Beginners with a new skill: let yourself be bad at it before getting sort of good at it
Beginners: you have to let yourself be bad at something before you get sort of good at it.
I cannot stress enough that learning a new skill takes time, and you need to be comfortable with being bad at it for a good while before you get sort of good, and that the journey of bad to sort of okay varies from person to person - and that is okay and very normal.
Practice journal reflections for musicians: finding joy and play
As musicians, it can be so easy to fall into the trap of constant improvement, and perfectionism that we often forget to find the joy in what we do…we “play” an instrument, so why can’t we make practice it fun?
Thoughts from a recovering perfectionist: commit to the bit
You may have heard of the phrase “commit to the bit” here and there, but maybe haven’t put much thought into it. But whenever I end up in a situation reflecting on performance anxiety as well as finding joy in performing music, or even every day life (in the joy of being), I always come back to that phrase - commit to the bit.
It means completely committing your whole self to whatever thing it is you’re doing, and trusting. No half-measures, no apologies - just your full self. Even when everything inside is going “no, let’s go back to what’s normal, comfortable, what we’re used to and hiding away.”
Practice journal reflections for musicians: self-doubt
As musicians, it’s common for self-doubt to creep in about the work we do. It’s totally normal, but let’s reflect on any self-doubt we may have in the practice room and how we can approach it differently when it shows up.