Stretch Yourself.

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We really don't know the power of the brain. I feel as humans, we limit ourselves and we try to find the easy way out all the time. The human brain is so powerful and that makes us different from animals. Animals do the same thing over and over again and they don't get tired of their ways of life. There is nothing they are improving on because, by default, their nature is circled around a certain routine.

Humans are evolving and that's what makes us special. We constantly want to seek new ways to do things. Imagine the era where humans lived in caves to now that we are aiming for space. A lot has happened between them and there are brains behind it. It shows when we engage our brain we are capable of even much more.

We should and must rise above our instincts. We are supposed to be intentional about the kind of problems we want to solve. When we think, we weigh our options which allows us to do things differently from the way others go about things.

With every sound, sign and visuals, our brain reconfigures whether we know it or not. Creativity doesn't emanate from an aspect of our brain but with the little science that I did hahaha, I learnt that it emerges from billions of neurons. So, our thoughts and emotions can serve as raw materials that our brain can work with.

We don't stretch and put our brains to work enough. We shy from reading or doing anything that would stretch our brains. We try seeking the easy way out and it shouldn't be. You know, our brain takes input and bends it into something worthwhile. A lot of people don't understand that creativity is not about creating something out of nothing but it is about using an existing thing and remodelling it. Why do you think we have different models of cars? It is supposed to be an improvement on an earlier version. There is nothing called "True Originality" as most people have been used to saying. We all take our ideas from somewhere and try to make it better - show an angle that most people haven't tapped into yet, just like the idea for this post came from a wonderful Netflix documentary that I watched earlier.

For musicians, I am sure they will agree with me that Jazz is not a spontaneous reflection. There is a dynamic and intentionality about it where each artist or composer tries to add to an existing template. So in essence, we are all trying to remix ideas. We try to learn how to be different - using what others did (either right or wrong) to form something unique just as our life's experiences are unique all across.

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When we truly understand how dynamic we are as humans, we won't wait for the 'lightening' to strike but we will take a look around to use what is around us to create something unique. I write lyrics for people especially those who love to sing. I've done quite a few for my brother and some others and I can state that I picked off ideas from the things I see or even from the artist himself when he tries to describe to me the mental image he is trying to portray and because I put other people's feelings into better words.

An idea can strike but we mostly push it aside thinking we have all the time in the world or we feel so confident we would remember it later. Designs can come from an existing idea, a viral song can come from an existing issue and these ideas could be improved upon and turned into an unseen phenomenon. As humans, we can be reborn by new ideas that we get.

We like doing it easy but we shouldn't. The way we condition our brain can determine what we would get from it. Our brain would naturally choose the easy answers and that's because our brain will bring to us things that have been done before. It requires us to follow the path of deep resistance - dig deep so we can do something different from the norms.

Here is the challenge for us all, including myself, we shouldn't be afraid to fail. We should be willing to be right as well as to be wrong. We all stumble and falls (make mistakes) and that's one of the many ways that we learn. We must not stay away from risks. I am sure not all songs written by artists make after the studio. Some songs fail to make it to the audience's ears regardless of how excited the artist or writer must have felt before then.

To create a new idea, you must try to strike a balance between the new and the familiar. You can't make it completely new for the fear of being rejected and you can't make it too familiar because you would be asked "what's new?". So, we need to explore the range of familiarities to see what works. We need to understand the old to bring about something new or different.

Push your brain to start something new. Push those boundaries even though it might be risky but I know it would be rewarding. Stretch your mind and your brain. Stop ignoring those ideas and bring your ideas to life.

Thank you for your time.