Imagination is the key (part iii)

From inception to creation to performance.

One of the first things you notice...

When imagination transforms an idea into an experience, for an audience... is adrenaline.

A rush of excitement. Euphoria.

I had been preparing to get on stage at this bar for quite some time, my set list had been prepared, dance moves had been rehearsed before I decided what I would wear.

Fast forward to Sunday night... as I took a bow on stage, the audience clapped and cheered.

I had just done three songs from Shadows in Paradise and the marvelous journey from inception to performance can feel psychedelic, which gave me a fun idea for the series finale.

A re-occurring pattern I’ve seen in my recent conversations with some new students I’m coaching in their creative journey’s can be summed up as the feeling of being pulled in opposite directions at the same time. Perhaps you might have experienced it yourself.

•   Hesitation and waiting for conditions to improve.

•   Stuck in performance mode instead of truly being seen.

•    Puts up walls and emotional armor while loneliness grows.

•    Sees communities from outside convinced they don’t belong.

  
  

These patterns refer to something I call low momentum in my coaching sessions.

Like a muscle, your imagination can get stronger or weaker, depending on how often it’s used, and the quality of your mental pictures.

When negative thought spirals become habitual, it can turn into a subtle form of procrastination, where effort which could be spent bringing your fantasies to life, paints a painful picture of inertia instead. Today, we’re putting an end to that.

If you will permit a metaphor, low momentum is rust.

Ask any athlete about rust and they’ll tell you how to fix it.

“Just get back in shape.”

Now, the question you’re most likely asking yourself is,

“How do I get my imagination back in shape?”

One answer is surprisingly simple.

Feed your imagination, by giving it somewhere to go.

Not just in your head... in reality.

Over the last few weeks I've submitted work to several fashion and art publications. Two accepted the work immediately, one requested revisions, one declined altogether.

Three out of these four submissions will be available on Mag cloud in the next few weeks.

Yet each outcome served the same purpose... the imagination progressed from being a dreamy fantasy and became a dynamic conversation with the living, breathing, world.

One of the editorials which was accepted is called The Mirror Room.

The Mirror Room

The Mirror Room explored identity, performance and desire through a fashion lens.

What began as an idea, became a mood board, a storyboard, then a photoshoot. The photoshoot became a compelling submission that was accepted hours after it was received.

Fashion Noir

Fashion Noir challenged me to think about mood and presentation in unique ways.

The final images chosen for this editorial communicated something that ended up looking rather different to the original concept, which can happen sometimes when imagination meets reality, the process of bringing fantasy to life, can feel like a relay race at times.

Consider the playwright who writes a 3 act murder-mystery, who passes the chilling pages like a baton to the theatre director, who carries it carefully to a team of actors selected for their talent and training, now as they carry the baton with an ominous energy, the audience gets sucked into their distinct performance, hanging on to the edge of their seats, the immediacy of a live performance creates a transference of adrenaline, so as the audience finally receives the baton, they cheer, they clap, shriek with awe and scream with admiration.

Fashion Noir was the second editorial accepted by an international fashion magazine.

Reflections in Summertime

Reflections in Summertime became a reminder that creative work can live in multiple mediums and emotional states at once. The concept for this editorial submission, was initially explored in this journal post... however because that photoshoot involved a change in location, as well as a change in the overall mood of the poses and gestures, this provided enough of a foundation to consider a different spin on a tried-and-tested creative recipe for magazines.

Reflection and momentum are not opposites... they have a distinct connection.

One submission was declined.

That's part of the process too.

Imagination becomes stronger when it survives contact with rejection or resistance.

There was a fascinating moment during the life performance.

I had a stunning realization.

The song I was singing existed first as an idea.

Then as a recording, a rehearsal, and finally, a performance.

From moment to moment, I was creating a memory shared between performer and audience.

Every stage required imagination to become action.

Imagination is not the destination.

It is the engine.

It's the first outline of a sketch, the moving feet during a first rehearsal, the typing fingers of the first draft, the deep breath before your first audition, it's the first submission to a magazine.

It's the force that transforms the wonderful realms of fantasy and possibility...

...into lived experience.

Use it often.

If you'd like to see previews from upcoming editorials, read future journal entries, follow the development of my new album Shadows in Paradise, and step inside The Mirror Room...

You can subscribe here.