Running with the Elephants: A Review of Let the Elephants Run by David Usher

David Usher

Creativity is a strange beast. For some it is hard to come up up with the simplest ideas for some while others while for others these ideas can come easily. Because of this, there is there is a myth that those who are creative are born with that ability. In his book, Let the Elephants Run: Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything, singer and song writer David Usher takes a look at this myth and explores one can tap into their hidden creativity whether it comes naturally or not. This blog is going to see if this book has a memorable message or if it would be better for elephants to forget.

Let the Elephants Run: Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything is Usher's first venture in writing (well, in nonfictional prose). He opens Let the Elephants Run with the example of his own childhood; how Usher can remember that his love of creating things stemmed from his childhood and that many of us start out like this as well.¹ This love for creativity dwindles as life goes on and “layer upon layer of life begins to separate us from our child's mind.”² Throughout Let the Elephants Run, Usher argues that curiosity and passion is still accessible, that creativity is not something inherent (or blessed by a fairy godmother) but something learn-able.³ To Usher, all it takes is to “take the time, make the commitment, and learn how.”⁴

One of the things that works in Let the Elephants Run is Usher's writing ability, particularly in his use of examples when discussing his points. An example of this is seen when Usher discusses a concept that he calls “Pink Elephant Thinking”, to allow your imagination to run on its own and utilize what ideas what it has to offer.⁵ Usher elaborates on this concept with how he uses the Pulse Sensor Open Source Heart-Rate Sensor to use an audience member's heart-rate to set up the beat for his shows. (See what I did there?) The process started with Usher wanting to take his and his band's usual method of them setting the tone and timbre of their shows and turn it around so that the audience could “power the band.”⁶ Because Usher wanted to make this happen, he searched the web until he found a Kickstarter for the Pulse Sensor Open Source Heart-Rate Sensor. The next step was programming the sensor, this was answered by Robert Brooks, who also had an interest in this endeavour.⁷ The lesson from this example is the benefits of Pink Elephant Thinking, if Usher hadn't acted on the curiosity, he would have lost out on something that has proven beneficial to his concerts.

Usher also uses a unique design in his book. Rather than using a regular layout where the reader would merely read on how to be creative, Usher has Let the Elephants Run, Usher formats his book to to make the reader more active in their creativity. Throughout the book, Usher presents his audience with different activities or actions ranging from just writing ideas down, forming an idea web (having a central concept that branches off to different topics), or examining your own abilities to determine if you are introverted or extroverted to allow readers to practice and hone their creative abilities. In the first activity, Usher explains that he wants his readers to write and take notes in the book because “learning to be creative is itself a creative act.”⁸ In this way, Usher wants to make his audience active in their learning experience because in doing so when reading Let the Elephants Run it lays a foundation in developing a person's creativity.

In closing, Let the Elephants Run: Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything is the perfect book for someone wanting to improve their creativity or just wanting to tap into their unknown talent. Usher proves himself skilful in prose as he is in music. The best part is how Usher gives his book a unique edge by making his readers more active in their education with different activities to build a base in becoming creative. Much like the book title suggests, let the elephants run and let those creative juices flow!

Bibliography

"David Usher." Wikipedia. July 07, 2018. Accessed July 08, 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Usher.

"Let the Elephants Run." House of Anansi Press. Accessed July 08, 2018. https://houseofanansi.com/products/let-the-elephants-run-digital.

Usher, David. Let the Elephants Run: Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything. Toronto: House of Anansi. 2015.

Notes:

1David Usher, Let the Elephants Run: Unlock Your Creativity and Change Everything, (Toronto:House of Anansi Press Inc., 2015), 7.

2Ibid.

3Ibid., 8.

4Ibid.

5Ibid., 91.

6Ibid., 93.

7Ibid., 94.

8Ibid., 12.

Canadian Beats 2: Electric Bugaloo

Image made with clip art found on Pintrest

Seeing as Canada Day is coming up, I figured it would be a great idea to continue the tend of last year and look at songs by Canadians about Canada. The rules are simple: (1) the artist must be from Canada in form, either born in Canada or immigrated to Canada; (2) the song must refer to Canada in some form or in reference; (3) the song must be longer than one minute.

“Canada Day, Up Canada way” by Stompin' Tom Connors
As I said in last year's list, there is nothing more quintessentially Canadian than music from Stompin' Tom Connors. While there are numerous songs that celebrate the Canadian spirit, but in light of Canada day I feel that “Canada Day, Up Canada Way” would be a good choice for the the list. A song that celebrates the very day of Confederation of Canada with a chorus that combines two of Canada's anthems “O Canada” and “Maple Leaf Forever”.

“Log Driver's Waltz” by Wade Hemsworth
One of Canada's many stereotypes is the image of the lumberjack. This image is celebrated in the “Log Driver's Waltz” by Wade Hemsworth, author of the ditty “Black Flies”. Inspired from watching log drivers “dance” from log to log as they herded the timber to the mills, Hemswoth tells the story of a young lady's love for dancing with log drivers as they are the lightest on their feet when dancing because of their light foot work from driving logs on the river. The song's catchy music and memorable lyrics has allowed for it to be another successful tune by Hemsworth. This song, just like “Black Flies”, was given it's own video by the Canadian National Film Board.

“Northern Lights” by The Jerry Cans Canadian author Robertson Davies once famously said “I see Canada as a country torn between a very northern, rather extraordinary, mystical spirit which it fears and its desire to present itself to the world as a Scotch banker.” That northern mystical spirit can be easily seen in the song “Northern Lights” (or “Ukiuq” in Inuktitut) by Nunavummiuq band The Jerry Cans (Inuktitut: Pai Gaalaqautikkut) in their album Inuusiq/Life. Northern Canada my have it's problems like drug abuse and high food prices but much like Canada, it is a land full of mystery and beauty that should be appreciated just as much as the rest of the country. This beauty is exemplifies in The Jerry Cans use of catchy rhythm, imagery, and utilization of Inuktitut throat singing; these elements paint the picture of a world far off and distant yet somehow familiar with images of traversing through the cold north underneath the Northern Lights. As The Jerry Cans mostly write their music in Inuktitut, Northern Lights is released in both an English and Inuktitut!

“St. Lawrence River” by David Usher
The St. Lawrence River is a place is synonymous with Canada. It has been the gateway into this great country since the time of Cartier and still has ships delivering or collecting goods for Canada. So it is no surprise that Canadian artist David Usher would use this icon as the base for a song in his album Little Songs, Usher's first venture after the disbanding his band Moist. In his song “St. Lawrence River”, Usher paints the story (in my opinion) of a relationship slowly falling apart in the shadow of the St. Lawrence River. In the beginning the relationship is free and alive like the river in the summer and by the end of the song the relationship becomes dead and frozen like the river in winter.

“Highway of Heroes” by The Trews
Inspired from the death of Capt. Nichola Goddard, the first Canadian female soldier killed in Afghanistan and fellow classmate of the Trews. The song tells the story of an unknown soldier who has died, listeners are given parts of this soldiers life, their motivations and role in war. The Highway of Heroes that is refereed to in the song is the section of the Highway 401 of that name that streaches from Toronto, Ontario, and CFB Trenton, Ontario.

“Old Apartment” by The Barenaked Ladies
The Barenaked Ladies (or BNL) are a Canadian staple. With hit songs like if “I had a $1,000,000”, “Brian Wilson”, and more, it was hard to pick one, much less one that met the rules outlined above. Enter “Old Apartment”, a song that tells the story of a young man breaking into his and his partner's old apartment and remembering the old times they shared there. “But Joey,” You ask in my head, “what does this have to do with Canada?” Well, first off: get out of my head. Second, “Old Apartment” is set in Toronto (the narrator mentioning that they now live in an old old house on the Danforth). Themes in the song of change and nostalgia are things we can all relate to; we all have that moment of “back in my day life was better, worse, and you couldn't find parking,” and we will someday find our selves pining for those old places and familiars.

Bibliography

Robertson Davies Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, Xplore Inc, 2018. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/robertson_davies_392936, accessed July 1, 2018.