Collaboration

So, definitely behind in posting this, again.  Moving will throw you for a loop that’s for sure, but it, along with many other things, can also show you the beauty of collaboration.  It’s funny how easy it is for many of us to downplay the importance of collaborating with other musicians and other people.  We lock ourselves in our practice boxes, stare at a music stand, and hopefully, get around to playing for other people…eventually.  The thing with that model is…eventually it becomes really hard to find motivation or dedication in what you’re doing.

Now, take a step back.  Find a buddy.  They can be another musician, or a dancer, or an artist, or even a historian.  Start talking.  What lights your fires?  What drives you?  What pushes you towards your goals?  Among these, what do you have in common?  Now, try to keep the conversation going?  What do you find starts happening?

More likely than not, you’ll have a project that starts to form.  You’ll have ideas that take shape and your drive will sky-rocket.  You’ll find ways to keep each other focused, dedicated, excited, and motivated through the entirety of the process, because as one of you gets tired the other (or others) will take over for a while.  In collaboration, other people rely on you and you develop your own little team of internal cheerleaders.

It’s crazy how quickly we forget collaboration is important.  It’s crazier to realize how quickly we forget how important it is to collaborate with people we love.  Being out for blood (entirely goal oriented) is not always the most efficient way to achieve a goal and it’s certainly not the most sustainable.  When we put love and friendship at the core of our collaborations, everything shifts and suddenly, our art does what it was always supposed to do.  It changes lives.

Happy practicing.