What is the one thing that connects you to the best experiences of your lives and the worst? What joins the dots between the exhilarating highs of joy and excitement…and the crushing lows of hurt, shame and disappointment?
Why does ‘that song’ always make you smile?
And why does ‘that song’ always make you cry?
It is the same thing that connects us all to each other…..our commonality….our humanity.
And that is our emotions.
We all have them….every single one of us.
Some people are better at hiding them in public than others, but we all have them.
Some of us express them all the time, others prefer to keep them hidden….but we all have them.
Let’s not get over emotional about it!
How many times have you heard that? A lot, I suspect.
I have been told to not get over emotional more times that I can remember. As a result, I have fought against my emotions and tried to contain them, which was a bit like Dr Octavious trying to contain the power of perpetual energy (that’s a really old Gen X reference to a Spider-Man movie!). And therein lies the problem.
Emotions are not logical.
Yes, we can train ourselves to outwardly behave differently when our emotions strike. And yes, we can train ourselves to have different emotional responses in certain situations. But we are still having those emotions.
So, are we able to understand our emotions….develop an awareness of them….become emotionally intelligent about them? The short answer is yes….and no. It depends who you believe!
Emotional Intelligence
Have you read any of the books on Emotional Intelligence? EI was a phrase that was doing the rounds in corporate circles about 10-15 years ago, but it has been around much longer than that.
Emotional Intelligence refers to our ability to perceive, evaluate and control our emotions. After all these years there are still 2 conflicting arguments about emotional intelligence….it can be learned or that it is an inbuilt characteristic.
That said, it is my personal experience is that you can learn to understand your emotions.
A learned Experience
Over the years, I have become increasingly aware of my emotions and how they drive me into certain courses of action….I have become ‘emotionally intelligent’….I now identify my emotional triggers and what my default patterns. As a result, I can now use them to my advantage.
In fact, I’ve now made a career out of it. I realised that my emotions are my superpower.
So I embraced them, harnessed them, and focussed them. No, not in the way that is described in all those management books on Emotinal Intelligence. (Yes, I have read most of them). But in a way that is creative and releasing.
I have long believed that music is the communication of complex emotions, delivered in a simple way, with the unparalleled ability to take all of our joy and all of our pain, condense it into a single moment and then allow us to relive that moment without any of the consequences.
By embracing my emotions, intentionally looking for the emotion in everything…..and I mean everything….I have become increasingly aware of what triggers certain emotions in others.
And it is this awareness that I use to compose and produce beautifully emotional music for use within the media….Composing emotion is my superpower.
Let’s get over-emotional!
Composing emotion through the medium of music is a wonderful experience. By focussing on the outcome, you get a piece of music that perfectly fits your project. It connects what is happening on the screen to the hearts of the audience. It tells you what you should be feeling at any particular moment, and then ensures that you feel it. And because you feel it, you become completely immersed in the experience….connected to it….living it.
So when someone tells you, ‘don’t get over emotional about it’, do the complete opposite…..dive off the emotional deep end….feel the experience….immerse yourself…and connect…..for it is connection that is at the very heart of our emotions and our humanity.
If you would like to know more about how emotional music can enhance your project, brand or product, then please get in touch via www.blacklabmusic.co.uk. Or, why not book a free, no obligation chat so that we can explore more about how music and emotion can elevate your project….book it here
I look forward to speaking with you soon
Regards
Michael
Michael Coltham is a film and media Composer and audio wrangler who specialises in composing emotion through the medium of music. He runs a artisan, boutique Music Production Company called Black Lab Music www.blacklabmusic.co.uk, that specialises in helping build an emotional connection with audiences. He is a published Indie-classical/Neoclassical composer and artist. You can find his personal work at https://songwhip.com/michaelcoltham or visit his website at www.michaelcoltham.com.
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