The Endless Opportunity to Learn
One of my personal beliefs is that learning can occur in every experience and interaction in our lives. I also believe that our body and minds have the intuitive ability to give us signs when we are experiencing something incredible, and in this experience there may be an extra opportunity to learn.
This post is inspired by that feeling and intuition!
This post is also inspired by music, a form of communication that truly speaks a Universal Language– I have had some great learnings and insights from the following video, a "Cello Hip-Hop, Beat Box Experience" by Kevin "K.O" Olusola–
***Check Kevin out on Twitter, if you like the video send him a tweet, I'm sure he will appreciate it!
Whether you have seen this video or not, I highly recommend taking the time to watch it (and if you only watch half, your going to miss out)!
Creativity Expands our Reality
I was captivated by the entire 4:38 minutes of this video. I think this is a big testament to Kevin's ability to display an incredible amount of creativity using the tools that he has to create something beautiful and captivating. By combining many different ways of physically playing the Cello, and being completely fluent and creative in his beat-boxing he creates an ever changing rhythm, and more importantly, an ever changing feeling and emotion to his music.
But of course there is more, Kevin is constantly changing tempos, mixing rhythms, adding crescendos, and doing many other things that I cannot even consciously pick up on (I'm sure of it!).
So the question is how are we creatively using the tools (this could also mean 'our environment') that we have to create something powerful, meaningful, and even beautiful?
The Loud Power of Silence
During Kevin's performance I find that I am more drawn in, captivated, and engaged when there is silence or long slow powerful notes being played. When we are dialed in to what we are doing (or "in the flow" as my dad would say!), the combination of high powered actions (crescendos and fast powerful finger pluckings), with silence or slow, thoughtful actions (long and sustained strokes of a single chord) can be very powerful!
We often see this in public speaking. A great presenter is able to leverage silences to create greater impact. Sometimes it gives the crowd a minute to resonate with a previous point, and other times it is just to allow the audience to acknowledge the silence, to realize how everyone in the room is on the same wave length.
We tend to have an inherent fear and risk associated with silence, this is why it is not un-common for speakers to rush from point to point, to avoid the responsibility and risk of a great silent pause. On the flip side, there is an incredible amount of confidence, power, and connectedness that silence can create…
I would argue that we can find many ways to use silence to learn about ourselves and others…
- Prayer
- Meditation
- Listening
- Reflection
- Breathing
What silences are you actively taking and honouring in your life?
Body Language Aligns with True Passion
Another aspect of this performance that I love is how Kevin's body language is full of passion. Even if the video was on mute, you could tell by the way he is moving (his whole body at times) that he is connected and passionate about his work. I am fascinated with how you can truly Feel the music as well as Kevin's passion!
Have you ever thought about what your body language looks like at work, or at home? If someone could watch a muted video of you would they see the passion oozing out of your actions?
What would your body language look like aligned with your true passions?
And the real question, what would that feel like?
Freedom to Express Our True Selves
I think we can all agree that this performance isn't a classical piece of Cello music, it is something very unique. And in this unique style and self expression, there is a great lesson. If a performer (of any type, including you and me) is told their whole life to play a certain way and imitate a certain style, they may lose sight of the ability to express their true passion and add their style and flavour.
And while there is nothing wrong with a classic, it is exciting to see what happens when a performer is able to embrace and truly express their unique style and passion, like Kevin.
Again, are you in a role where you are able to truly express yourself, where you feel energized around the things you are doing because they align with your passions?
If you lead a business, team, or group, are you creating an environment where your team is able to leverage the passion and energy that comes with expressing their true self?
How do you Know When Your Learning?
Do you know when you are experiencing something incredible? Something special and one of a kind? Are you tuned into your intuition and body's natural alerts? Like I said, these can be great indicators that something is going on that is worth paying attention too, and worth learning from.
Let me share with you some of my natural indicators:
- I'm filled with exciting and inspiring energy
- I get goosebumps
- A rush of Adrenaline (I can feel my heart pumping out of my chest)
- I have a conscious recognition of an audience being quiet and still (this usually happens around serious events, for example a speaker sharing about a lost love one)
- I get a rush of my own creative thinking
When I am aware of these different dynamics of an experience, I pay extra special attention to see what I can learn… I would challenge you over the next couple of days to try this in your experiences and see what you learn!
If you enjoyed this post, take a minute and say hi in the comments, I always appreciate knowing people are reading and connecting with my writing…
If you have feedback or suggestions, I would love that too!
Thank you,
