Creativity Jijiji
Creativity Jijiji: "Conversations about creativity"
This podcast amplifies the voices of our true leaders—the artists. Writers, composers, producers, singers, actors, and poets show us new ways to see ourselves and the world around us. They illuminate the invisible threads that connect us, revealing the deep ties of our shared humanity.
At a time when we must come together as citizens of a small and fragile planet, the voices of artists matter more than ever.
Creativity Jijiji goes beyond the spotlight to explore the mysteries of creativity—where it comes from, why it moves us, and how it shapes our world.
Join us as we listen, learn, and celebrate the creative minds guiding us into the future.
Creativity Jijiji
Wander & Wonder: Your Creative Career
Ever wondered how getting lost can lead to the most unexpected and creative discoveries? Join us as we recount a whimsical adventure through London in search of a Celtic bouzouki, only to find that the true treasure was the journey itself. This episode is a celebration of the unpredictable road to creative success, where maintaining a constant creative spirit—regardless of how it might bewilder those around us—is key. We touch upon the necessity of a little selfishness in artistic pursuits and the profound impact mentors can have on our creative paths. Through personal tales of my diverse career, we reveal how adaptability and embracing the unknown are vital in today’s intricate creative landscape.
In another engaging chapter, we dive into the essence of pursuing a creative career—highlighting persistence, risk, and the importance of a beginner's mindset. From my experiences in a New York recording studio to the transformative journeys of icons like Lady Gaga and Harrison Ford, we showcase how being "lost" can lead to the most profound artistic breakthroughs. Closing with reflections on creating a unique studio environment and surrendering to the creative process, this episode invites you to join our community at Studio Jijiji. Follow your instincts, explore your passions, and connect with others through shared interests—because the most beautiful creations often arise when we least expect them.
Thanks for listening.
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I had it in my mind to buy a Celtic bouzouki. I wanted to learn some Irish tunes and I thought with a bouzouki I could get into any Irish session in any bar. I mean, everybody wants a bouzouki player, right? I'd be the only bouzouki player at Irish sessions in New York. That was my idea, pretty cool idea.
Speaker 1:So with that mission in mind, I left my hotel and I wandered through my favorite city in the world, London, where I was raised as a kid To get lost, not to find a bouzouki, but just to get lost. And when I got lost, I was pretty sure I'd find a bouzouki. And when I got lost, I was pretty sure I'd find a bouzouki. What we're talking about here is navigating the road to creative success. Embrace the maze. What does that mean? That's what we're talking about in this ErgGG podcast, so welcome.
Speaker 1:I've always been the type of guy who asks about things. I sought out and engaged with mentors, you know, for all the things I like to do creative scripts, directing, producing small business, marketing technology, video games, even opera, live theater, musicals, concerts I've done them all because my main goal in life was to maximize my creative spirit every single day. And you know when I got that idea when I was eight years old. That's right, that's when I started writing, at eight. So every day I've tried to maximize my creative spirit and it's driven everybody around me completely crazy. I got to tell you, nuts, I mean, it's just, you know that expression be here now. Well, I am, be here now. The only thing is that's not so cool. People don't want to be around your be here now. They really don't. But when you're an artist, when you're focused like that, there's a natural sort of selfishness that you need to get your work done. That is not for a healthy, balanced life. Okay, I am not a healthy guy. I'm a guy who's just set out every single day to do something creative. And I've done it writing lighting, design, packing a 45 foot truck so that I didn't need any rope and I could just close the doors. Learning to play guitar, learning to sing which I never quite got, you know. Going to New York, getting into advertising, getting into marketing, learning how to do that, doing shows, animation, cartoon shows, learning how to do that, getting into video games, learning how to do that. That's what my life has always been like and I like to learn and I like to ask questions from people above me, except that now I'm one of the guys above me, so I should be saying, hey, this is what you got to do for success, except it's gotten really complicated, not as straightforward, but that's a good thing. That's a good thing because I really believe a creative career is a labyrinth. I like wandering, getting lost, discovering, shifting perspectives and losing myself. When you do that, you see things in a new way. Every single day you can see things differently, and the easiest way to do it is to get lost. I swear to God, that's what I think.
Speaker 1:Anyway, when I was a younger creative, I took lots of advice about my career. I mean, you do right, you ask people what should I do? And I had some mentors that told me exactly what to do and I did exactly that and I had a lot of success. Those roads that I took are not even there anymore, which is made it more of a labyrinth than ever. As an older creative, I get asked the same questions. I asked older creatives when I was younger the same questions. The answers are not as clear.
Speaker 1:When I first went to New York to work as a musician, people told me get a job at a recording studio. So you get a job at a recording studio, not just sitting behind a desk and recording, but like sitting out and answering phones or going and getting coffee for all the musicians or just sitting in the back, you know, taking notes on paper, take notes. I mean these were the roots, this is what you did. I worked as an assistant producer doing radio ads. I mean, I knew nothing about radio ads but I got this gig and I thought, okay, I'll do this, and that opened the door to a lot of things. I got that gig because somebody helped me get it. A family member helped me get that job.
Speaker 1:The point is there is no real route to a creative career. You just start and you make every day a challenge and eventually, I promise you, you will get there. Even if you don't have a tremendous amount of monetary success, you will have a tremendous amount of artistic success and that's more important. That is really more important. It's a wild, unpredictable process that requires risk, failure and, above all, persistence and honestly, I love it. Look, there is no straight path to creative success. There's just no such thing.
Speaker 1:Vincent van Gogh, right? You look at that guy. He redefined how we see the world. I mean, he painted an energetic beauty. He wandered here and there, lost. He got drunk. He got sober, he got drunk again, he had fights, he fell out of chairs. That dude was lost in a fog. And look, look at the paintings. Oh my gosh, years, lady Gaga. Maybe not a couple hundred years, but Lady Gaga, right, lady Gaga.
Speaker 1:She hustled around Manhattan. I know that gig. You go to a? Um down a bleaker street. There's a bar called the bitter end and on the wall is a picture of Lady Gaga. I mean, she can't be more than 17 years old. It's pretty amazing.
Speaker 1:She hustled all over the city. She demanded people pay attention to her. Nobody expected her to become a star, except Gaga. She knew that she was going to be a star. She knew it. She knew it and she lived it every single day. And if she saw a window open she would just jump through it. She knew it and she lived it every single day. And if she saw a window open she would just jump through it. I don't think she had any idea what was on the other side of that window. She just jumped. And when she got on the other side of the window she figured it out. Harrison Ford. Right, that guy was working as a set carpenter one day and he was Han Solo the next. He was ready, though he was ready. Gaga was ready. That's another secret.
Speaker 1:That's why you gotta focus on your art. I'm gonna get a little woo woo. I'm gonna talk about the angels, because I really believe that the angels will put you on the path you need to get on if you do not resist and that's part of being lost, that's a big part of being lost. You're lost, you don't know where you are. Surrender to it, just surrender to it. Look, you have to get straight about some of this stuff. It's sort of like you need beginner mind 24-7. You don't need to know where you're going. You don't need to know your path. You don't need to sit down and map out a career.
Speaker 1:I mean, we live in a time 2024, where, oh my gosh, the productivity apps. Everybody wants to know everything about everything at every time. They want to have your plane. I saw this app where it's like we will schedule your work so you will get more work done. They're scheduling 40 hours of work a week automatically. Some AI bot is coming in, going do this, do that. I mean that's crazy. If you're an artist. Keep way away from that. You want to be lost. You want to be lost and you don't need a productivity app, because what you need to do is right in front of you every single day.
Speaker 1:It's a blank canvas or a blank score book. Put music notes or a blank page where you can put words. That's what you start with. You don't know, you just start. That's another pro tip Start every day, do it. I think it was Hemingway said never stop until you know what your next sentence is. That's cool. That's pretty much the only planning you need.
Speaker 1:I actually actualized what I'm talking about. I built a studio with my partner in New York City called Irving Place Studios. It's still there and I was just there recently. It's still beautiful and the guys that own it were asking me you know what was in your mind? They didn't really understand it because I didn't really build a classic studio. I had all these other things I was doing and I wanted a visual maze because I wanted a sense of dislocation, of people being lost. So we built this studio with lots of windows and then I added mirrors and the first day I went in there.
Speaker 1:I'm directing a session. I'm directing a session and I look out and I see a voiceover in a booth that has nothing to do with my session and I'm like where is that guy? Where is he? I mean, I built the layout and I didn't know where he was. It was so confusing. It just kind of your mind a little bit. Just you know how dogs tilt your head. That's what it was like. It was like a tilt head. You know what's going on. I'm lost. We did fantastic work in that studio and I believe it was because there was a sense of dislocation. We were essentially lost and when you get lost as an artist, the art gets found.
Speaker 1:Like I said, I lived in London as a kid, so I knew the city. But no city stays the same right and memory tells its own story. So it didn't take long for me to get lost. Even though I knew the city, I was lost. I think one of the reasons I got lost so quickly is because I wanted to get lost. I'm looking for a bouzouki. I want to get lost.
Speaker 1:It's the end of the day. I'm walking through the city, it's twilight and it's raining. It's kind of magic in a city like London. Not a heavy rain, but what Irish farmers call a soaking rain, and the streetlights are reflecting off the pavement and the shop windows are like lanterns of curiosity and I'm just wandering. I'm feeling that great feeling of I'm lost. I don't know where I am. I love it, really I love it.
Speaker 1:So I'm walking down a narrow street in London and I'm a little hunched over from the rain, and up ahead I see an alley and as soon as I see it I know that in that alley there is a music store that sells bazookas. Okay, that's going to sound crazy to you, but that is exactly what happened. I just knew I'd never been there before. I don't think. Maybe in my deep memory I had, but I don't think so. I was just walking down. I get to the end of the alley beautiful old alley. I turn around and there's a music store, a beautiful music store. It looks like something you might see out of Harry Potter, like that alley. They have where they go and they have all the shops. It was kind of that, this beautiful music store.
Speaker 1:I walk into the music store. I open the door. There's two guys at the back and I say to them do you sell bouzouki? It turns out to be like the number one place in London to buy a Celtic bouzouki. All right and sure enough. I'm walking back out of London to buy a Celtic bouzouki. All right and sure enough.
Speaker 1:I'm walking back out of that store with a Celtic bouzouki in my hand back to New York and wandering around trying to get into Irish music sessions playing this bouzouki. It just came to me, it's what I wanted to do. My instinct said you know what? You should learn some Irish tunes because it's part of my culture. And my instinct said you know what? You should just go for a walk and see if you can find this bouzouki. And it worked. I got what I needed for my art. I got lost and I found it. This is Chris McHale. I am the CCO of Studio Jijiji. This is Air Jijiji, and we hope you subscribe or follow whatever it is Podcasts everywhere where your ears wander. Visit our website, wwwstudiodjijiio. Subscribe to our newsletter, subscribe to our podcast and join us. I actually like to talk to people about their career of work and I love hearing what they're up to and what they're doing, and we've got some programs which you can contribute to. So visit the website, reach out to me and let's see if we can work together. Thanks for listening.
