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novembermoon · 51-55
I will share with you something that is mentioned in psychology books and which happened to me recently. I like to do craft work. Recently, my sister said she needed some gifts and said she'd pay me if I made 8 sets of the same picture frames for her. So I did. I thought I'd really enjoy it since I'd be making some $ out of it. Instead, I found the joy really diminished. The speed I worked was much slower, and after making a prototype and about to start on the actual thing, I kept putting it off. Maybe I was not satisfied with my prototype, the perfectionist that I am. In the end, I found that the satisfaction of making them not as great as if I had made them and given them for free. It is a strange thing.
From what I have heard on IG, you play the piano exceedingly well. Not many people can achieve that kind of standard. I believe it must have taken years of practice to reach where you are. Forget about the exams. I think exams can motivate us to strive for greater precision and perfection* in the playing of the instrument but it does not measure many things. It definitely does not give us a summation of the skills that we already possess. Nor does it give us a report on the joy when others hear our playing since such things are not quantifiable.
*perfection - you know, Cierzo tells me many a time "don't be so perfect". I think its true. We push ourselves too hard. What's a little missed note on piano? Or an accidental smudge on a paper? Don't they make it more 'you'? I have had a hard time understanding this because all my life. I sought a life of perfection, of no errors, of no smudges. And it was hard, not to say dehumanising at times. It is a process of learning, of accepting ourselves. I hope your day today is a better one.
From what I have heard on IG, you play the piano exceedingly well. Not many people can achieve that kind of standard. I believe it must have taken years of practice to reach where you are. Forget about the exams. I think exams can motivate us to strive for greater precision and perfection* in the playing of the instrument but it does not measure many things. It definitely does not give us a summation of the skills that we already possess. Nor does it give us a report on the joy when others hear our playing since such things are not quantifiable.
*perfection - you know, Cierzo tells me many a time "don't be so perfect". I think its true. We push ourselves too hard. What's a little missed note on piano? Or an accidental smudge on a paper? Don't they make it more 'you'? I have had a hard time understanding this because all my life. I sought a life of perfection, of no errors, of no smudges. And it was hard, not to say dehumanising at times. It is a process of learning, of accepting ourselves. I hope your day today is a better one.
Sssslm · F
@novembermoon Thank you for your valuable sharing, you explain very well and vivid that is easy to understand and related to. This is true, making mistakes is really not a big deal, it doesn't affect the overall picture. It s focusing on every mistake no matter how tiny they are that causes the pressure, and when I am under pressure, I cannot feel the joy of something I usually enjoy. Competitions and exams cannot be taken too seriously and too often :)
xixgun · M
I have a guitar. I do not know how to correctly play the guitar, but I can pick out numerous recognizable tunes all skillfully played on one string. It's fun for me and I like it. People ask me why I don't want to take lessons. Quite frankly, I don't want to take something fun, and turn it into work.
Play for yourself and the rest of the world be damned.
Play for yourself and the rest of the world be damned.