Things had been going pretty smoothly for much of the year. I've been cutting down on the number of projects I've been doing in order to focus on teaching, writing articles, and personal time. The last few months have been relatively medium-paced, and I had been managing to keep the number of things I'm working on at any given time under control.
Then April happened.
This month I'm juggling writing projects, a performing project with tight deadlines, competition deadlines for my students, beta testing for a new product that's rolling out, and making a short promotional video. Not to mention a full week of examining next week and more adjudicating at the beginning of May, all in addition to a full teaching schedule.
I have the utmost respect for musicians who have schedules like this for the entire year and are able to balance all their various areas of focus. One of the directions in my own life is to pare down the number of things I'm working on at any given time in order to do my best work and move forward with my own development rather than just treading water. Fortunately, things should be back to a normal pace in a month or so.
Some articles of note from the past few weeks:
- Here's 10,000 Hours. Don't Spend It All in One Place. - Using the example of Charles Ives (insurance executive/composer), Arthur C. Brooks writes about how having a dual career can be the route to long-term happiness and fulfillment. Here's more info on multipotentialites.
- What Does It Mean to "Play With Feeling"? - I really like how Rhonda Rizzo explains the paradox of finding your own personal voice and learning to "put ourselves aside the moment we put our hands on the keys". Finding that balance is part of learning how to be a convincing performer.
- The Paradoxes of Modern Life - While we're on the subject of paradoxes, here are some more to ponder from David Perell.
- A Tactic That Will Transform Your Followers Into Online Friends - One of the secrets of building an online following is having meaningful interactions with people multiple times, in more than one place. Maneetpaul Singh shares some scientifically proven ways to build fans and followers.
- Write About Anything and Everything - If you're thinking about starting an independent blog but aren't sure what to write about, these words from Greg Morris are important to ponder: "There are enough publications out there writing news, or reviews or whatever pays the bills. The internet needs your voice, however you see fit to share it. Cover everything and anything and publish it."
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Earlier this week I wandered into Wendy's basement studio and saw Emerald Forest drying on the easel just as she had completed it. I like the sense of height with the trees in the middle of the canvas, as well as their quality of luminosity. You can find this painting and many more for sale on our online store.