This has been my motto for almost a decade now. This is why:
1- It's fun
2- It rhymes
3- We learn from failures. We learn from mistakes. We learn from taking a risk! It's so easy to play it safe. It's comfortable and reliable, but it takes forever to grow from safety.
According to our good friend Merriam-Webster, there are three definitions of risk:
1 : possibility of loss or injury : peril.
2 : someone or something that creates or suggests a hazard.
3a : the chance of loss or the perils to the subject matter of an insurance contract also : the degree of probability of such loss.
The risk I am talking about isn't jumping off a cliff with nothing to catch your fall, or to run a marathon without training a single day. There's a difference between risk and stupidity/carelessness. You have to do the work.
So what kind of risk do you take in music? Here are some examples:
Playing the solo in front of the crowd, committing yourself fully to audition preparation, going further musically and expressing and emoting something deeper than notes and rhythms. Any goal you create for yourself takes risk to complete.
None of those definitions talk about the possibility of happiness, success or winning, only negative loss and failure. Typically with risk comes anxiety, nervousness, and stress.
I wrote last week about being grounded during stressful times. It's important while taking risks to find an inner sense of calm.
If you have never meditated before, take a risk. It's a game changer. 10 minutes can change your mood for the entire day.
Go forth and...
Because throughout our lifetime, we should never stop learning, and never stop taking risks.
Weekly listening: Elgar- Nimrod from "Enigma Variations"
Chicago Symphony Orchestra dedicated this performance to the recently deceased Sir Georg Solti (previous CSO conductor). Think about how that changes the experience for the performers and the audience.
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