Finding your own voice
And why it's always better to be your own beautiful (creative) self
If there’s one things my teenage singing students resist at first, it’s sounding like themselves.
‘But that’s not how it’s meant to sound!’ they wail, the thought of not doing a song in exactly the same way as the original singer absolutely terrifying.
Singing every note that Billie Eilish or Adele sings and in exactly the same way feels safe. Singing something different doesn’t.
We’re hardwired to seek patterns and predict outcomes, and we love certainty and what we know. We also want to get things right, to not make mistakes and embarrass ourselves.
Clearly, putting your own interpretation on something or just seeing where it takes you doesn’t fit with this at all.
But knowing exactly how something is supposed to go, the very thing that makes us feel safe, is a lot less fun than taking the risk of making something your own. It’s like exploring a new neighbourhood but only taking the streets you already know.
You’re never going to find something creative that way. Because creativity lives in that exact space of not knowing what comes next, of having to make a choice instead of following in someone else’s footsteps.
Mistakes
But that can seem like an impossible task, and not only because you scared to take the risk.
My students usually start out thinking that technical mistakes that inevitably happen as part of the learning process and creative choices are the same thing.
But one is about skill and the other is about finding your own artistic voice. It’s impossible to create something without making all kinds of mistakes, including the technical ones and the kind that come from experimenting and exploring.
Besides, so often creative choices can come about because of mistakes, which is a whole other story (and one I’ve talked about here).
Recognising yourself
There’s also something a bit deeper at play, which is the fear of not recognising ourselves in what we create.
What if we’re not good enough? What if in stepping away from what we know we can’t find our way back again? And what if we find that doing it this way is so much more rewarding than just singing along, note for note?
If that happens, we might never be happy sounding like Adele again!
Doing something your own way, creating your own way, can be pretty hard work. You can’t predict how you’re going to feel or where it’s going to lead.
It’s not wonder we’re looking for formulas we can follow, the perfect recipe, the proven method, the step-by-step guide. Much easier to just follow along than to not be sure where you’re going to step next.
Letting go
But those moments when my students finally let go of replicating the original and allow something unexpected to emerge, mistakes and all, are when the magic happens.
Even if it’s just singing one note different or the same song slower or faster or louder or whatever, they are thrilled because the song feels like it’s starting to belong to them.
After all, I always tell them, Billie Eilish and Adele sound exactly like themselves and no one else, but they probably didn’t start out that way.
If they can do it, so can my students.
For more on all things creativity, visit The Creativity Helm, helping you navigate your creative journeys step-by-step 💡