Synergy and serendipity are key elements of creative development, where working together and chance combine, natural energies allowed to collide so that ultimate experiences emerge. My book Blank Canvas, relates to coming from an empty space where previous learning doesn’t affect outcomes. This is a space where synergy and serendipity can be allowed to foster. Synergy can be defined as when the collective whole is greater than what could be achieved just by individual parts. Synergy connects to flow, a collective natural magic where everything just fits into place. Don’t you have those days when everything seems to work perfectly. You wake up, the weather is beautiful, your body feels great, you hug your partner, the morning light sifting through creates beautiful patterns. You gaze through the kitchen window to see the sun rising out of the flat calm sea which is starting to glow and has a lovely deep blue hue.The coffee machine is ready, there are lots of berries in the fridge, the news on the radio is uplifting. It’s a Friday morning, best day of the week. You have time to sit and write before going for a gentle run to the beach and diving into the still deep blue water. You win toward the gradually rising sun with a few other early birds happily swimming along. Somedays it all fits into place. Collective synergy is about alliance, coming together as one. Music composition has a synergy in that as you develop a piece it starts to gather a natural flow if you allow it. You might start with your main melody, riff or rhythm but working on certain parts then informs the next. Like knocking the first skittle over in bowling, you don’t know what kinetic effect this will have on the rest of them until their energy is transferred. I was just writing about flow and then on Doodle up pops a picture of Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi. Happy 89th birthday Dr Flow. Serendipity.
