I was surprised to learn that a friend of mine, who plays for a symphonic orchestra and is literally one of the best musicians in the country, still has to frequently deal with stage anxiety. Their advise for me was simple: "At any given time you'll have it (anxiety) or you won't. That might as well never change. Don't wait until you're free from it to share what you do with your audience, be an anxious artist. Join us. Some of the best are here."
The Ami Vitale quote about confronting anxieties headon cuts through alot of fluff around confidence. Treating it as something you can rehearse rather than possess makes way more sense when dealing with actual projects. That oblique strategies reference is perfect too since sometimes the best confidence move is indirection, showing up to work instead of trying to manufacture feeling ready.
As always Gavin for the section on confidence. As always, well observed and certainly it will resonate with many of us. Thankful for your thoughtful and considered reflections that I always enjoy reading when you post drops into my inbox.
James, thank you. I'm trying to share some things that are more meaningful than gear reviews and workflow tips but it's hard to know how that sort of content is received. A comment like yours is valuable and appreciated. Cheers!
I was surprised to learn that a friend of mine, who plays for a symphonic orchestra and is literally one of the best musicians in the country, still has to frequently deal with stage anxiety. Their advise for me was simple: "At any given time you'll have it (anxiety) or you won't. That might as well never change. Don't wait until you're free from it to share what you do with your audience, be an anxious artist. Join us. Some of the best are here."
Feel the fear and do it anyway? I think your musician friend gives excellent advice.
The Ami Vitale quote about confronting anxieties headon cuts through alot of fluff around confidence. Treating it as something you can rehearse rather than possess makes way more sense when dealing with actual projects. That oblique strategies reference is perfect too since sometimes the best confidence move is indirection, showing up to work instead of trying to manufacture feeling ready.
"Showing up" is the most effective action, in my experience. Confidence grows from the work that follows once we've decided to make a start.
As always Gavin for the section on confidence. As always, well observed and certainly it will resonate with many of us. Thankful for your thoughtful and considered reflections that I always enjoy reading when you post drops into my inbox.
James, thank you. I'm trying to share some things that are more meaningful than gear reviews and workflow tips but it's hard to know how that sort of content is received. A comment like yours is valuable and appreciated. Cheers!
I was surprised to find I'm enjoying the music (almost) as much as your photography and narratives. Thanks for the enhancement.
I'd be more than happy to write a music newsletter 🎵😊