Do Your Art Now!

If you've just started learning to do something, you may not be ready to do it professionally yet. That's OK. You still need to do it and show it to people. What art can you do today? What art can you show to others today?

But it didn't work. It just made us both feel like stinky crap. And I went on believing the stinky crap for a long, long time. Has this ever happened to you?

Yeah, skill is great. Highly refined technical skills make for great art. But... Waaaaaayyyyy too many people use their lack of skill -- or their imagined lack of skill -- as an excuse not to do their art, or as a reason to hide their art. They have X amount of technical skill, and they believe X amount is not enough, so they have to hide or give up altogether. Sometimes they go on practicing in hiding, and they get better and better, but they never think their work is good enough, so they keep on hiding. Sometimes they feel so sad and discouraged about their skill level, that they stop practicing, or they never even begin. Does this sound like you?

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What can you change through music?

What are you waiting for?

It's exciting for me as the teacher to get to help students figure out how to get started. Some people start a new creative project eagerly. Sometimes they already have ideas bouncing around their heads. Sometimes they start cold but the ideas come immediately. Other times, people need some help to get started. I like to think I'm pretty good at helping with that. Are you one of those types? Do you need help getting started? Maybe you think your first idea has to be perfect. Well, it doesn't. First ideas are almost never perfect. First ideas are usually boring and meaningless and useless. The value in first ideas is where they lead you to next, and after that, and after that. If you don't like your first idea, please keep going, because it will lead to something valuable, but you have to keep going forward to get there. Have you had a first idea that you didnt' like, and been tempted to just stop?

I've said this before, but it's worth saying again. You have to stay close to your creative work, even when you're busy. That doesn't mean you have to spend hours and hours on it. You don't have to stay up all night to work on it after you've finished everything else. But at least pay a little attention to it every day. Young piano students sometimes say to me: "But I don't have time to practice every day. I have soccer practice and play practice and extra homework and my grandmother is in the hospital." I tell them, on those days when it seems like they can't practice at all, try to do it for 5 minutes. If they simply can't get to the piano at all on some days because they're always at school or in the car, take the piano music in the car and just look at it. Looking at it and thinking at it will keep it up in your mind, and you'll have an easier time when you can actually sit down and practice at the piano. So don't believe that being busy has to stop you from attending to your art. Yes, it would be lovely to spend hours on it at a time, but that's not always possible, so, when you're busy, just do little quick check-ins. If you keep your art at the forefront of your mind, you'll find that you get good ideas out of the blue during your day. Have you tried it?

What will you do?

Do you agree?

"Gift" - Man Ray ?

I know, being tired sucks. I'm not saying stay up all night writing. I'm not saying wear yourself out and mess up your health. I'm not saying you should work on your art when you're too tired to execute it well. But if you think you might be using tiredness as an excuse not to do your art, then be honest with yourself. If you really are just overworked and beat, try to find a few minutes early in the day, before you're exhausted, when you can at least pay attention to your creative work for a few minutes. Even if you don't feel like you're accomplishing anything, at least check in with it, remember it, and carry it with you in your mind throughout the day. Sometimes, some people find that doing their art gives them more energy. If that doesn't work for you, it's OK. But at least keep up your relationship with your work, even if you don't have to energy to labor on it today. You will have the energy some time soon. I promise. Did you try it?