Imperfect Practice
An 8-week program for musicians, artists, and writers who get in their own way and aren't creating as much as they should be.
Some Problems That Come Up While Practicing
Personally, I've struggled with the following problems:
About the Teacher
Hey,
I'm Michael Korman
As a professional musician, I've spent thousands of hours practicing the piano and singing. I've dealt with all of the problems here, and found ways of continuing to practice despite them. I write a blog about music practice and meditation. I've made hundreds of videos on a variety of related topics. If my perfectionism ran the show, none of this would have happened.
Why perfectionism happens
Let me give you a take on perfectionism that might be unfamiliar to you: perfectionism is an anxiety disorder.
You're afraid of making mistakes.
That fear is usually learned in early childhood, but it sticks with us throughout our lives.
I remember being 4 years old and a girl in my class made fun of me for coloring outside the lines. Now, as an adult, there is fear of making mistakes while drawing.
It starts off as fear of social rejection. From an evolutionary perspective, this fear makes sense. Babies will die if they are rejected by their parents.
Fear of social rejection becomes the motivator for learning lots of skills.
Nowadays, social rejection isn't as deadly as it might have been to our ancestors. Yet, in 2021, we find it difficult to practice our creative skills because we're worried about what other people will think if we mess up.
That's messed up, isn't it?
So, what do we do about it? Well...the only cure for an anxiety disorder is exposure therapy (that's when you deliberately expose yourself to the thing you're afraid of).
However, this is hard to do. When you expose yourself to something you're afraid of, you'll want to run and hide. Then, you'll go your whole life saying, "yeah, yeah, I know I should just suck it up and deal with it."
You must learn to see the thing you're afraid of as being only sensory experience.
For example, if you're afraid to publish a blog post because you're afraid of criticism, you can learn to see the fear of criticism as merely images and sounds in your head and sensations in your body. Once you see it this way, it's much easier to be willing to expose yourself to it.
Rejection is hard to deal with. A “story about rejection” is easier to deal with. “Still frames from a movie about rejection” are even easier to deal with.
This is where meditation comes in.
Why Anxiety Can't Be a Problem for Creators
We take for granted that anxiety is a "disorder" with "symptoms" that need to be "treated" by a "doctor". That's all well and good...if it works.
But, what happens when your "anxiety" is a necessary part of the work you're doing?
- What if you're a musician, and you need to perform in front of people who make you nervous?
- What if you're a blogger, and you need to post articles that people might criticize?
You'll spend your entire life avoiding doing your work, because you've been fed the lie that anxiety is a problem. The minute you experience anxiety, you drop everything you're doing to take care of it.
Does it work???
In the West, we separate the mind and the body. "psychological" problems and "physical" problems.
We're taught that anxiety is a problem because anxiety feels bad.
I want you to question this.
If you want to fix your anxiety problem by trying to eliminate anxiety, you're already barking up the wrong tree.
a pROGRAM that will get you through this mess
Imperfect Practice
This is a 1-on-1 coaching program that uses meditation to get you back on track as a creator.
You can expect the following results:
Ease
You will become clear on how your way of practicing and creating is holding you back.
Confidence
You will learn new ways of working (and I will make sure you do them).
Creative Output
You will no longer have writer's block or lack of motivation to create and practice.
Practical Understanding
Meditation is an integral part of your practicing. You will "get the point" of meditation and view it as a practical tool.
Sign Up Now
Let's Get You Creating
What's Included
Weekly 1-on-1 coaching sessions
We will talk about what you're struggling with and explore what you're not seeing. I'll give you practical exercises to do and hold you accountable for doing them.
Unlimited email coaching
Whenever you have a question, you can email me and I'll reply within a day. You can do this as many times as you'd like.
Unlimited voice messages
Sometimes, it's easier to express things by speaking rather than writing them down. You can send me voice messages through an app as many times as you'd like.
Weekly personalized recordings
Every week, I will create an audio recording just for you, which will summarize the concepts you need to be reviewing.
Guided meditations
I will send you guided audio meditations that are designed specifically for creators. They will instruct you on how to meditate in a way that helps your practicing.
BONUS
Access to my online meditation course No Problem ($200 value), Anti-Perfectionism for Creators ($50 value), as well as Guilt Quest ($5 value).
Imperfect Practice Might Be For You If:
I also want to make it clear who shouldn't sign up for this, because I only want clients who will benefit from this program. That's better for me and for you.
Imperfect Practice Might NOT Be For You If:
Ready to Sign Up?
Imperfect Practice
$
600
USD
100% Risk-Free: If after a week you don't feel this is the right fit for you, you'll get a full refund, no questions asked.