Growing pains

If you've read my blog for even a little while, you know I talk a lot about growth and awareness; they go hand-in-hand. My last post was pretty personal and I touched on the idea that as you get more skilled, it's easy to lose perspective on how far you've come.

This past weekend, all the way through the next, SJT is holding three of its Taiko Intensive Workshops, two to three days each. The participants go from one drill to another, never really able to stay in their comfort zone of skill. It's not that they're uncomfortable, but there's always a SJT member to help them improve by pushing them further.

Watching the TWI participants, and being fresh off my last post, I started thinking about the link between awareness and skill. It's when you realize you could be doing something in a better way that growth can happen.

Let's say you're practicing a simple pattern on the drum when you realize that your left hand is turned differently from your right. That awareness gives you the ability to adjust your left hand, which in turn makes your technique better. Now that your hands are striking the same way, you're able to figure out that your left side isn't as loud as your left, so you spend time figuring out the cause...and the cycle repeats.

So if you ever look at your plate and think there's something too hard to do or too many things to overcome, think of it this way instead... Being aware that you need to work on something means not only are you now able to get better at it, you're halfway there!