If you have an idea, or a desire to do something, how do you make it happen? What’s the difference between dreaming and creating?

At its very roots, music is vibration. You set something in motion. If you play guitar, you strum a string, it begins to vibrate and you hear it. If you play violin, you draw a bow across a string and it too begins to vibrate and you hear its sound.

The same thing happens when you blow into a woodwind or brass instrument. The vibration of your lips combines with the reed or mouthpiece and you again set something into motion. And you hear it.

So how do you start the vibrations of creating what you want?

Dreaming is the first stage. Because you first need to know what you want before you manifest it. And dreaming allows you to explore a subject from many angles. You can “try it out” in your mind, before you have to start the process of physically manifesting.

For example, if you want to compose a piece of music, you can begin trying out different lyrics, to see what they feels like. Or you might try different chord patterns, to see what they feel like. At this stage you are not restricted to anything, because you are just exploring. But once you get a notion that’s more concrete, you can begin to manifest that notion in the physical.

It’s similar to playing with clay. You can try forming different shapes, with a playful attitude, till something suggests itself. Perhaps you want to make a tea cup. At that point, you now know what the clay shape will become, and you can begin to form it.

Let’s take some examples in the music industry. How do you form a good reputation if you have little previous background? Suppose you are just starting out, and you’ve been playing with “musical clay” for a while. Perhaps a guitar player inspired you and guitar music speaks to you. Somewhere inside of you there’s a desire to let music come through you. So you practice your craft, but now you want venues to play.

Step one – once you decide what you want, write it down. Writing down what you want is the beginning of taking a dream, the raw clay, and starting to shape it. Because writing makes things more concrete.

Basically, you want people to know you play guitar. Begin to list all the ways people could find out about you. This is the beginning of marketing yourself. You might list:

• Business cards
• Flyers
• Posters
• Write an article in a local newspaper
• Play at open mic at a restaurant
• Back up a known singer

All these things act like a magnet. The more you brainstorm, the stronger the magnet.

Step two – journal. Keep track of what you are doing, what you are thinking, and what you are feeling. When you start to write down your thoughts, new ideas, new steps to take, more will come to you. I’m not sure why this works, but I believe it has to do with your attention.

Whatever you put attention on grows larger. So by keeping a journal, you keep your attention on shaping your clay. This gives you a focus you might not ordinarily have.

You might think these ideas are simple – and they are. But pen and paper are incredible tools to begin shifting your life from dreaming to manifesting what you want.

All the best,

Allan,
BellaOnline’s Musician Editor