Category: Email Archives
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Drawing should be painful
Last night, I did a drawing demonstration live on Instagram. Everyone should learn how to draw. Well…everyone already knows how. But, it's still worth practicing. Drawing practice must be specific, technical, and mentally painful. Otherwise, you're just goofing off. At the same time, you need to distance yourself from your results. Otherwise, you're just being a crazy perfectionist. Human beings are…
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So long, 2020. The year in review.
2020 is drawing to a close, and I wanted to update you on what I’ve been up to this year. While avoiding the coronavirus, I've managed to create quite a bit. Let’s take a quick tour of some of the highlights. I hope you find these links useful. Mindful Piano Basics The year started off…
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Why it’s so hard to “just do nothing”
“Just do nothing.” What a confusing instruction. (Meditation teachers love to give this instruction, as do music teachers.) Sometimes it takes the form of “trust yourself”, “go with the flow”, “let it happen”, “get out of your own way”, or “stop overthinking”. But, it’s always the same thing. The confusion comes up when you try following…
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It’s all physical
After I got enlightened (while practicing singing), I wanted to see if my realizations made sense in other contexts. That's because practicing a thing makes you better at the thing, and it stands to reason that being better at the thing will make it feel easier. After all, this is the typical narrative. So, I picked…
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The medium of attentional waves
All phenomena vibrate. There's no solidity anywhere, if you look closely enough. When you stare at an object, peer all the way into the center. See what's there. What is the essence of “staring at an object”? I don't mean literally staring (although that works, too). Even in your mind's eye, you can stare. What happens…
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I was a Victim of piano lessons
As a music student, I didn't take risks. I saw myself as having to defend territory. It was my job to avoid mistakes, so that I didn't get blamed. I looked to the teacher to give me a stamp of approval. I wasn't a Creator. If I were a Creator, I wouldn't have avoided mistakes. I…