Episode 21: Tips on Multitasking from a Master Composer with Lisa Downing

“What I have done to practice presence, is to have all kinds of distractions, to make myself focus, and force myself to ignore the sounds that are going on around me.” ~ Lisa Downing

Lisa Downing is an internationally acclaimed solo piano performer, three-time Emmy Award winner, seven-time Emmy Award nominee, top five billboard artist, award winning solo piano recording artist, innovative music composer, soul touching storyteller, and proud member of the Alliance of Women Film Composers.

Lisa is a timeless woman with a twinkle in her eye, extraordinary at listening to the sound of the world and turning it into a melodic invitation.

Don't be fooled! This is a firecracker and a rebel at the piano, connecting heaven and earth in a soulful art form. To help you remember the true, the good. And the beautiful.

“Boredom is the mother of creativity.” ~ Lisa Downing

In this interview:

Multitasking:
•Awareness of many things and the need to be engaged the single thing.
•Sometimes, for the “One Thing” to exist, there needs to be motion around you.
Channels (of learning)
•Activities that serve to bring you into focus and activities that numb you out.
Choice
•Gather yourself, decide to flow or check out on social media.

And:

“What I strive for in my practice, is to be the lighthouse in the midst of the chaos.”
~ Lisa Downing


The Lighthouse
•Motivation, desire, determination and imagination to visualize your goal -- without any one of these three, things tend to fall apart.
Improvisation
•Improvisation is just another name for creating.
•You are creating something whether you know it or not.

“The most effective way to develop myself… is to improvise.” ~ Lisa Downing

Plus:

“There are no wrong notes. It's all just a path.”

Perfectionism.
•Cultivate the habit of stepping out of your own idea to get “home” -- The space and time that allows you to enter the quiet, to find your own way and get out of the way.

“I think why they call it a piece of music is because it literally is just a piece of this infinite stream that's going on all the time.” ~ Lisa Downing


Until soon! Be curious, be inspired, simplify the way…


Lisa Downing
www.lisadowning.com
www.visionquestmusic.com