English Symposium keynote speaker Michael Whittle inspires students by providing a peek into his own creative process.
What does a seven-year-old boy growing up in Tokyo have in common with a rock band formed in Buffalo, New York? English Symposium keynote speaker Michael Whittle (English ’14) posed this question at the beginning of his remarks to students on March 7, 2024. Whittle currently works as an LA-based composer who scores music for films, advertisements, and other projects. He discussed his own creative process and shared lessons from his English major that apply to his career as a musician and composer.
Whittle recalled the moment when he “first started to understand music.” At seven years old, he heard “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls in the car on the way home from school—and even at such a young age, he connected with the song in a way that made him feel like the car was airborne. After recounting this story, Whittle answered his original question about what he (as a child) and members of the Goo Goo Dolls have in common, saying, “When a series of notes and words were played and heard in a specific order, we both felt like we could fly . . . [Music] connects us. It’s a form of communication, it’s a language.”
Just as authors use the written word to reach audiences through their novels, bands like the Goo Goo Dolls and composers like Whittle use their music to speak to people on a different level. Whittle mentioned that his English education taught him about the concept of emotional truth—how artists can sometimes put on different “masks,” writing from different perspectives to connect with audiences while still maintaining emotional truth in their work through the feelings it conveys. He also shared a bit about his own creative process when composing music, including the two main facets of that process: functioning as the creator and functioning as the critic.
Whittle compared the timeline of human life with the creative process, saying, “It makes sense that, since we were all created, we gravitate towards creation . . . small kids are pretty open to the world. Everything is vibrant and new. We are more in our hearts than in our heads. And in my process with creativity, that’s the first step—I have to be as open as possible and not be jaded or tainted.” Acting on the initial spark of creativity as the creator involves gathering many ideas that can later be molded into a final product.
As we grow older, Whittle explained, we start shaping ourselves as we shape things around us. We lose some of our openness and start to become more critical—which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This second stage of creation requires critical thinking; Whittle pointed to skills learned in the English program that can help artists develop critical thinking skills. He said, “You’re learning to make choices, you’re reading the best of literature, you’re learning what you don’t like and what you do like, and you’re developing your tastes—which is way more important than anything else.” Acting as the critic allows artists to sort through ideas and dig into the process of true production that eventually leads to results.
Near the end of his presentation, Whittle mentioned that artists “have to interpret what someone else is saying” when working for other people. Thanks to his English degree, he feels that he can adequately interpret written words and instructions from his employers and colleagues, which helps him apply feedback and improve his work. Concluding his remarks, Whittle shared snippets from his own projects and reminded the audience of the importance of their unique points of view as artists. He encouraged students to always recognize the worth of their personal perspectives and contributions to the world, no matter their profession.
Learn more about the annual BYU English Symposium.