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{"id":1500,"date":"2023-12-26T17:26:28","date_gmt":"2023-12-27T01:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/gracebod\/?p=1500"},"modified":"2023-12-26T17:26:28","modified_gmt":"2023-12-27T01:26:28","slug":"if-anything-is-excellent-do-overs-in-the-creative-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/gracebod\/2023\/12\/if-anything-is-excellent-do-overs-in-the-creative-process\/","title":{"rendered":"If Anything is Excellent: Do-Over’s in the Creative Process"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

A film isn\u2019t finished \u2019til it\u2019s \u201cin the can\u201d \u2013 and even then, there\u2019s the Director\u2019s Cut. Writing is actually *re-writing*. And the choreographer always, always<\/em> \u201cimproves\u201d (read: completely changes<\/em>) the dance steps between the first and second performance.<\/p>\n

And so goes the life of a creative. Of which I am. In all 3 of the above genres, in fact. So I know these situations to be absolute fact.<\/p>\n

I also know these situations are not bad parts of the creative process. Not at all. Despite the frustrations \u2013 even resistance \u2013 that often ride alongside the changes, the intention is always to make the first version better. The end goal is always excellence. We may not ever get there. But excellence is always the focus.<\/p>\n

I thought I had an excellent Flamenco show that taught my main lesson to the students \u2013 until one of them asked an anxiety-producing question that triggered my do-over. Credit: Coco Cabrel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIs this excellent yet?<\/h2>\n

Not surprisingly, Apostle Paul includes a focus on excellence in his list of favorite things to focus on, in the place of anxious thoughts:<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cFinally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable\u2014if anything is excellent<\/strong> or praiseworthy\u2014think about such things.<\/strong>\u201d (Philippians 4:8<\/a> NIV bold mine)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now, I\u2019ve been a professional dancer for almost all my life. In my 30\u2019s, I performed Flamenco school assemblies for the dance company I was a member of in Chicago, Teresa y Los Preferidos. Teresa, the artistic director, called all the shots \u2013 which choreographies to perform, what costumes to wear \u2013 and she usually \u201cnarrated\u201d the show. Back then, there were no curricula to follow, no objectives to be met. We were pure, sparkly entertainment for the kids. Nothing wrong with that.<\/p>\n

Years ago, I had sworn off school shows because I thought my performing days were done. This past year, God clearly called me to return through a wonderful company called Academic Entertainment<\/a>. So, at 58 years old, with 30 years of teaching and curriculum-writing under my belt \u2013 and through God\u2019s grace physically stronger than ever \u2013 I built a one-woman flamenco show that teaches kids social-emotional skills in a really fun way. It\u2019s been nothing short of amazing. In fact, it\u2019s been true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, praiseworthy\u2026 and, I thought, excellent.<\/p>\n

Apparently, not quite<\/h2>\n*****
** I always record my performances, and a big reason why is to make improvements to my technique. I\u2019m definitely my own biggest critic, and when you\u2019re a performer, that can be a good thing \u2013 it usually humbly gets you back into rehearsals (though not always, and I suppose that\u2019s a topic for some other article).<\/p>\n
** After my first couple of shows this past summer, my MO was no different. During the fall semester, I made some improvements, some tweaks\u2026 I drilled some technique that needed drilling\u2026 and then I thought I was nailing the show. I mean, the kids were loving it, and so were the teachers. I really thought I was nailing the teaching part of it, too. I mean, I was an award-winning professor and department chair, come on!<\/p>\n
** And then, in a show right before the Winter Break, when I called 4 students up onstage to ask their burning questions \u201cabout anything we\u2019d done that day,\u201d a 5th grader named Adam dropped a bomb on me.<\/p>\n
** But HOW?<\/em><\/h2>\n
** I\u2019ll backtrack for a sec and tell you the theme of the show: The ancient creators of Flamenco music and dance used this art form to face their bullies and triumph over trouble \u2013 and eventually sing and dance with<\/em> those bullies, who were no longer bullies.<\/p>\n
** And Adam asked, after my show was almost all said and done, \u201cBut HOW<\/em> did the Flamencos DO it? HOW<\/em> did they use this stuff to succeed?\u201d<\/p>\n
** I\u2019m telling you, Adam\u2019s emphasis on \u201cHOW\u201d<\/em> nearly knocked my onto my bottom in that moment. Of course, being a well-trained, lifelong dancer, I \u201cnever let them see me sweat.\u201d<\/p>\n
** So, I excitedly answered, \u201cExcellent question, Adam! They used their creativity to do it. By actually creating, they were able to go from being sad and afraid to being brave and joyful.\u201d<\/p>\n
** Time for a do-over, Miss Coco Flamenco<\/h2>\n
** But it was 100% apparent to me as an educator that, well, I did NOT clearly teach the ONE MAIN THING that I had intended to teach!<\/p>\n
** As they say, back to the drawing board, time for a do-over.<\/p>\n
** Because if my teaching didn\u2019t get the main point through\u2026 it\u2019s not excellent. As opposed to Jesus\u2019 teaching, which was, and always is, excellent.<\/p>\n
* When my teaching isn\u2019t excellent, I get very anxious. I can\u2019t sleep because my mind races for a solution. Because I\u2019m falling short of excellence. Yet I\u2019m trying to\u00a0 focus on excellence, as Paul encourages us to do, in order to eliminate anxious feelings! It can be a vicious circle. Until I shift my focus to this verse we\u2019ve been working through in this series of articles \u2013 and prayerfully use it for a do-over.<\/p>\n
* I spent the first half of the Winter Break very prayerfully re-writing the show. And re-writing it again. Prayerfully rearranging the playlist. And rearranging it again. As I write this article, I\u2019m looking ahead to the second half of the Break. Prayerful rehearsals. Rehearsals. And more rehearsals.<\/p>\n
* And with God\u2019s help alone, I\u2019ll have a more excellent show in place in time for my next performance \u2013 the first week back from Break!<\/p>\n
* Reflective Response: What\u2019s excellent in your creative process?<\/h2>\n
* Whether your realm of creativity is found in dance, writing, or filmmaking (like mine is), or in cooking, customer service, or tech\u2026<\/p>\n
* Anxious feelings about your level of excellence within your creativity can knock you on your bottom. Here are 3 questions to prayerfully ask yourself to help you through, and achieve true excellence:<\/p>\n
* \nIs what I\u2019m creating aligned with God\u2019s will for my work?<\/li>\nWhat parts of my creation are properly serving others? What parts are not quite hitting the target?<\/li>\nWhat is the very next step I can take to create a closer alignment with God\u2019s will \u2013 in order to more properly serve others?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
* *************A film isn\u2019t finished \u2019til it\u2019s \u201cin the can\u201d \u2013 and even then, there\u2019s the Director\u2019s Cut. Writing is actually *re-writing*. And the choreographer always, always \u201cimproves\u201d (read: completely changes) the dance steps between the first and second performance. And so goes the life of a creative. Of which I am. In all 3 of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5118,"featured_media":1515,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[95,144,141,24,22],"class_list":["post-1500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-anxiety","tag-creativity","tag-excellent","tag-paul","tag-philippians"],"yoast_head":"\nIf Anything is Excellent: Do-Over's in the Creative Process<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Has your "excellent" work ever been questioned? 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