One of my goals is to keep improving as a performer -songwriter-educator. Part of that growth includes learning about music and video production. I love trying out new tools that I can use to create music videos and release songs we have written or co-written.
As a self-taught creator, I have learned enough to know how much more I still have to learn. There are always new things being developed and it’s sometimes dizzying deciding what to learn next. My secret? As soon as possible, I start including the new concepts and tools into our existing arrangements, videos or shows. This may mean that the end product is a bit imperfect, but perfection doesn’t exist, anyhow!
Production isn’t brain surgery, so no one is going to die if it takes me four hours to include a new technique that an experienced pro can apply in thirty minutes. And once I do anything a bunch of times, I get better and faster.
Some folks like to learn and practice in private for months or years before going public. Not me. As soon as I’m halfway ready I start doing a halfway good job and trust that I can figure out what else I need to add/learn along the way. It works.
There are some downsides to this. My foundation is sometimes a little shaky on the fundamentals. Also, it can be just a little bit terrifying to try out a new thing. Sometimes, it feels like I’m one of The Flying Wallendas.
A side benefit of working in education, however, is that making mistakes is tolerated, even encouraged on the way to mastery. Every now and then, I totally screw up and it becomes a “teachable moment” where I can say, “Hey kids – did you just see me forget to push the record button? Oops. Let’s try that, again.”
As a child and a young adult, I believed that mistakes were stupid and that I was stupid to make them. I’ve worked hard on undoing that unpleasant belief.
Another secret to my success? Therapy.
My therapist, Baila, and I have developed a beautiful relationship where she is one part traditional therapist and one part creative mentor. Yesterday, for example, we spent half of our time on family and the other half on learning strategies. It has taken us years to get to this place and it requires me as the client to know what I want. I don’t “flit” in therapy. It’s a very directed, personally sculpted way to better my personal and professional goals and, critically, to move toward serenity.
I’m also fortunate to have a wife and a core group of friends who are full of heart, intelligence and delightful lunacy. We spend very little time on small talk, a lot of energy helping one another and a precious amount of time laughing and acknowledging our gratitude for one another.
Life is for learning and I’m in a terrific classroom.
