Lessons in creativity: Insights from musician and Scoper Boris Cezek
14 minutes to read
by Boris Cezek
Boris shares the lessons he’s learned and the insights he’s gained from his musical journey, and how they continue to shape his approach to life, creativity, and work.
Meet Boris Cezek, a software developer at Scope with a passion for music. Since he picked up his first guitar at the age of 15, he’s continued to write and record music for a range of exciting projects.
Originally from Serbia, Boris moved to Malta and eventually set up his own recording studio, DOYAYA Studios, where he worked with popular artists like Airport Impressions, Red Electrick, and Ivan Filletti, amongst many others. Boris is also a talented songwriter, having co-written the Eurovision hit “Tomorrow” for Gianluca Bezzina, and the award-winning stage show “Porn The Musical,” which has enjoyed over 100 successful performances in Malta, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and London’s West End.
With a wealth of musical experience under his belt, Boris brings a unique perspective to his work at Scope. Here, he shares the lessons he’s learned and the insights he’s gained from his musical journey, and how they continue to shape his approach to life, creativity, and work.
Lesson #1 – The benefits of figuring things out for yourself
Some people may be surprised to find out that I am self-taught in music. I started learning to play the guitar in my teens and I remember spending hours practising chords and scales, poring over my favourite records to learn new techniques. At first, it was a lot of fumbling around, but with practice and dedication, I started getting better. I’ll never forget the feeling of finally nailing a riff or solo that had seemed impossible just a few days before. It was incredibly rewarding to see how far I had come and to realise that I had achieved it all on my own.
Being self-taught in music has been a vital life-long lesson that taught me the importance of being an active learner. Rather than passively absorbing information, I learned to immerse myself fully in a subject and take ownership of my own progress. It’s a lesson that has served me well in other areas of my life too, like coding for example. Like music, I found a great interest in coding and taught myself through books, a few helpful friends in the industry, and many hours of practice. When you have a clear goal in mind and are willing to take things one step at a time, it’s incredible to see how much progress you can make towards mastering a subject that truly interests you. It’s a journey that requires patience and perseverance, but the end result is always worth it.
Lesson #2 – The band is greater than the sum of its parts
When I first started playing in bands, everyone wanted to be the star of the show. We’d all be trying to outdo each other, playing louder and faster, thinking we deserved to be heard. But that approach never worked. No matter how talented each individual was, the music always sounded like a jumbled mess. It took me a while to realise that we needed to work together, each musician contributing to the greater good of the band. Sometimes that meant playing simpler or not playing at all, just to give other instruments or the lyrics of a song the space to shine at the right moment.
This is a lesson that’s proved to be valid outside of music too, especially in a work setting. When everyone on a team takes on different but complementary roles, I’ve found that projects come together harmoniously, and everyone feels like they’re making a meaningful contribution. I’ve been lucky enough to experience this best at Scope, where teamwork and collaboration here are highly valued.
I’ve finally been lucky enough to find a workplace that encourages this kind of creativity.
Lesson #3 – Riding the creative high
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of creating something out of nothing. Starting with just a few chords, I can create a melody, add some lyrics, and then experiment with different guitar parts, keys, and drum patterns to bring a song to life. The best part of it all is that time just seems to disappear when I’m in the creative process. I could spend hours straight working on a new piece, and it all just flies by. It’s not about achieving some specific goal, but rather the genuine joy of the creative process itself.
Interestingly, I’ve also found that coding offers a similar level of creativity. With just a few lines of code, I can suddenly make a seemingly impossible task work. And I can honestly say that at Scope, I’ve finally been lucky enough to find a workplace that encourages this kind of creativity. There are no strict rules or rigid structures to follow. Everything is open to challenge, and everyone’s opinion is valued. This allows for a more innovative, creative, and fun work environment where ideas can flourish, and we can all contribute to the greater good of a project.
Lesson #4 – Every success and failure is a lesson to learn
As someone who’s been in the music industry for many years now, I’ve learned that every project is a lesson in itself. Each step I took, no matter how small or insignificant it may have seemed, has always led me to something bigger and more exciting. Just like how figuring out my first chords and scales taught me to play guitar, every music project I’ve taken on has taught me something new. Learning how to write one song led to writing an album of songs. An album of songs taught me to produce other artists and bands and gave me the confidence to try my hand in different music genres or to take on crazier and more complicated projects like our musical.
I feel it’s also important to acknowledge that not every project has been a success. I’ve poured my heart into projects that didn’t resonate with people or simply turned out to be not as good as I had hoped. However, over the years I’ve truly learned to live by the philosophy of having no regrets. Every project, whether successful or not, has offered an opportunity to learn something new and to grow. That’s why I feel it’s important to set aside your ego and embrace both the successes and failures if you hope to progress further in whatever you love.
I can honestly say that music has been the most fulfilling journey of my life. Along the way, I’ve learned invaluable lessons on self-expression, taking risks, and the satisfaction of creating something that has the power to touch people. But more than anything, music has shown me the beauty of enjoying the creative process itself. It’s all too easy to get lost in the end goal and forget to appreciate the journey. So, whether I’m working on music or any other project, I try my utmost to be in the moment and get lost in the process. More often than not, this is when I feel true satisfaction in my work.
