Richard P. John— Composer

What is your creative mission?

Firstly, to continue writing music, exploring various styles, techniques and avenues. Secondly, to create in a variety of disciplines, whether it be music, writing, film, painting, etc. Thirdly, to help others reach their creative potential. Everyone can create, whether they believe it or not, but most people don’t know where to begin or how to start.

What do you love about what you do?

Every creative work presents its own unique challenge. It’s not always easy meeting those challenges, but it becomes easier with practice. I love putting something in the world that didn’t exist yesterday.

What have you learned from your successes/ failures?

I’d have to leave it to other people to decide if what I’ve done is successful. Failure doesn’t have to mean that something didn’t work; failure is just the next step to improvement.

How do you keep pushing ahead after a difficult challenge?

The composer Dmitri Shostakovich once said that, “a creative artist works on his next composition because he was not satisfied with his previous one.” What we do is look at our previous work and assess what worked and what didn’t, how we made it and how we can make the process easier. I’m sure most creatives would agree with me that they have an appetite and desire to keep on going no matter what.

Have you ever encountered resistance from family, friends, or the world in general? How did you overcome those kinds of blocks?

I don’t think I’ve experienced it from others, but I’ve certainly experienced it from myself! We all have that little voice in our head from time to time telling us that what we are doing isn’t worth a lot, but you just have to silence it with further work. I’m sure there a people out there who dislike my work, but so what? That’s how it should be. You can’t please all of the people all of the time! Opinions are subjective; what matters is that you are happy with and convinced by your own work.

How has your art and creativity healed you?

Art and creativity have helped me overcome some of the greatest difficulties in my life. It is a constant, it never deserts you.

What are your NFA Bullet points? What steps would you recommend for anyone who wants to kick some ass and get their creative dreams off the ground?

1) Start Anywhere: Beginning a creative work can be daunting, so break it down into small pieces and start anywhere; the beginning, middle, or end.

2) Don’t Obsess: Being the best is not your goal, your goal should be getting better at what you already do. Perfection is an enemy, it will hold you back. Aim for greatness.

3) Just Do It: Just wanting to do something results in nothing, action is required to achieve results. Work aimlessly, without regard for accuracy; that’s what the editing process is for.

____________________________________