On Lessons
"Wherever we go, we are friends" -Sloth and Manatee
Sloth and Manatee
I come from a family of musicians. As such, I took piano lessons as a kid. I got to play some cool pieces, and my teacher, Mrs. Francis, was lovely.
Every year we’d have the customary recital. We learned to bow, and that we were supposed to walk around the front of the piano bench to sit down.
This was cool, but I have to admit my favorite time each year was the first lesson after the recital. Because this was when we got to pick out a new piece to learn.
Mrs. Francis, who knew I mostly learned music by ear, would put records on the player and play her suggestions and we would pick something. Then we’d look over the sheet music to see what weird/difficult things might be hiding in there.
The recital was.. fine. It was a whole bunch of people in chairs all facing the same direction, stuffed into the living room space that was usually empty when I came for my lessons. But that first lesson picking new music - that was super fun. There was so much stuff! She had so many records!
Anyway, what is this I’m going on about? Lessons. Recently on a run I was complaining to myself (as I often do) about how I hadn’t done such and such a thing with some animation I was trying to do or something. And out of nowhere (which also often happens) a voice said (I’m paraphrasing),
“Whatever it is you put in front of yourself every day, that is what you are practicing. That is your lesson. If you are free-associating while eating cereal, then that’s what you’re getting good at. If you’re scrolling, then you’re getting better at scrolling. If you WANT to get better at something, you have to put the damn thing in front of yourself, every day.”
This is why I have paper and markers in the spot where I eat breakfast, and why I’ve got my desk set up with the drawing stuff and iPad literally right in the middle. Just putting the damn thing in front of myself. No more complaining, just do the thing. Don’t talk about the thing.
So I guess I am also taking lessons in how to take better lessons.
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