I'm practicing up for the summer shows that start on Saturday night at The Homestead in Midway, thinking about how much my hands and voice retain in muscle memory, how much I need the work and polish that practice brings. . .
I miss my old piano friend -- I haven't been playing very much lately. Daisy seems to sense the importance of the piano in my life and respond accordingly to the attention which shifts away from her when I practice. She'll usually immediately ask that I play her a song that she can do a dance to, or that I stop playing altogether. I know it's temporary, which makes it bearable. She's three. She'll be in school for whole days before we know it, and I'll have all the time in the world to play, but it's still tricky. I find myself journaling more, trying to keep up with the bottlenecks of emotion and complex thoughts that used to get worked out through the music. It helps, but as those of you who play or write music know, there's a special quality to the songs that soothes like nothing else. At times I feel like I don't know myself very well lately; I'm certain it's because of music's missing piece in my life.
We're awash in verdant lushness in Summit Park. First the daffodils, then tulips, then the wave of bluebells taking over the wooded walkway. Now we're seeing allium and the start of the ground cover that has those purple flowers on it -- it's like floating through a fairy forest, getting to our front door!
The work on the book over the last year and a half has been an interesting pause in my music life. . . it's helped remove the pressure to produce musically if I'm not inclined, to step back and listen to the music out there without the awareness and curiousity about how my current work measures up. There's something brewing -- it's been stirring inside for a while -- but the writing, release, and promotion of "Kick-Ass Creativity" has been a healthy place for me to spend my time. Working with thousands of words instead of hundreds has reignited my love of language and ideas. Thinking deeply about process and creativity has shined a light on the customs that I want to nurture or discard. I'm taking my own advice, and it feels good. Taking time to be quiet, to do the things that I really want to do in a given moment instead of always deferring to the 'shoulds.'
I'm excited to play these shows this summer, as much for my own mental health and pleasure as for the fun that we'll have together. I can't wait to see you all. In case you're not on the mailing list, here's the link to the summer calendar. : )
Best wishes,
mb
Five Things I'm Thankful For Today:
1. That Ellie had Daisy fast asleep when we got home on Saturday. Super-sitter. Love her.
2. That my slow start work day ramped up into high-productivity sometime around 12:30. Thank you, white mocha.
3. Fun with Ryan & co this weekend on the most beautiful night.
4. Enough time to do what I really needed to do today.
5. That we'll get to see A and L when they're here in July.
I miss my old piano friend -- I haven't been playing very much lately. Daisy seems to sense the importance of the piano in my life and respond accordingly to the attention which shifts away from her when I practice. She'll usually immediately ask that I play her a song that she can do a dance to, or that I stop playing altogether. I know it's temporary, which makes it bearable. She's three. She'll be in school for whole days before we know it, and I'll have all the time in the world to play, but it's still tricky. I find myself journaling more, trying to keep up with the bottlenecks of emotion and complex thoughts that used to get worked out through the music. It helps, but as those of you who play or write music know, there's a special quality to the songs that soothes like nothing else. At times I feel like I don't know myself very well lately; I'm certain it's because of music's missing piece in my life.
We're awash in verdant lushness in Summit Park. First the daffodils, then tulips, then the wave of bluebells taking over the wooded walkway. Now we're seeing allium and the start of the ground cover that has those purple flowers on it -- it's like floating through a fairy forest, getting to our front door!
The work on the book over the last year and a half has been an interesting pause in my music life. . . it's helped remove the pressure to produce musically if I'm not inclined, to step back and listen to the music out there without the awareness and curiousity about how my current work measures up. There's something brewing -- it's been stirring inside for a while -- but the writing, release, and promotion of "Kick-Ass Creativity" has been a healthy place for me to spend my time. Working with thousands of words instead of hundreds has reignited my love of language and ideas. Thinking deeply about process and creativity has shined a light on the customs that I want to nurture or discard. I'm taking my own advice, and it feels good. Taking time to be quiet, to do the things that I really want to do in a given moment instead of always deferring to the 'shoulds.'
I'm excited to play these shows this summer, as much for my own mental health and pleasure as for the fun that we'll have together. I can't wait to see you all. In case you're not on the mailing list, here's the link to the summer calendar. : )
Best wishes,
mb
Five Things I'm Thankful For Today:
1. That Ellie had Daisy fast asleep when we got home on Saturday. Super-sitter. Love her.
2. That my slow start work day ramped up into high-productivity sometime around 12:30. Thank you, white mocha.
3. Fun with Ryan & co this weekend on the most beautiful night.
4. Enough time to do what I really needed to do today.
5. That we'll get to see A and L when they're here in July.