I was listening to a fantastic podcast a few days ago, talking about how people often focus on the wrong end of a process when they are trying to achieve something.
They described it as a fruit tree. Often, we are spending so much time being attentive to the proverbial fruit hanging from the tree, pruning branches and checking the health of the tree, that we forget that this isn't the most important element in the process.
So what is?
The soil, of course! Without a well-nourished, fertile ground within which to take root, even the most hardy tree will struggle to produce some tasty apples!
It struck me then that this wonderful analogy is directly applicable to our lives as practicing musicians. We are the soil from which the musical tree can grow and produce art. Without the right nourishment (good sleep hygiene & route, balanced diet, some regular movement, and mindfulness, and so forth), we could spend as many hours as we wished, slaving away over the keys, and produce only a withered, half-grown attempt at the music we are trying to achieve.
It is also the time of year when many of my students are in the midst of their end-of-year exams, and the candle is often burning at both ends. It is easy, in the midst of it all, to slowly have your balance chipped away at by all the demands that life can throw at you; I hope at the very least this can be a reminder to some people to check in with themselves, ground themselves, and nourish themselves.
Capybaras know how to chill
There are some great resources for practicing mindfulness, such as:
Paid
Free
Once you have that secure foundation, then it's time to start looking at how you can refine your practice, which will be the topic of our next blog post...See you all then!
Myles