The lessons I learnt on the Santa Monica Pier

I'm a musician at heart. So as I was strolling along Santa Monica Pier during a recent family vacation, I happened to hear a street singer singing and his voice and the tone of his guitar stopped me in my tracks.... My ears had met Ned Landin. I don't know if it was the weather, the occasion or whatever - I became a fan right there and there and bought his CD.

In the short encounter that we had - I learnt that his travelling companion (his dog Potato) of many many years had passed away so he kept a spot free for where his dog sat - so for that alone (given that I miss Simba everyday!!) I was so touched and luckily for me, he didn't have anything else to sell because after that story I would have bought the lot ;-))!!

 

A couple of days later we had a looooooooong drive from LA to St George (the photo is to show you that road was LOOOOOOOOOONNNNGGG), so we popped in the CD and I liked what I heard all over again - but this time I read the pamphlet that Ned gave out and that is where my lessons for this blog come from.....

Here is what I learnt from Ned from the Santa Monica Pier - thanks Ned.

The World Forgives

"When is started playing on the streets I was a lonely kind of a cguy and had a hard timemaking firends. I thought I would just do it for a little while. Just while I gained a little more confidence and learned a few more songs. What I discovered was a whole world of friendly supportive people. I was a really bad performer and wrote stupid songs when I started. But I discovered that the world forgives you for being bad and stupid. It just wants you to try. It rewards you for trying." Ned Landin

Human Interaction
"Even though people seem to yearn for more human interaction, folks become less and less able to sing along"

A Changing World

In the pamphlet Ned compares an event in a small town in Portugal where at the end of a hard working day, the people would congregate at a bar and while filling a room, would bust "a gut and [raise] the roof in an acapella chorus that would put any Grammy winner to shame" and when that older generation went home, it would be replaced by a younger crowd where there would be "several guitars in the room stuffed with about 80 people" and "there commenced three to four hous of an 80 person harmony in that ceturies old room before the blazing fire". This event was compared to a time when on a "Monday night ... one of the best pick-up bands in the world used to perform with folks who back up the best names in the business on tours. Every week famous folks would stop in to jam. Strangely enough, with all this talent displayed only about 20-30 folks could manage to make it out to witnesss the event from a city of 12  million..... and the night was cancelled."

Artistic express and creative application
"Artistic expression and creative application is something we all can do and is always better when we find ways to share it". I think we are squished in this culture to believing that we are not good enough and that no one will like what we have to offer so why should we try". Ned goes on to say that "If we are convinced we can't do something, we are dependent on those who package a product and convince us it will satisfy our needs".

Saving the World
To counteract this, Ned proposes a three step plan to Save the World - which I like :-) :

1. "Sing at least on song every time you take a shower.
2. Everytime you talk on the phone, doodle on a piece of paper and when it is full put it on the refrigerator and start your own gallery.
3. Keep a piece of paper with you and everytime you have an idea, no matter how silly, write it down"

He ends with saying "Trust me. The fruits of your creativity are good".

What a message! And something that I am going to start to do... How about you??

Thank you Ned Landin (www.nedtv.com, or ned@nedtv.com)

Have a listen.... and enjoy.



Yours in friendship,

Mxo

P.S: I know what Ned is suggesting because I used to teach this on a Human Development paper and know that research done on the creative flow supports these comments... ;-)