Top Stephen Nachmanovitch Quotes

Stephen Nachmanovitch Biography

Stephen Nachmanovitch is a musician, author, computer artist, and educator. He is an improvisational violinist, and writes and teaches about improvisation, creativity, and systems approaches in many fields of activity.

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Stephen Nachmanovitch Quotes

If a creative person has a sense of humor, a sense of style and a certain amount of stubbornness, he finds a way to do what he needs to in spite of the obstacles.

Creative, Finds, Needs, Sense, Style

Artwork is not thought up in consciousness and then, as a separate phase, executed by the hand. The hand surprises us creates and solves problems on its own. Often, enigmas that baffle our brains are dealt with easily, unconsciously, by the hand.

Brain, Dealt, Easily, Hands, Phases, Separate

Working within the limits of the medium forces us to change our own limits. Improvisation is not breaking with forms and limitations just to be 'free,' but using them as the very means of transcending ourselves.

Mean, Limits, Form, Using, Limitations

Play, creativity, art, spontaneity, all these experiences are their own rewards and are blocked when we perform for reward or punishment, profit or loss.

Art, Creativity, Loss, Reward, Spontaneity

The noun of self becomes a verb. This flashpoint of creation in the present moment is where work and play merge.

Creation, Creativity, Play, Self, Work

Whispered words can be devastatingly effective.

Devastatingly, Effective, Whispered, Words

We provide both irritation and inspiration for each other- the grist for each other's pearl making.

Inspiration, Irritation, Pearl, Pearls

As an improvising musician, I am not in the music business, I am not in the creativity business; I am in the surrender business.

Business, Creativity, Musician, Surrender

Creative work is play. It is free speculation using materials of ones chosen form.

Art, Creativity, Inspirational, Materials, Play, Speculation

Every moment of life is unique-a kiss, a sunset, a dance, a joke. None will ever recur in quite the same way. Each happens only once in the history of the universe.

Joke, Kissing, Moment, Sunset, Unique, Way

Play cannot be defined, because in play all definitions slither, dance, combine, break apart, and recombine.

Apart, Break, Definitions, Play, Recombine

The professionalism of technique and flash of dexterity are more comfortable to be around than raw creative power, hence our society generally rewards virtuoso performers more highly than it rewards original creators.

Creative, Dexterity, Hence, Society, Technique

Improvisation is intuition in action, a way to discover the muse and learn to respond to her call.

Action, Intuition, Respond, Way

Surrender means cultivating a comfortable attitude toward not knowing, being nurtured by the mystery of moments that are dependably surprising, ever fresh.

Attitude, Cultivating, Knowing, Mean, Surrender

Play, intrinsically rewarding, doesn't cost anything; as soon as you put a price on it, it becomes, to some extent, not play.

Becomes, Cost, Extent, Play, Price

Brahms once remarked that the mark of an artist is how much he throws away. Nature, the great creator, is always throwing things away. A frog lays several million eggs at a sitting. Only a few dozen of these become tadpoles, and only a few of those become frogs. We can let imagination and practice be as profligate as nature.

Artist, Eggs, Frogs, Imagination, Mark, Practice

Paradoxically, the more you are yourself, the more universal your message. As you develop and individuate more deeply, you break through into deeper layers of the collective consciousness and the collective unconsciousness.

Break Through, Consciousness, Deeper, Develop, Layers, Messages

When we are totally faithful to our own individuality, we are actually following a very intricate design. This kind of freedom is the opposite of "just anything".

Design, Faithful, Following, Kind, Opposites

The conception, composition, practice, and performance of a piece of music can blossom in a single moment.

Blossom, Composition, Pieces, Practice, Single Mom

Looking at the creative process is like looking into a crystal: no matter which facet we gaze into, we see all the others reflected.

Creative, Crystals, Facet, Matter, See

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Stephen Nachmanovitch Biography

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