Lin-Manuel, Creativity and Taylor Swift Cookies
There are still occasions, even as a fully grown woman, when I feel completely ridiculous. Like I should have diverse investments by now ( or at least know what that MEANS). Like I should drive a reliable vehicle and make my own lunches in a brown bag and recycle even the annoying little boxes the sandwich bags come in even if they give me a papercut every single time I try to break them down.
There are also times I have ideas- big, creative ideas- that I am convinced in one moment it’ll be my big break, and then think are utterly useless the next.
When this happens; when I feel like all of my ideas are silly and worthless; when I wonder if my creativity is just a sign of my naivete, I re-watch the 2009 video of Lin-Manuel Miranda performing at the White House Poetry Jam with, “The Hamilton Mixtape” for the very first time before it debuted on Broadway, almost 6 years later.
I’m going to ask you to watch it first before I continue.
Watch the hush of the audience when Lin-Manuel Miranda walks out on stage. It’s not often we get to witness the nervous energy behind the now, well-honed performer but even then, before the height of his career, they have such respect for his presence and an expectation of his genius.
Until he told them about his new project.
A concept album.
About Alexander Hamilton.
And the atmosphere shifts in the room. Tittering, nervous laughter. Sideways glances. You can almost audibly hear them asking one another:
Is he serious?
He was.
When the music begins and he spins lyrics as only he can do, you can see how the audience wasn’t sold. What is he talking about? Is this REALLY an entire song about Alexander Hamilton? This must be a joke, right? Even the Obamas in the front row were waiting with stage faces to see how he was going to pull this off.
But then.
He gets to the refrain (around the 2.19-time stamp if you’re watching like I told you to:) and you can hear gasps of delight. Awe. He captured an entire, distinguished audience at the White House. They were snapping along with him. Waiting for what he was going to say next. He had them.
He had a crazy idea, that not many people believed in.
He was a little nervous about how it would be received.
But he delivered with the confidence and the power of someone possessed by one, single truth:
He had a story to tell, that he believed in.
He was certain that he was the one to deliver it.
And he barreled in, holding nothing back until he gave it to the world.
In the Heights made him a household name; Hamilton made him a legend.
No one laughs when he opens his mouth anymore unless he orchestrated it to be funny.
I have used this clip nearly every year I taught in the classroom. It’s a master class in belief, bravery, creativity, and genius. I think I needed it more than my students ever did.
I thought, perhaps, you might, too.
Do the thing.
Prioritizing Joy This Week By…
I made Taylor Swift’s Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies from Joy the Baker’s site this week and the only regret I have is that I’m not sure anyone will let me make anything else, ever again.
https://joythebaker.com/2021/11/taylor-swifts-chai-sugar-cookies/#tasty-recipes-41630-jump-target
2. Reading Shannan Martin’s, “Start with Hello,” has been such a good way to invest my time. Loving neighbors is always a high priority for me- Shanna makes it easy.
I’ve been meal planning with “like” ingredients, and I kinda love it. Ingredients such as lime, cilantro, plain yogurt/sour cream, parsley, cotija or feta cheeses, tomatoes, and red onion can all be used in Thai, South East Asian,Middle Eastern (swap lime for lemons, when it calls for it) Mexican and Indian Cuisines. I’ve been stocking up on these few things, and then I have room to play with what I “feel” like for dinner. That often has looked like these cauliflower tacos , chicken shawarma and red lentil dahl. It’s been so liberating.
I’ve rested this weekend in ways I haven’t in a very long time. They say that if you nap, and without being woken up you can sleep 2 hours or more, it means you’re sleep deprived in a way that you need to pay careful attention to. I fell asleep on the couch last night at 4, woke up at 6:42, ate dinner, and went back to bed at 8- only to wake up at 8 this am. I’ve been fighting a UTI among other health issues this week and I think my body finally had had enough.
I’m not a television series watcher. The ones that I have watched with complete joy and delight have been: West Wing, Glee, New Girl, Ted Lasso, and Derry Girls. I’m enjoying the third season.
I hope you are able to prioritize something you believe in this week. Even if it’s something you have long given up on, thought it silly, and made more, “rational” decisions that led away from whatever made you feel alive. I hope you push through and reclaim it- in front of an audience, alone in your bedroom. I hope you make the call, push the submit button, write the book, sing the song, plant the garden. Joy is the most rational priority we have.
