“Take the action and the insight will follow.” –Anne Lamott, author The Musician’s Way, p. 107 Suppose that you want to start a creative project – compose a solo, write a song, design a logo, or whatever. You’ve done your research and set aside time to...
“I don’t say that I never feel fear before a performance, but I have learned to channel it.” –Claudio Arrau, pianist The Musician’s Way, p. 162 Imagine that you’ve arrived at a venue 90 minutes before you’ll perform. You have to set up the stage, check the...
“The beauty in playing the instrument is not to be better than the next person but to stay true to oneself, to set one’s own standards and keep to them.” –Andrés Cárdenes, violinist The Musician’s Way, p. 305 In many ways, we succeed or flounder as...
“Meaning is what matters most in your day-to-day practice.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 312 Might there exist people who devote themselves to music solely for material gain? I doubt it. Rather, it’s the psychic income that we derive from our work that we most...
“Diverse careers are available to musicians because people worldwide consume huge amounts of music-related products and services every day.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 300 Are there too many musicians for the marketplace to support? I think not. For...
Arts entrepreneurship isn’t a slice of the educational pie – it’s the pan. I adapted that opening sentence from a statement attributed to Andrew Rasiej (“Innovation is not a slice of the pie – it’s the pan”). The concept of pan...
“Throw yourself into life as someone who makes a difference.” –Benjamin Zander, conductor The Musician’s Way, p. 305 One of the most powerful ways that we can make a difference in life is to do creative work. Still, unless we choose our aims wisely, we can...
“Combine your mistakes and your triumphs, stir them into the pot of artistic progress, and then savor what bubbles up.” –The Musician’s Way, p. 112 Let’s say that you’ve pinpointed some creative goals, equipped your workspace, and scheduled daily times to...
“The real essence of art turned out to be not something high up and far off – it was right inside my ordinary daily self.” –Shinichi Suzuki, violinist, author & teacher The Musician’s Way, p. 109 I’m always surprised when I hear people attribute creativity to...
