Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Part I Perspectives on Creativity and Inspiration 4
Avoid Or Get Out Of Creative Ruts 6
Channel Your Natural Genius 10
Recalibrate Your Artistry 15
Nurture Your Genius, Not Just Your Talent 19
Keep It Simple 24
Seek Inspiration From Unlikely Places 28
Feed Your Creative Appetite With High-hanging Fruit 31
The Creative Box Principle: When Possibilities Exist Within Limits 34
Make Ignorance Your Friend 38
The Fallacy Of Linear Thinking 41
Creativity From An Economist's Perspective 43
Part II Perspectives on Music and Psychology 48
The Illusion Of Control: A Musician's Cognitive Bias 49
The Illusion Of Transparency: Mistakes Are Not Always Noticeable 55
The Cheerleader Effect: You're As Good As The Company You Keep 58
The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Do You Think You're Better Than You Really Are? 61
What We Can Learn From Offensive People 65
The Von Restorff Effect: The Psychology Of Standing Out 68
The Hawthorne Effect: Is Someone Watching? 71
Part III Perspectives of Education and Learning 73
Jazz: A Creative Model For Learning 75
The Four Stages of Evolution Of A Jazz Musician: From Student To Master 79
The Four Categories Of Judgment: Will You Be Ready? 85
The Jazz Jam Session: Using The Wally's Jazz Club Model In The Classroom 89
The Benefits Of Slow Practice 93
Ten Reasons Why You Might Have Trouble With Rhythm 96
Sound Composition: Mixing And Matching Sonic Sources 99
Non-Linear Thinking: A Path To New Discoveries 102
Part IV Perspectives on the Music Business 107
Creating Your Musical Brand 109
Invest In Your Artistic Rather Than Your Financial Capital 113
Sometimes A Gig Is Just A Gig 118
Interview Music: Conceptual Art Or Nonsense? 122
Are We Making Music Or Art? The Litmus Test 128
Bringing Your Ideas To Fruition 132
An Objective Perspective On The DownBeat Critics' Polls 135
My Ten Guiding Principles For Success 141
About the Author 146
