Chapter Thirty-Five. Ignite
The most important words the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson ever uttered weren’t in a song. Even though she was known as the “queen of gospel” and was one of the most influential gospel singers in the world, it wasn’t just her songs that brought about change. Jackson was a civil rights activist who took part in the march on Washington in 1963. She sang to the 250,000 people who had come to take a stand against the racial inequality, oppression, and violence of the time. It was a dark and difficult time, but her music was the sound of hope. That’s why she sang. As she explained, “When you sing the gospel you have a feeling there is a cure for what’s wrong.” The hope and the truth of her music encouraged the crowd. Yet it wasn’t just her singing that made the difference that day; it was her guts to pass on a message to a friend.
The Unwritten Speech
Mahalia Jackson performed after two dozen speakers and musicians had already been onstage. After she sang, there were only a couple of speakers left. Joachim Prinz came next, and he spoke out against discrimination, saying, “The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful, and the most tragic problem is silence.” The crowd roared. Next came a speaker who spoke with such conviction and wisdom that his words were like galvanized steel. He was a friend of Jackson’s and was just 34 years old. Wise beyond his years, this man was a force to be reckoned with. He was a charismatic leader and preacher whose congregation was anyone who believed in civil rights. Jackson listened intently to his speech and, like a parishioner at a revival church, responded with heartfelt hallelujahs and amens.
The night before, our young speaker and the other leaders of the event met to talk about the focus of the speeches for the following day. After two years of planning they still had a lot to work out; there were strong opinions about what should and shouldn’t be said from the stage. Eventually, the gathering broke up and the 34-year-old went back to his hotel to finish writing the speech he was working on. He wrestled with the speech and wrote until 4 a.m. A few hours later, he handed his aides a manuscript of the speech so it could be typed up and distributed to the press.
Now the event was in full swing, and the preacher was nearing the end of his words. The crowd hung on every thought. Jackson and others shouted “amen” in agreement with what they heard. So far, the speech had followed the script just as planned. But then, as he was nearing the end of his message, he paused. It was then that the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson spoke up and contributed just the right nudge. She shouted, “Tell them about the dream, Martin!”
WE MUST ACCEPT FINITE DISAPPOINTMENT, BUT NEVER LOSE INFINITE HOPE.
—MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
The Wild and Wonderful Dream
Martin Luther King, Jr. picked up the cue and abandoned his script. He started slow and then with rising momentum began to improvise: “I have a dream... I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream!”
At the end of the speech, the crowd erupted in applause. That speech has become one of the most significant and celebrated messages in the world. I take time to listen to it once a year. When I do, I’m always struck by the conviction and power of King’s words. It’s odd and amazing to ponder the fact that the phrase “I have a dream” didn’t exist in the original manuscript. And what didn’t exist came to symbolize and summarize the spirit and leadership that he brought to the world. Throughout his life, Martin Luther King, Jr. contributed in innumerable ways, but it was his dream that was most contagious and is still growing today.
King’s speech and the march on Washington were a huge success. Both helped to bring new momentum to the cause. And in a giant collaborative effort, everyone involved contributed in their own unique ways. As for Jackson, she used her gifts of song and of speaking encouraging words. It makes you wonder what would have happened if she hadn’t sung or shouted from the edge of the crowd. It’s impossible to know, but I’m thankful that she did. It was the right time for Martin Luther King, Jr. to share his dream.
Ignited ideas
The story of Jackson prompting King to share his dream is beautiful on so many levels. Perhaps an entire book or film could be made around her words “Tell them about the dream.” From the angle of this book, we might consider how such a powerful creative spark came to ignite. As most singers, civil rights activists, and artists will tell you, creativity ignites most frequently once the work begins. For King, it happened near the end of this speech. For Jackson, it happened after she sang and while she listened to a friend.
The challenge for us is to get out of our armchairs and get to work. The most difficult moment in any creative act is the start. We all have great ideas, but very few of us write the speech and then step up to the stage. We are more comfortable mulling our ideas over or talking about our dreams. Meanwhile, nothing gets done. Or maybe we get the courage to start to write but can’t get past the first page. The reason we don’t get very far is because we are afraid.
Overcoming Resistance
A deep and primal fear holds us back. In his book The War of Art, Steve Pressfield calls this fear “resistance.” Pressfield says, “Resistance is the most toxic force on the planet... Its aim is to shove us away, distract us, prevent us from doing our work.” If resistance is our enemy, then momentum is a friend. The secret all successful creatives know is to show up and get to work even if that means staying up until 4 a.m. Sparks will never fly if the hammer and anvil sit still. You have to pick up the tool and start to pound away at your dreams.
This pounding isn’t a blind fight, but one that channels the momentum and remains alert. You have to swing hard but still have the sensitivity to pick up on creativity’s cue. Sometimes this may mean veering from your manuscript or having the guts to shout an encouraging word. The creative process is always a collaborative thing. Rare is the creative genius who accomplishes his or her work alone. Too often we get so caught up in the grandiosity of our own creativity that we ignore the voice on the edge because we think it is too small. But more often than not, it’s the small, wild, and untamed idea that comes to us in the middle of our work that can ignite and change the world.
Exercise
STEP 1
The creative fight can be a lonely road, so we all need people who encourage us to share our dream. And we need to have the guts to encourage others as well. Creativity is always a combination of multiple things. When it comes to encouragement, it can provide just the right combinatory energy to spur us on. The best way to foster this type of energy is to give some to someone else. Make this a habit and it will not only help others but ignite your life as well. Begin today by writing an encouraging note to a friend or colleague who could use the spark.
STEP 2
Without conflict and a deadline, Martin Luther King, Jr. would never have written his speech. So for yourself, set a deadline for a creative project you want to accomplish. Make the due date close—give the project too much time and it might never get done. Define your project and your deadline and post it in a place you can’t ignore.