Photo Credit : Obafemi Moyosade
I'm talking about this today because over the last few days, three of my students have said that they are Moody. And so they can't get themselves to practice. I have this too. I have extreme trouble with starting things.
The big problem is that as soon as we say we are MOODY, we shut ourselves down. We have concluded our story. We have pronounced ourselves a moody person and resigned ourselves to an unspecific idea. So first, we need to forget that we are actually moody.
As I see it, not being in the mood means various things.
1) There's nothing exciting me to do this --- Meaning no clear attainable goal
2) I don't know what to work on --- Lack of attention to self, lack of self review.
3) Simple procrastination ---- Meaning fear of imperfection and failure.
4) What's the point of all this boring stuff ---- the absence of a reward.
5) Emotional struggles that make it hard to get out of the bed for anything at all
Do you shut down when you think of practice? Do you prefer to watch Netflix or sleep?
Do you reach out to others, get on the phone, resort to some form of connection?
Do you also feel bitterness and guilt when the day passes and you haven't done anything for your voice?
The clue is in all these things. Everyone's reason to shut down are different. You need to find yours. You need to talk to that reason. To the feelings that arise. Mostly they have nothing to do with music ! But you're taking it out on your craft... on the thing you love...on the thing that is closest to you.
Steven Pressfield says very clearly that A Professional turns up everyday. That's all you have to do. You've got to show up for yourself. No mood will stop you from this. It's the demons that we have attached to our work that hurt us. The Resistance we all feel is quite real. But know this - the part of you that creates, is not the part of you that suffers. You create from your greatest self. Feel it welling up inside you right now. You can feel it right there-- that amazing part of you that draws you straight into the Beautiful, powerful, phenomenal flow state that you love.
Get up, and go sit on the chair. Work will happen.
I love you guys. Please get back on your journey. Give yourself little rewards everyday. Give yourself hope, just the way you gave yourself hopelessness sometimes. Make little goals that you can absolutely ace! Set yourself up for success. Your creativity will save you every single day. We are really Everything.
Vasundhara Vee