I first met Joel Becktell in 2007 when we performed the Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata together at a house concert in Austin, Texas. We shared so many of the same sensibilities around the making and sharing of music that we cooked up a chamber ensemble called REVEL, now about to embark on its second full season.  I was struck then as I am now by the way Joel’s brilliance and creativity extends to all areas of his life. This interview captures a bit of the thoughtful wisdom and wry humor that I’ve come to expect from Joel -- enjoy!

CM: As a Creative, you are immersed in ongoing creative work. Do you ever experience creative blocks, or lulls in your creative output? If so, what do you typically do to get back into the flow?

JB: It seems that everyone has creative blocks from time to time. In fact, if you believe that nearly everyone is creative in at least one medium, and that many, many people are not actively creating, then you could postulate that quite a few creative folks are always blocked, which is a shame, because wouldn't it be terrific if the world's creative output could grow by the factor of the people who are not actively in the game? And wouldn't most of those "inactive creatives" feel their lives enhanced? I tend to think so. As much of the talk/writing about creativity points out somewhere along the way, the primary hindrance to creative output is interference -- from daily demands of finances, family needs, self-censorship, etc. On another level, during the creative process itself, most technical shortcomings accomplished artists experience come not from inability, but from the interference of either wayward thoughts, or aberrational self-critical impulses that interrupt the focus, and the flow of creativity. One must also recognize the sometimes unavoidable interference of activities that are compulsory, but not creative. Sometimes creativity takes a low place on the priority list out of necessity, whether real or imagined.

 

Provided that it is possible to raise creative activity to a place of high priority (and for a concert musician that had better be feasible), it seems that most remaining blocks are self-imposed (often not consciously), and thus self-remediable. Over the years I've come to recognize some particular qualities of blockage, if you will, that affect me, and most of those blockages are as flimsy as they are confounding. There are several effective ways, I've found, to move on from them. There's a great line by Tom Waits, to the effect that we don't need to work on the music so much as we need to work on ourselves. When we've got ourselves in order, the music will take care of itself. I subscribe to this wisdom, though I would stress that, at least in the type of musical pursuits I'm involved in, there's a fair amount of technical discipline required as a basis for the creativity. Still, to the extent that creativity is a natural output of the balanced mind of a creative, the goal becomes clear: to lift a creative block, one must find a place of balance. To be more specific, while life's demands and stresses can be genuinely unavoidable and debilitating, a creative person needs a concrete method, or better yet, a handful of complimentary methods, of attaining a state of mind that allows and promotes creative work. This starts with the practical measure of being sure there is a substantial amount of time in the day with no competing activities. From there, how to make sure this time is productive is specific to the individual. There are a few things I find necessary to keep my creative work going: a healthy physical state (which includes a reasonably healthy diet); at least some time daily in natural settings (hiking, gardening, walking in a quiet neighborhood, etc.); and what I'll call, for lack of a better term that can be readily recognized, time spent in meditation daily. I don't follow an established school of meditation, but I find that certain texts are a good aid to reflective and constructive thought. One in particular that I hold in high esteem is the Tao Te Ching in the Stephen Mitchell edition. Mitchell has also published something he calls the Second Book of the Tao, which I find equally enlightening and enjoyable. That's me. Everyone can find his/her own path to the condition of balance and centeredness. Once we know that our creative blocks are of our own making, the means of eliminating them are in our hands.

Finally, sometimes the reason for a block, and the means of getting around it, is just elusive. In cases like that, I think it’s often wise to simply bull your way through. Make yourself work, even if you don’t like the results. If you’re painting or writing, you can throw it away (but you probably shouldn’t – unintentional acts of brilliance often come from those who only think they’re blocked), if you’re a musician, just sit down and noodle or play some scales or an old favorite, whatever. I won’t bore you with my old VW analogy, except to say that there’s more than one way to get an engine started, and sometimes the one that works is to get the thing moving using outside power, and lo, when you pop the clutch, the engine catches.

CM: Can you give a few examples of some of the things that are most meaningful to you today, both personally and professionally? In other words, what is most important to you? What do you do to invest energy in those areas while negotiating the challenges of everyday life?

JB: Ah. Today? Sure. And for another answer, you can ask me again tomorrow! That’s not to say that there’s nothing constant that’s important, but rather that change -- in focus and needs and inspiration -- is a natural part of the process. Meanwhile, of course, there are some bedrock values as well, and they work together with changing circumstance to, in effect, create the environment for creativity.

I find that while I strive to make music that is ever more informed, diverse, creative, I want a balance of basic, uncomplicated values. So professionally, REVEL, the classical band based in Austin, is undoubtedly my main focus. I also play in various orchestras, and those are important to me for different reasons, part of the mix. And as for non-musical creativity, everything from fixing up my crazy old house and garden, to my latent ceramic and photographic passions, is always present. Personally, cooking, spending time with friends, reading, gardening, hiking – these are all important to keeping me healthy and happy, and thus creative. If I extend those lists long enough, they’ll start to overlap considerably. Which seems about right to me.

It can be difficult to pursue leisure or balancing activities, especially while traveling. So for me there are cycles of emphasis. As I write this, I’m at home after three weeks of travel, so I’m especially eager to do homey things. But the next three-week trip is coming up soon, so I need to stay active in preparing repertoire while recharging my batteries at the same time. (See above about overlap…)

CM: What current or upcoming projects are you most excited about and why?

JB: Lots of things. I’m nearing completion of an odd and potentially wonderful CD pair on which the first three Bach Suites for solo cello are presented twice, once on a “modern” cello, and again on a baroque cello. My journey as a cellist was hugely enhanced when I added baroque cello to the mix more than a decade ago, and my outlook on everything from repertoire to style to technique has been made ever more complicated and rewarding as a result. The Bach CD is a project, hopefully the first of several, in which I get a chance to explore some fairly esoteric aspects of music-making, but with concrete, audible outcomes. And as of this writing we’re just a couple of weeks away from starting a recording of favorites from REVEL’s past season. I’m especially excited about this because in addition to great music with a great friend and colleague (that’s you, Carla), we’ll be joined in the process by some wonderful folks in an idyllic setting. I’d say that in the 21st century, recordings are an important part of any musical life, and it’s great to be involved in these two now.

2010-2011 will be my second season as a member of an excellent chamber orchestra, the ProMusica of Columbus (Ohio). I’m looking forward to continuing the music-making and friendships that began there for me last season, and the change of pace and scenery that come with it. I get to go to Columbus about once a month throughout the season. In a similar vein, my continuation as a member of the Santa Fe Symphony lets me combine music, time with friends, and a beautiful setting. The Symphony is structured as a co-op, which is rare, and promotes an excellent atmosphere. ProMusica shares a lot of that positive atmosphere because, while not technically a co-op, the relationship between management and the musicians is very constructive. Believe me, this isn’t always the case!

REVEL’s second season in 2010-2011, which we’re calling “Growing Season,” is developing to be as much of a dream season as last year’s. We’re adding collaborations with outstanding musicians who are also friends, and we’re expanding the season with more opportunities to share chamber music the way it’s meant to be – with friends in casual, intimate settings. I’m eagerly looking forward to that.

And no doubt there will be surprise opportunities along the way. I have no idea what they’ll be (they’re surprises, after all) but I’m excited about them nevertheless, because they’re an important part of a life and career.

About Joel Becktell

Cellist Joel Becktell has performed, taught, and lectured throughout North America and Europe. His performances have garnered critical and popular acclaim, and he has collaborated with many highly respected soloists and conductors. He is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees with honors, and was awarded the Rubenstein prize for cello performance. Joel has been a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Nichols Quartet, the Harrington String Quartet, and the Moveable Feast chamber ensemble. From 1995 - 2002 he served as Principal Cellist of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and has also been Principal Cellist with the Santa Fe Pro Musica, and Assistant Principal Cellist with the Santa Fe Symphony. His experience and expertise as an orchestral cellist have resulted in frequent opportunities to perform as a guest in the cello sections of a number of orchestras, including the San Antonio Symphony and the National Philharmonic Orchestra.

Joel appears frequently on Baroque and modern cello and violoncello piccolo as soloist and with ensembles throughout North America. He has been heard as soloist with orchestras including the Austin Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Santa Fe Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra, among others. Joel has collaborated in solo and chamber concerts with cellists Yo-Yo Ma, Terry King, and Brinton Smith, recorder virtuoso Marion Verbruggen, the Markolivia Duo, pianists such as Leon Fleisher, Michael Lewin, Dena Levine, and Marija Stroke, and violinists Charles Castleman, Nurit Bar-Joseph, David Taylor, and Annette-Barbara Vogel, among many others. He is a co-founder, with Carla McElhaney, of the "classical band" REVEL, an ensemble dedicated to playing concerts in an intimate atmosphere that invites listeners to discard old attitudes about "classical" music and re-enter the world of an earlier time when audiences engaged directly with the musicians in concerts.

Joel is a dedicated teacher and coach. In addition to his private studio and his annual summer studios at various festivals, he has traveled widely as a clinician and presenter of master classes. He has been a guest teacher at the University of Texas, Texas State University, the University of Iowa, the University of Western Ontario, the University of New Mexico, and the Shenandoah Conservatory, among others. Joel's private students have been accepted into many prestigious conservatories and universities, and many have gone on to successful careers as professional cellists. He has also written on pedagogical and luthiery topics for Strings Magazine.

Joel has also pursued his abiding interests in photography, writing, and radio production. He has been on the staffs of radio stations WBFO and WNED in Buffalo, New York, and has been published as a photographer and writer in a variety of publications, including Strings and Strad magazines. He has worked in the musical instrument business for many years, drawing on his luthiery training with former cello teacher and renowned instrument maker Anne Cole. He was co-founder of Becktell-Blackerby Fine Stringed Instruments in Austin, Texas, Vice President of Eastman Strings, the world's largest maker and distributor of stringed instruments and bows, and was also co-founder of Terra Nova Violins in San Antonio, Texas. He has been a consultant for a diverse array of music businesses, including string makers, manufacturers of violin bridges, and a company attempting to find a synthetic substitute for horsehair.

Joel resides in the mountains of New Mexico.