The Calling . . .

It was the summer of 2000, Y2K didn’t destroy the World and most of us were seeking our next big quest.

I was in corporate sales and spent much time in the subways commuting and connecting. One of the most profound connections and lessons I’ve ever learned happened on the platform of 53rd & Lexington. You could feel a unique energy from the street level. A faint drum beat resonated from the platform 3 levels down. Before I had a chance to notice, the drums controlled my footsteps.

As I got closer to the drums, I noticed that almost everyone had a rhythm with the drums, each with their own flow. As “we” arrived at our platform, the Source of this hypnotizing sound was revealed. Sitting on foldable chair, was a scruffy 50-60-year-old man with long salt and pepper dreadlocks. His clothes were ragged but his smile showed something that most of us can’t buy, real happiness; freedom.

The Crossroad

You could probably relate that as a creator, we often know what we need done, but not HOW.

I always knew that I wasn’t born to be the next Dale Carnegie. I was born to be the next Gene Simmons, Flea, Jaco. That day in that subway, Kwamijo (I hope I spelled his name right) had magic flowing from his hands. He drew people in with this “magic power”. I had a feeling he knew the What and the How I was looking for.

After the bad sales day I just had, I asked him if I could join in. He gave me a tambourine. I felt ok, but I couldn’t quite match “the flow” he had. So I asked for a different instrument. He gave me a cowbell. Yes, I thought about the SNL skit, and still couldn’t find “the flow”. I couldn’t connect to the music the way he did. I asked him how to find “the flow”. I wanted that animal instinct he displayed. To get a better understanding of my prowess, he asked me some questions about how I played the bass. I explained my bass techniques at the time and awaited his response.

Lesson Learned

He responded with a chuckle and asked “What animal moves like that?” He started playing a beat and asked me to picture a lion walking through the jungle, dropping his shoulder as he moves. Then he asked me to picture the Lion prowling, hunting, seeking prey. He told me to see the difference in energy that each walk presented. They were in fact different energies.

I saw the rhythm, not just heard it. I saw the lion dropping his front shoulder with a slightly off-beat note. I saw the perfect imperfections in the Lion’s walk, some would call it swagger. Kwamijo then explained that the richest music (in soul) was the one that is closest to nature. He explained the reason he was able to draw in so many people was that he was touching their HEART beats before their brains. He was touching bio-rhythms on a level that most people don’t care to comprehend.

As creators, this life-changing lesson has the power to change our approaches. Training ourselves to ask, "What animal moves like that?" is the first part of achieving your Animal Instinct.

Movin’ On

Most people watch tv or listen to music, they don’t make it. However, Film Makers, Musicians, and Producers are NOT most people. We tell the stories that others only dream about. This means we see and understand things differently than most people. Like bio-rhythms.

Now we have a new tool to connect with our animal instincts. The more we reach our own animal instincts, the more we can connect to people on a subconscious level. Have you ever realized how many villains resemble animals like snakes, vultures, and scorpions? Bio-rhythms are the reason why. Once I started noticing the bio-rhythms all around me, I couldn’t stop. Suddenly, I saw characters and songs everywhere.

Using the Knowledge

So how do YOU apply these bio-rhythms to strengthen your animal instincts? At first, it will feel like you’re in an old Kung Fu movie, learning the wisdom of the ages. In some ways, you are. Please embrace the journey.

Take a moment to watch the water dance. If you’re at a beach, watch the rhythm as if each wave has a name. Study the breath of each wave. See the rhythm of the waves dance like your favorite story, film, book, or song. Visualize the characters experiencing the same push and pull as the waves.

If you’re near still water, follow the ripples as far as you can and create an adventure for each ripple. Try giving a name to each ripple, fully employing personification and creating an adventure.

Watch animals, domestic and wild, hunt. Not only is the nature aspect fascinating, but the character developments and timings are brilliant. Coyotes hunt in packs but differently than wolves. Alligators hunt differently than crocodiles. Penguins can’t fly but they fish to provide for their families. The possibilities for character and story development are virtually limitless.

Watching Fire dance from conception to extinguish is another rhythm for your instincts. The entire process is one heck of a story. You might accidentally find yourself having much more fun than you expected. In retrospect, isn’t that what we want our audiences to experience, fun?

This is HOW. We learn as many Bio-Rhythms as possible so we can employ them. The more bio-rhythms we employ, the more people we can reach at their roots, by speaking to THEIR animal instincts.

Essentially, we are learning to lay down foundations the same way the most achieved hunters in all of nature do. Our scripts and songs become as rhythmically and perfectly imperfect as the lions walk.

Our audiences become the comfortable, captivated sets of eyes and ears that our creations yearn for and deserve. The result, your audience recognizes your art as a creative masterpiece, all because you asked yourself “What animal moves like that?”.

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