Blending intellect and creativity

As an artist, blending intellect and creativity is an essential part of my work. I approach a piece with a plan on how to work and play my instrument, but I also approach it for the 'musical side,' where I figure out what the composer wanted, what his/her message was, and what I can do to make the piece sound cool for the audience. Here is the epitome of blending intellect and creativity; I use intellect to learn the piece, improving technique which then facilitates my communication of the message of the music.

As a student, blending intellect and creativity is somewhat, though not entirely, new to me. Much of my schooling has been along the lines of bland academic papers with bare facts and no fancy fluffy stuff. Perhaps it is that I have not yet had many assignments which call for a blend of intellect and creativity. There is a time and place for such a blend, and prior to recently my work had not needed such a blend. Now I am receiving work which not only prompts the blend, but in some cases requires it. A whole new world of possibilities.

Now a concern will be on the balance of intellect and creativity. Each piece, each assignment is different, and each requires its own unique mix. Finding that mix is a journey in itself, but fortunately that journey looks to be an exciting one.