The walking contradiction of any performance art is that we grow skills that were at some point unfathomable to us, master the intricacies of the art, understand its ins and outs, and make it a part of ourselves mentally and physically, and yet…if we’re seeking, if we’re stretching…there always seems to be another intimidating milestone out there.

As someone with an affinity (compulsion?) for optimizing and productivity in a culture that is enthralled with achieving more, it can feel like being in a never-ending loop of employing the next best app, setting reminders in our inboxes and calendars, and trying new programs for productivity, always on the cusp of our best selves and output yet.

There is a tremendous amount to be learned from musicians, but as creatives we would do well to remember that any discipline can teach us the way toward trusting and growing our artistic instincts and coming closer to a true expression of what is in our minds and hearts.

Where our instinct is to be avoidant, the answer is not blind repetition or hope but detail. We find the detail through the process of solving as opposed to doing. Doing feeds the sense that something can still go wrong, that judgements will still be made by the audience we’re imagining. Solving, however, trains us in repeatable thoughts and actions - neural pathways we can strengthen and trust that are independent of how we feel.

Our perception of the life we can live is what creates our lives, and a willingness to prioritize what feels valuable and satisfying to us is both practical and necessary; an earnest type of genius that ushers us onto the main stage of our own life.

What are you observing when you practice?

Understanding our skills of observation can be the key to unlocking confidence and musicianship.

Thoughtful Refresh Series: Check In 1. How it’s going, what I’m noticing, where I started…

If you follow along with me on Instagram or The B-List newsletter, you know that my big personal project for the summer is working on my routines.

But there is an even bigger part of our lives as performers that the iceberg can represent, and that includes our approach to daily life outside of making music. Routines of all types, planning ahead, reflecting on what’s behind us…tending.

When we get lost in something that catches our eye or attention and we allow that thing to take over our view, it grows in size as we recede. We become small, but not in an insignificant way.

The way being busy makes us feel and what we need to do to cope with high-demand periods of work will change as we get older and more experienced. Intentional planning can create success and prevent burnout.

Mindfulness and mindfulness meditation are huge, broad topics. So how can we take these far-reaching concepts and pare them down to fit our specific needs as musicians, while still respecting these disciplines and what they have to teach us?

Taking a step back and challenging your view, looking at things from a new angle, checking your intentions, and encouraging yourself not to cling are just as valuable as fixing the problem. They create lightness and space around whatever it is we are dealing with, and that’s helpful for all of us.

The next time you feel motivated to critique your past behaviors, consider also what you did right. Could you list both things and see them as just that…a list? Objective data on the situation that might come in handy later is a lot easier to work with in the future than a late night binge of self judgement.

How do you create space to flow in your daily tasks?

Hang in there. Stay in the present. A new season is always around the corner.

Much like practicing our instruments, practicing mindfulness can seem slow to progress and sometimes tedious, but the growth is always available to you if you are willing to stick with the practice.

Have a clear intention for your actions and keep looking close to avoid getting caught up in generalities.

What better way could there be to grow as a musician than to learn to mindfully teach ourself?

Prioritizing these small pockets of joy works because it is when we allow our brain to take a break that it really gets to work. As we rest and relax the brain codifies information, correlates the things we have learned, and rejuvenates itself.

The most valuable thing we have to gain is the ability to see ourselves as musicians with more perspective and balance.