Wednesday, December 29, 2010

New Year message - claiming or dabbling?

It's almost another new year...I honestly don't know where the time has gone!! Is this a sign I'm getting old?!?

My almost new year question is: are you dabbling with your craft, or are you claiming it?

Isn't it time to make a decision and DO it?

With true craft, comes real responsibility.  Responsibility to work at it daily and develop it ferociously!!

Within craft, you can mold technique,  artistry and knowledge.   The talent is but a small portion of the overall equation.  It certainly helps, but if it is not harnessed, developed, acknowledged and driven by a passion,  it really means nothing.

None of these things exist in a vacuum.  They need each other to define a claim:  talent,  technique, knowledge,  artistry,  passion,  curiosity and honesty.

Dabbling never truly finds a habitation of any of these things fully.

"I sing well enough..."
"I should be able to do this after this much time..."
"I don't really care..."
"Can I learn it quickly?"

Wanting something and not being honest enough to commit to it fully enough to realize it is simply dabbling.

Dabbling can also mean a delusion - that SOMEDAY you'll find it, but you never commit enough to find it, or find out it's simply not what you do well.

So if you say "I want to learn to sing well;  I need to learn to sing well;  I must find my voice" - THEN DO IT!!!!!

If you are new to this,  reviewing it,  rehashing it - then dive in and explore!

If it's time for a change - make one!  If it's time for a risk - take one!

Whatever area of craft you want and need to explore - quit talking about it and COMMIT to its development.

ONE LESSON will not help you.  Years and years of study and no development will not help you.  What are you studying?  Sounds like dabbling to me.

Commitment to a goal and an honesty of that goal and a clear focus for that goal will allow for the possibility of claiming your craft,  or making another realization of where that craft should manifest itself.

You are not a singer if you have never studied voice;
You are not an actor if you have never studied acting;
You are not a dancer if you have never studied dancing;

You may have an affinity toward a craft - but until you claim the physical manifestation,  the artistic directive and the ability to summon the talent in its totality at will - you are still in process,  or perhaps dabbling.

Loving to sing, or "act" or dance is great - but do not confuse the doing with the loving!

We can learn to do and be and still love it too!  In fact, the love of craft and journey gets deeper as we gain knowledge and develop responsibility to what we are doing.

So,  if you catch yourself saying "I should really take a voice lesson...."  perhaps change that process and decide to say "I should really commit to developing my voice regularly".

The tune ups/occasional lessons/check-ins etc happen AFTER the claiming has occurred.

So,  perhaps it is a new year for claiming, re-claiming,  re-committing,  and re-alizing what you are about.  It will be for me too!

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