Practice and Flow

I'm not a big listener of classical music - until I heard Fujiko Hemming's piano piece from the speakers in the living room. When I first heard her, I was going about in the kitchen, taking out plates to prepare lunch when my ears suddenly tuned into the piece she was playing - La Campanella by Franz Liszt.

I completely stopped.

Then I felt a crack on the left side of my chest, and tears came. It was the first time where I listened to a piece of music and was brought to tears.

Reflecting back to that moment, it made me realize that a good piece of art or music connects with your soul. Perhaps she was in the moment of Flow when I heard her interpretation of La Campanella through the speakers and was touched by it.

In the previous post, Kristin mentioned about artists creating their best works during "Flow".  I thought about other works of art that I regard highly, making me think that it must have been made during Flow  - because the art is still living inside my head, making me think about it from time to time.

Another piece of music that has highly impacted me are those that have appeared in Hayao Miyazaki movies. Miyazaki (a great animator known for Totoro, Spirited Away and many other animations) - works with an equally amazing artist - a music composer named Joe Hisaishi. Hisaishi's music compliments Miyazaki's work so well, that I think they make a great team (talk about collectively inspiring each other!). Hisaishi's music conveys so much emotion and compliments the story telling that I'm convinced it was made in moments of Flow.

Want to hear some of Hisaishi's works?  How about something uplifting (this music is from Laputa).

How about something more upbeat?  (Hisaishi's take on Iron Side, theme song from the American show with the same name.)

How about something dramatic?  Listen to the first 20 minutes - there's music from Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke.

I get a kick out of watching Joe Hisaishi - he really looks as if he's enjoying the music as he's conducting the orchestra. Even if you don't connect with the music, I highly recommend watching Hayao Miyazaki's animations. 

All great artists have prepared themselves for Flow by showing up faithfully with paintbrushes in hand everyday (Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet), or photographers with their cameras ready to capture what is presented to them that day, or poets and novelists who have all shown up everyday at their desks with pen and paper (or laptop), and musicians who compose new music or create their own interpretations of a piece written by other composers -  they all wake up to nurture their art, and when Flow happens, they are ready because they know what they need to do. 

I believe practice, prepares us for Flow. 

And for Fujiko Hemming?  Right at the moment her career as a pianist was to take off, she lost most of her hearing. Despite that, she practiced on the piano, and still performs today as she approaches her 80th birthday.

- Mari