glowing white light bulb against bright yellow background“Out of discipline comes freedom.”
–Vincent Cichowicz, trumpeter
(ITG Journal2007)

Imagine that you’re about to practice, write, compose, or perform.

How do you transition from daily life into creative mode?

Specifying goals is crucial but, on its own, may not suffice for us to quickly focus our minds and eliminate distractions.

For that reason, I rely on the following 3-phase ritual to ready myself for practice.

1. off
I clear my mind of what I’ve been doing as I put the computer to sleep. Off.

2. off
Next, I silence the phone. Off.

3. ON!
I center myself with some expansive breaths and arm circles. Then, I think about my goals, assemble my music, pick up my guitar, and warm up with gratitude that I’m able to make music. ON!The Musician's Way book cover

Related posts
The Centered Performer
Getting Started
The Power of Specific Goals
The Total Warm-Up

See pages 37-39 of The Musician’s Way for an inclusive warm-up procedure suited to all musicians.

© 2011 Gerald Klickstein
Photo © arosoft, licensed from Shutterstock.com