Hi! Welcome to the 4 CreativeWheels newsletter — your weekly dose of insights on creativity and fuel for your creative journey.

Week #21, woo! Blasting “WE PRAY“ by Coldplay. And we’re still Jazzing. You’ll understand why. Our “Take it, Learn it” series continues with its 4th Episode.

We’ll explore a theme similar to last week's. But this time, it won’t be a Jazz drummer. It’s a Jazz pianist. (Why does it have to be Jazz? A coincidence, I think not.)

In this week’s issue, our guests are 22 and Joe Gardner.

Without further ado…

Let’s start the ride!

(Missed Episode 3? Here you go!)

Main Wheel

If there is a movie I'll always remember, it's Soul directed by Pete Docter. It's one of those movies that you can never forget. A movie that you can recommend to anyone without fear.

There are so many things to say about this movie. Too many that one essay cannot do it justice. Among the great and amazing things Soul offers, there is a question that it raised in my mind. The question is simple: What are you chasing?

We all know the importance of goals. Or at least most of us have heard why goals are important. If you google "the importance of goals", you'll get hundreds if not thousands of pieces about that. It's fair to say our society values goals.

In fact, most of us have one goal in mind. We all are chasing something in one way or another. Even when we work towards doing nothing, that is in and of itself a goal.

There is nothing inherently wrong with goals. I love goals. I'm one of the people who loves going all in. I'm often called "goal-oriented". I'm resilient and firmly believe in never giving up. I believe hard work is crucial and essential. If you desire something, you have to labor for it.

However, Soul made me pause and reflect on my views on goals. As the movie beautifully shows, life is precious. Life is too precious that we only get one. Plus, it's for a finite and limited time. There's nothing as rare and precious as that.

Yet, we let it slip. We don't truly appreciate it. Although we are all aware of life's preciousness, we still let the fog of our day-to-day living hinder us from remembering that humbling truth. And one of the best fogs is the goals we set. (Warning: Spoilers ahead)

In the film Soul, we meet a teacher. The teacher is named Joe Gardner. He's a music teacher. Joe encourages his students. He uplifts them and tries to push them to be better. He has some love for what he's doing, at least it seemed so.

Joe is not truly a fan of being a teacher. He's actually a fan and in love with music, specifically Jazz. Joe Gardener always had that goal to be a professional Jazz pianist and play with the best Jazz band. He worked toward that goal for years but got no results. He grew tired and frustrated. His frustration and anger affected how he viewed life as a whole.

Then one day, Joe gets an opportunity to play with a band he loves. He auditioned and got the chance to play at one eventful night. Joe was so happy. He was thrilled that finally, he would get what he wanted. His life was now starting.

Ironically, that's when it ended. On his way home, because of his Jazz ecstasy, he fell into a manhole and died. After Joe Gardner died, he tried to find a way to come back to life. He just could not die when he finally got his Jazz shot. But he failed. Joe Gardner ended up in The Great Before. And there, he was given the task of leading 22 to find her spark, purpose.

22 has had great role models and leaders to help guide her. She had Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, among many others. However, they all failed to help her find her purpose.

So, Joe Gardner tried his best. He tried multiple ways to help 22 in the hope that he'd get a chance to go back to life. Joe Gardner was the teacher, but without knowing, 22 taught him more.

Many events after, both 22 and Joe Gardner came to life. Sadly for Joe, he came back in a cat's body. And 22 took Joe's body. This is where things get spicy. From this event, 22 led Joe to learn an important lesson about purpose and life.

Like the mentors before him, Joe Gardner made a mistake in trying to help 22. They all were focused on helping 22 find a career, vocation, job, role, and so on. From seeing 22 actually live, Joe realized that this was the spark. This was the true spark we all have.

The spark was not about who 22 should be or become. It was not about which goal she would chase as she lives. Her purpose was not what impact she would bring to the world. The real spark, the spark we all possess, is to live. And that's what Joe realized.

Thankfully, Joe got back to life in the proper body. He also played in that much-anticipated Jazz event. After the event and reflecting on what he had learned but failed to realize, Joe saw how wrong he was. He then took a decision. Joe decided to live life the proper and meaningful way. And what is that proper and meaningful way to live life?

Well, as Joe stated, "I'm not sure. But I do know ... I am going to live every minute of it."

So, yes, art is important, improving your craft is good. Anything you pursue can be good. But, you have to remember that we use creativity to enrich our lives, and not sacrifice our finite time.

So, yes, please go and be consumed by your craft. Spend hours upon hours on it. Work on things you enjoy for the sake of it. Chase that goal, but enjoy the present. If you need to step aside from your craft to re-appreciate life, please do.

Every moment that passes are notes and your life a melody. There are the minor notes and major notes. The ones that sound melancholic and the ones that sound joyful. All of them make a melody. However, the best melodies are the ones in which the composer puts their heart into every note. They set an intention and flew with it.

Again, chasing a goal is great, but do it with intention. Let the journey be a part of your life and not your whole life. You'll have the bad and good days as you chase your goals. You'll have doubts and fears. In all of that, have an appreciation for the experience. Appreciate life and the present you're living because that is your life.

This is a reminder for all of us, especially my very self. Life always happens now. Every moment that passes are notes and your life a melody. So, craft the notes that will make your life the most beautiful melody it can be.

Fin! See you next week for Episode 5!

Inspiring Wheels

Here are two (or more) creative works that you’ll not regret checking out:

• "a letter to my future self" - jnnylo | A beautiful and reflective video about experiencing the present and living an intentional future. A two-minute piece but worth re-watching a hundred times.

• "The Wild Mind of Robin Williams" - Dodford | A wonderful tribute to the life of one of the greatest creatives who ever lived, the late great Captain Oh my Captain!

Want to share this issue of 4CW with a friend, colleague,… any human being? Just copy and paste this link: https://4creativewheels.beehiiv.com/p/september-12-2024 😉 😃

Thank you so much for reading! 

As always, feel free to reply to this email & share your thoughts, stories, and any experience related to this topic. I’d love to hear them!  

C ya next Week! 

Embracing Creativity™,

Richard M.

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