August 2020: "When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves." - Viktor E. Frankl
My 45th birthday on 2nd September marked a scary by exciting clean slate on my journey as a musician, writer and artist. Travelling and performing live on my musical instruments came top of the list of strands I’d like to develop (during my studies in ‘Entrepreneurship: From Business Idea to Action’ with FutureLearn).
Practicing more Feldenkrais for musicians with Emma Alter will compliment my efforts to overcome performance anxiety as a soloist: During a ‘Sensing Your Connections’ workshop I learnt how to escape into my body rather than out of the room while playing my violin - by envisioning a bath of fluffy clouds spreading throughout my body.
Even though I don’t feel safe enough to physically travel in a pandemic, I realized that there’s nothing to stop me from planning a future away from England, and am looking into joining a Norwegian ecovillage.
I made a real effort to reward myself for my accomplishments (my GCSE piano student, Navjit, got a Grade A in Music), with some beautiful plants for my allotments and an exercise bike because all too easily I neglect to treat myself - and we all need a boost now and again.
Considering what I don’t like to do is important when it comes to planning new business ventures, for example, I don’t like being among crowds of people, so working creatively with small groups or 1-1 would be preferable to facilitating large groups.
I’m learning lots more about working wholeheartedly with groups as a participant in LIFEbeat’s six-week online Creative Practice course. The other outstanding webinars and workshops I completed on Zoom during August were: ‘Diversifying Your Portfolio’ (FEU); ‘Challenging Conversations’ and ‘Review, Renew, Reset’ (Guildhall Coaching Associates’ Lockdown Lounge); OutdoorArtsUK advice workshop; AOP Breakfast Club 12 - Photography Awards webinar; ‘Long Form Storytelling’ with Steve Evanson; a Royal Society of Musicians Social Network Get-Together, and ‘Get Creative With Graphics’ (FEU).
My inner critics (or my inner bitches as I like to call them), have negative conversations whenever I’m trying to enjoy time with new people or look to the future. This is a massive problem, which I intend to address as a matter of urgency.
A portrait of me taken in Brighton & Hove in 2009 which inspires me to stick to my artistic path no matter how hard it gets because the rewards are rich and amazing.