Nashville is known as Music City, but it could also be called Creative City.

What happens when you bring an extraordinary number of musicians, singers, and song-writers; not to mention, play writers, screen writers, visual artists, performing artists, and now film directors and crews into one city?  Really.           What do you think happens?

The entire community is affected by the type of people that are drawn to Nashville, the value placed on creativity, and there is a creative atmosphere.  It can affect and be transferred to everyone in the city.

Here are some examples from my last 20 years in Nashville:

• Getting to go see friends play the music that they write/play.  Here are a few: Kelly Larsen, Julie Lee, David Spencer, Ben Shive, Barbara Haynes, Shantel Adams, Adam Trapani, Troy Akers, Grace Albritton, Joy Worland, Christie Bissell,…
• Having song writers at your church writing the worship music – Wendy Wills and Barbara Haynes at Grace Community Church, Diana Beach, Matt Redman at The Belonging last week.
• Meeting musicians, singer-song writers everywhere.  Melanie Penn at a coffee shop.  “Her” on my flight last night.  Reba at a movie theater in the 90s.  Keith Urban at Whole Foods.  The Black Keys.  But, it’s really just the culture, whether someone is famous doesn’t really matter, it’s who they are.  And, it’s who we are.  I think we are all made to be creative.
• Taking oil painting with the kids from Sonja DiMeola.  Painting and sketching is a skill that you can learn.  I didn’t know this.
• Taking singing lessons with the kids from David Spencer, who can also teach piano, guitar, and song writing.
• Cameron Cleland who teaches just about anything with strings – ukulele, guitar.  Oh, and of course, he and his wife Jess Cleland write music together.  Plus, are good guinea pig sitters.

• The local Nashville theater companies write their own adaptations and musicals for youth theater – Street Theater Company and Theater Bug.  Local actors and actresses participate in theater because they love it and it’s a passion.  Acting and teaching and music: Eric Fritsch (how many instruments do you play?), Cathy Street, Cori and Tyson Laemmel, Aaron and Elaina Shaver.  You guys are amazing!!!!  And, the experience of my entire family, including my husband, being in the play Tom Sawyer together with Cheatham County Community Theater with Nicole Arnold.  So fun!!!
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• And the kids at the Academy Tutorial.  I thought I had walked into a set on Fame when I went to tour with my oldest son.  The band nights and arts nights are highlights of my year, particularly Cloud Monster.  But, I could go on with so many of you, but I might leave people out.  How about you add a comment at the bottom of this post if you have ever played, sung, or danced at an Academy function.  And Alice Griffiths, you are incredible at youth theater production.
• Jeff Coffin and Pedro Saxo rocked my world when they talked and played with the Nashville Composers Concert.  The way that Pedro Saxo plays the saxophone is crazy-amazing creative.  Jeff Coffin wrote a blog for me last year that so beautifully describes the theme of “Better Together” in the music world.  http://www.rebeccalowe.physio/?p=123
• When I heard PedroSaxo play, I cried because of the overwhelming creativity of this musician.  Really!  https://youtu.be/Pz1M2Bp5jGY  And, I cried because I also identified with him because of something of my own creativity in my field of OMPT.
• I had one patient start to think of song lyrics WHILE I was evaluating her.  When testing her muscle strength I said, “Resist me.”  And she said, “Hey, that’s great!”  “Resist me, because Baby I can’t resist you.”  This same client recently brought her guitar in to a treatment to show me her guitar playing posture while she played a worship song she had just finished.  You know who you are, but I don’t want to violate HIPPA regulations by mentioning you.

All of these experiences, which can start to seem normal, are not the normal experience in every city.  Creatives are infective to those around them.  Would I be such a creative, innovative physical therapist if I had not practiced 20 years in this environment?  I don’t know.  I will never know for sure.

But, YOU can try it in your life.  Try taking some classes in art, music, dance, writing, acting/ improvisation.

See what happens.

And you don’t have to live in Creative City.  But, it might help.