Ways to Express the Person on the Inside, on the Outside
Why is it that we sometimes fail to express the person on the inside, on the outside? We can often be held back by self-limiting negative beliefs. Examples are: "I haven't got any imagination"; "I'm no good at maths"; "I can't draw" or "I can't sing." Have you ever wondered, though, how apparently ordinary people achieve extraordinary things? Or how those who formerly considered themselves lacking in talent may find themselves performing in front of an audience and giving joy to others? In this post I will show how you can overcome self-limiting negative beliefs in one area of creative self-expression – and why I believe this can impact every other area of your life.
It is a popularly-held idea that in order to excel in any field, we need not only talent but education and training. But consider a number of activities which have the word "folk" in front of them. For instance, take folk art, folk songs, or folk religion. The one thing they all have in common is that they all emerge from the minds and imaginations of ordinary people with no specialist knowledge, skill or training whatsoever. Folk art is created by those who never went to art school; folk songs are composed, performed and taught by those who never studied at music college;and folk religion evolved through the innate wisdom of those who never studied theology.
I propose to take the example of singing, because I believe it can be applied generally. Consider those who claim they "can't sing". Non-singers have a negative view of the sounds that come out of their mouths; and so they often remain silent. And yet, have you considered how our forbears ever learned to sing songs, before words were written down, and before sophisticated musical instruments and before musical notation? By simply singing lines of music after a natural singing teacher.
In a harmony workshop I have attended, the participants (none of whom had auditions, and some at least who have never been in a choir before) all stand in a circle around the singing teacher. And beyond this teacher, they see each other's faces, and look at and hear each other singing, and moving in rhythm to the music. This creates more cohesion, harmony, togetherness. The voices blend better, stay in sync with each other. The singing teacher is in the middle, he's always on the move, his body moves rhythmically all the time, he almost dances from one part of the choir to another. He himself has songs in his head. All the music is there. He has perfect pitch.
The singers learn and feel and tune into the notes, the words and the rhythm from looking at and listening to each other: the perfect feedback experience. I have heard groups of 'ordinary' people sound lovely, blend beautifully, creating something out of the ordinary. Base metal is transmuted into gold. It is as if some musical spirit is drawn out of them, to dance freely and live and breathe among them. They all look up, they know the words off by heart, they sing out, it's instinctive, it's taken into the heart of their being and that shows in the quality of the singing.
As in the field of singing, so in every other field of creative endeavour, not least creative writing. I for instance never went to a college of journalism, although over the years I have from time to time wondered whether I should have done, and whether my writing would be more competent and professional if I had. In fact I believe the most essential qualification to become a good writer is being someone who loves reading books.
So how can we express the person on the inside, on the outside? By recognising the falseness of those self-limiting beliefs; by trusting and listening to and learning from each other more; by being true to ourselves and responding on a far more instinctive level. So – look up, know the words off by heart, sing out,and believe that base metal can be transmuted into gold.
S.C. Skillman is the author of exciting new psychological thriller novel "Mystical Circles". The word "mystical" in the title is used ironically to mean "mysterious behaviour, events that keep you guessing, and people playing at cross purposes". Reviewers have enjoyed Skillman's "exploration of a community of complex characters who inhabit an eerie and atmospheric retreat" and have found it "a very entertaining read with plenty of action and sparky dialogue." If you are interested in people and their foibles you will enjoy this book. You can buy the novel on Amazon and through the Kindle Bookstore or visit the author's website to find out more. Click the secure payment gateway to buy a signed copy at http://www.scskillman.co.uk.
