John Dillon
has had a fascination with Creativity all his life. He grew up in a Pennsylvania town that was settled by his Irish immigrant great-great-grandfather, whose son–John’s namesake–started a flower growing business that flourishes to this day.
Like all of us, John was very creative as a child, and as happens to many of us, his creativity faded during his pre-adolescent years. Fortunately however, he was given a guitar at age 13 and he learned to express himself by improvising the blues with his teenage band-mates. A major turning point came in his late teens when he discovered first-hand the power of music (creative process) to build community and transcend physical limitations (details of this experience are revealed in the presentation).
Pack on back and guitar in hand, John spent a year criss-crossing the US absorbing the landscape and culture of our great country. Eventually he settled in Northern New Mexico, where he studied yoga and the art of meditation.
John was so passionate about guitars that–in his mid-twenties–he learned how to build them. Over the course of three decades, he built over 80 acoustic guitars, including custom instruments for Steve Earle, Michael Murphey, Tish Hinojosa, Trisha Yearwood and the Mavericks. Through guitar making John learned that the true creative process combines both right and left brain thinking–a blending of art and craft.
A twelve year stint in the family floral business gave John the opportunity to apply his creativity to marketing and business. He started a division of the company that sold plants to mass market outlets, and a program for importing directly from the flower auction in Aalsmeer, Holland. While in the floral business, he was an active leader in state and national trade associations where he made presentations as an individual and participated in numerous panel discussions.
Throughout John’s varied occupational endeavors, songwriting and music performance continued to be vital forms of creative expression. He recorded his first solo CD, Piece of Paradise, in 1998. His second release, Callin’ Me Home, which chronicled his return to the West, received 7 New Mexico Music Award nominations and one win.
In 2004, John and his wife Vivian created the syndicated radio program, Art of the Song Creativity Radio which is now heard by over 180,000 listeners every week on 200 public and community stations across the country.
John is the proud father three very creative individuals. Mike is a successful composer and performer of electronic music in New York. Jess is a student of the arts and a mother of a one-year old in California, and Jack is a budding guitar player with his first band in Las Vegas.
Recent Host Comments:
“It was our pleasure to host John Dillon’s presentation about whole-brain thinking, and the importance of developing, and fostering creativity. Our audience at the Cherry Hills Public Library was very interested, and enthused about his message that creativity is a profound agent for community and personal change.
Our audience ranged in age from young mothers who asked questions about fostering creativity in children, to senior citizens who shared their experiences and ideas with the group.
Everyone loved John’s singing, his stories, and the slides, all of which taught, inspired, and entertained!
We hope to have John back again.”
- Victoria S. Fee, Manager, Cherry Hills Library, ABQ
Highlights of Past Presentions
UNESCO International Conference on Creative Tourism
Higher Truth of Health Conference
Taos Plaza Theatre Salon Series
St. John’s Cathedral, Albuquerque
Albuquerque Public Library (2 presentations sponsored by City of Albuquerque Economic Development Dept.)
Fountain Valley School, Assembly Program, Colorado Springs
Unity Church, Taos, NM
Comments from Participants
“Thank you so much for the wonderful workshop last night. I found it very energizing and inspiring. It was great being in a room with so many people who were in tune to their creativity.”
“Creativity is living in the domain of what you don’t know that you don’t know. Creativity is essential to life!”
“Creativity & Spirituality are both ‘out of the box.’ They initiate oft of the formless, and express in forms of all different types.”
“Creativity is where passion meets imagination.”
“If it all flows from one source, and I believe that it does, there is no separation between creativity and spirituality. What separates us is our willingness to surrender and our willingness to act from our creative impulses.” – Michael LaValley, headmaster, Chamisa Mesa High School
“Creativity is a muscle that needs exercise like any other.”
“C = Newness… new thoughts… new words… new choices… new foods… new conversations… new conversation partners… new songs.”
“Creativity helps me to live longer.”
