Tharp, one of America’s greatest choreographers, shows that the struggle to be creative is nothing new, many great artists have fought the same battles. She focuses on the habit of work, how we need to establish habits for our creative pursuits or the work will not get done and creativity will have no place to manifest.
For people with ADHD, procrastination is a major hurdle and establishing “habits” can be an effective way to move forward. ADHD is time blind and people with ADHD tend to make decisions based “in the moment” – what is most interesting to do right now. Habits help break this faulty decision making and Tharp’s belief is that practice is supreme, not sitting around waiting for the muse to make an appearance.
Tharp discusses her creative career, her tough work regimen and methods for getting things done but also that of many other creative people too, such as how Mozart worked his fingers into early deformity from practicing so much.
Tharp has demons too, even in success and helps us realise that our fears are not unique, wrestling demons is part of the creative process. Her aim is not to get into a creative mood but to be creative all the time. She addresses getting started, preparation, the creative perspective, using your experiences, research and organization, finding inspiration, expoliting the unexpected, knowing what you wish to create, becoming competent, dealing with stalls, learning from setbacks, and building on the past. Useful insights.
