Law of the Spark
my creativity manifesto

Oh Well
Ideas come from somewhere. I believe they don't really belong to us once they arrive.

Many artists agree, we all draw from somewhere.  I refer to this place as the source of creative energy— or sometimes simply
"the well'
It is incredibly powerful, infinite, and indifferent to who receives what. It is shared by all.

Ideas arrive because someone is listening.  I know this because I have spent my life cultivating an attitude and an environment that encourages a spark to show up, develop, and thrive.  At some level, you have to want it.
 

We tune because we care

Creativity doesn’t start with confidence or talent. It begins with attention.

Anyone can receive a spark. The trick is staying tuned long enough to notice when something is trying to arrive—and being honest enough to admit when it does.  Sometimes catching a spark is easy, other times exceedingly difficult, but it's only the beginning. Artists must develop discipline to capture the spark when it flashes. This is lightning in a bottle! I call this keeping your 'antennae up.' It is a skill that can be practiced. It can also be neglected. And like any instrument, it can fall out of tune.
 

Responsibility to the Spark

When a spark shows up, it doesn’t come with instructions. It arrives incomplete—fragile—often inconvenient. It shows up quietly.

It doesn’t ask for certainty. It asks for care.

You wouldn’t put your best china on a crooked shelf. Likewise the Universe doesn't place fragile ideas into careless hands.

If you’re given something that matters, you’re solely responsible for how you handle it.

KNOCK KNOCK

Ignore a spark and it doesn’t vanish—it just stops knocking.

Sometimes the signal goes silent. Sometimes it returns distorted. or when you get your next spark, it's not as great as the other, its like B-stock. Other times it shows up fully formed in someone else’s work.

Occasionally, the same idea is sent to more than one person at the same time.

What happens next depends on who listens.

Anytime, Anywhere

Sparks can flash at any time or place. They often reveal themselves through pressure, tension, and friction. Sometimes they speak through dissonance and contention, other times its more peaceful and gentle. They might speak when you are taking a walk, or driving your commute. a spark may flash in a random conversation, or hidden in the text of a book you are reading. An idea will tell you where it wants to grow if you don’t talk over it.

The job isn’t to dominate the spark. Your job is to nurture it.
 

Craft Is Respect

Craft is how inspiration survives. Use your skill and talent to nurture your ideas to grow.

Finishing things is not a lack of purity. It’s an act of respect.

You don’t honor an idea by hiding it on a hard drive. You honor it by helping it take form, always trying to help it be the best version of itself. Don't aim for perfection, aim for excellence, authenticity and honesty. Do all of this with love, and it will grow.  It may even surprise you.
 

Glitch as Signal

Purity should not be the goal.  Perfection is boring. A great artist knows how to screw something up in the best possible way. The imperfections are what I sometimes call 'Glitch.'  Sometimes the noise carries the signal. Sometimes the noise is the signal. 

That's Glitch.

It's not carelessness. That’s discernment earned through attention. You can use the noise intentionally as a voice. (Trent Reznor does this better than anyone)
 

Flint & Steel

I don’t impose order on chaos. And I don’t romanticize chaos for its own sake.

I stand in the doorway between the two.

My work—whether in sound, story, or systems—is to listen carefully, shape honestly, and release responsibly.  I keep my antennae up & primed all the time, when i get a spark, i capture it then i nurture it, Sometimes immediately, other times i come back to it later.  This is simply how i work.

I translate chaos into form.
Sometimes i can even make sparks when i want to,  like flint on steel.  
 

Long Story, Short
If you ignore a spark, the universe responds with silence.

Do that too often, and it may be a very long time before you get another one.
Nurture it, honor it, respect it, and life becomes a creative conversation between you and Source.  This is essentially the Eternal Question.

I talk about all of this more in my new audiobook!

Text or call: 405-351.4404