I’ve played the drums since a teenager. It was a saviour for me and opened my mind to so many great aspects of creativity, collaboration and people’s passion. I still play today as part of my overall physical and mental health routine. Nothing quite like making noise and holding a beat to a sweat! I stumbled across this article and read it with great enthusiasm as you’d imagine. Now I understand so much more . . . . . .
The Neuroscience of Drumming: Researchers Discover the Secrets of Drumming & The Human Brain
This article had me thinking about how I use my experiences in drumming, patterns, structures and creativity to overcome challenges personally and professionally. How do I go about organising competing tasks or managing tight deadlines? A solid backbeat and ability to recall structures and patterns managing the interruptions and distraction of obstacles, but always back to the beat.
Competing and conflicting requirements can make life interesting at the best and worst of times. I love the challenge of making things better for all. Like an intricate beat with a dynamic drum fill at the apex of the song with a complex arrangement, and getting the pace and timing just right feels so rewarding, so can seeing the solution come to a realisation. Reading the article enlighten me and for those who know me well, this video and article may explain a lot.
Now the devil is the detail – tackle that full-on and get organised – get intimate knowledge of it – as that is where we find clarity and the pace of the beat. Drumming and my passion for precision, to hear something in different ways and work the pattern (beat) differently but with an interesting rhythm has always been where I push myself to find the optimum solution. It can be difficult and demands lots of practice and working out.
Unbeknown to me I have been applying my drummer’s perspective to so many challenges in my business career and consulting without understanding why I take the approach I do. Keep an open mind, study the detail, find the beat, and play the song, not the drums.
Where do you draw your skills to fight the devil that is the detail? What other aspects of your life have subconsciously crept into your professional habits?
Many thanks to openculture and Josh Jones | Permalink | for the neuroscience of drumming.
A LIFE LESS ORDINARY 