How do you create + play? Interview with Ryan
Creativity doesn’t always begin with confidence or expertise. Sometimes it begins with noticing something we once loved sitting quietly in the back of a closet and deciding to pick it up again.
In this conversation, I spoke with someone who recently returned to playing guitar after many years away from it. What started as the simple desire to learn one beloved song became something more: a way to quiet the mind, unwind during stressful moments, and connect with emotions that are sometimes hard to name.
His reflections remind us that creativity doesn’t have to be polished or public to be meaningful. Sometimes the most important thing is simply making space for a small, steady practice. One that helps us slow down, listen, and reconnect with ourselves.
Do you remember how you first got into guitar?
I played (poorly) years ago, as a teenager. A year or so ago, I noticed my guitar case was collecting dust in the back of my closet, and I thought I should get it out. I think I also wanted to play a specific song: Oh My Sweet Carolina.
Why that song?
It’s one of my favorite songs. I am not the most emotionally-in-touch person (surprise!), so I wonder if there is some aspect of melancholy in music that I find myself able to connect with more easily than other emotions. As for the song itself, it is beautiful in the way it expresses a longing for the loss of innocence and simplicity.
What happens in you when you play?
My brain gets quiet. There’s something interesting about how, in focusing on the mechanical execution of playing, other things in my head become muted.
Do you ever imagine playing in community?
The idea of making music with other people is appealing. I don’t really have the skill level required right now, but I’d be interested, if I could.
Does playing help you unwind?
Yes. I often find myself getting my guitar out when I’m stressed or emotionally unsettled. It’s calming in a way that I’m not sure I can describe.
Creative and generous God, thank you for planting your creativity in us, so that when we create we can feel closer to you and your delight in us. Bless Ryan, that whenever he reaches for his guitar, he would continue to be enveloped by calm and peace that can only be from your own Spirit. That with every chord he masters, he would find more and more delight in this creative practice and sense more of your delight in Him, just as He is. May the hiddenness of this act of play be an offering of worship from his heart to yours.