We went to see “This is it” last weekend.  The Michael Jackson movie made of rehearsal footage for his, now defunct, sold out 50 date concert series in London.  My husband Dennis grudgingly came along with a “I will get even with you” look in his eyes.   I loved Michael Jackson.  I was saddened and puzzled by all his troubles; yet he was a one-of-a-kind entertainer and true creative professional. 

MJ’s concerts were the best you could ever hope to attend: All visual, magic and rock.   If I had to rank concert talent it would be Michael, Prince and U2.   The Beatles and the Monkees were pretty cool too but that was a long time ago and there was alot of screaming involved.  Remembering those concerts makes me feel lucky to have seen them but, man, can that be 40 years ago?  Yikes.  (I was one of the lucky 11 year old girls at the Monkee concert to be given $2 to start screaming when they came on stage by promoters.)

You simply have to admire a world and culture that can dream big ideas and make them a reality.   In one part of the movie the director was trying to come up with a specific cue for a song to start and MJ, who looks truly fit, healthy, respectful and in charge, says;  “don’t worry about that, I will feel it and start then.”   That  ”feel” part of creativity captivates me.   How do you find and execute:   ”I will feel it. ”   

Yesterday while thinking about the discipline of the creative process the movie inspired I came across an article in yesterday’s Minneapolis Star Tribune.   Glenn Karwoski, is billed as an ”Idea Man” teaching the capturing the creative process to companies.  

I think he is right when he says “one  of the enemies of creativity and innovation is success….complacency… There is nothing like fear and panic to make someone get creative real fast.“  He seems to have a techinique to answer the question: yeah, great idea but now what?   He might be a useful speaker at our industry meetings and summits.  http://www.startribune.com/business/69438047.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU 

Our promotional and retail business is a like this.  Creativity drives ideas, but how to pick the right ones  and execute successfully is where it is at.   We constantly strive for that creative edge, yet creativity won’t win without the preparation and execution.   Visiting the clouds of creativity, but coming down to earth, Karwoski seems to understand that,  MJ’’s felt it.

Back to MJ – Spoiler alert: Toward the end of the movie, the best part in my opinion,  MJ rehearses Billie Jean and does a full out dance with the song in front of just his backup dancers.  The movie theater is rock-still watching this amazingly gifted entertainer pull out perfection just for his team:   No audience, creative juice and execution.  And at the end of this amazing number he says, “and it will be something like that”.  The dancers and extras go  wild because they know they have witnessed something pretty magical.   

How sad we will never see the full vision of MJ.   That unique, creative discipline is gone.    And make no mistake about it, even with all his troubles this was a disciplined, team oriented guy.  See “This is it” even if you don’t like MJ.   This show would have been a monster hit.

Enjoy one of Billie Jean and Black & White below. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En-cHBv7UpA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI9OYMRwN1Q