Some thoughts arrive unexpectedly.
A few quotes attributed to the legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis crossed my path recently; brief, almost musical in their simplicity; and they stayed with me longer than I expected. Over the next few posts I am sharing short reflections that grew out of those lines. Just thinking out loud; and perhaps listening between the notes a little more carefully.
“Don’t play what’s there; play what’s not there.”
At first it sounds mysterious, almost cryptic. Then I think about creativity; or even life itself; and it begins to make sense. Most people respond to what already exists. They react to circumstances, trends, and expectations. The deeper work is sensing what is missing; what could be added, softened, or reimagined.
Sometimes progress comes from noticing the quiet spaces. The pause in a conversation. The unasked question. The thing everyone feels but nobody says aloud.
Growth often begins there; not in the obvious notes, but in the ones waiting to be played.