in a pursuit of a simpler life, looking to let go of things that clung to me, I've even sold off some of my guitars. (Fret not Whammy Bar brethren-I kept the Taylor and the Alvarez).

Taking a minute to reflect, I hadn’t really missed songwriting. Consciously realizing all of this, I was caught short the other day when my lack of musical creativity emotionally jumped me.....even if you're not a songwriter, you know the feeling...like you HAVE TO do something before you lose the ability or chance to do it.

Yet, I didn't go write a song.

Because, again, I hadn’t missed it. I do like playing guitar. It’s not the obsession it was, say, 30 years ago. But it is soul-soothing. After that not-writing-songs-moment hit me, I played, picked, plucked and pondered for a while, six string in hand. But I didn’t try to write.

Yet, creativity lingers. Bringing something from nothing is still in me. It’s in all of us.

Lately, in my 19 year job/career/pursuit I’ve been asked to take on ever increasing leadership responsibilities. I’ve been prepared for and grown-up-into this placement and season. One of the areas of new found work is in writing, directing and producing training videos for our sales force. I’m not the camera guy. I’m certainly not the tech genius. Those responsibilities belong to guys like my buddy Nic and my youngest son—both skilled in the video arena. Instead, I’m the concept-to-word-to-“actor”-to-behind-the-camera-director-to-final-editor-decision-guy that actually, in real time, creates content that helps men and women in my company succeed in this profession, to earn an ever-better living doing the work we do.

About a week ago (vuja-de, as a friend says) I was caught short...when my obsession with well-crafted creative scripting of a concept emotionally jumped me...and I immediately, effortlessly wrote another video script.

The creative impulse lingers.

It is finding new expression at this time of life in a place that influences, edifies, and shapes perceptions and abilities.

30 years ago, while learning those first half a dozen chords, dreaming of rock stardom, I wouldn’t have been able to even conceive of “training videos” as a creative outlet.

20 years ago, post college, music degree in hand, I couldn’t have seen the beauty and artistry in “how-to” productions.

But after an education in the arts, a married life thus far watching a photography-lover and scrapbook expert, an ever growing list of bonafide epic concert experiences and a continuing love for the Scriptures that beckon me to chase the beautiful, true, noble things....after all that, I’m good with new realms of creativity.

I’ve seen Steve Taylor’s movies. They’re good. He’s quick to admit in the podcast that they’re good, not great. But they are exactly the creative pursuit he needed at that moment of his life. Maybe Steve gets back into music. Maybe I’ll write a song next week. Either way, cultivated creativity continues the older I get.

https://www.cultivatedpodcast.com/