Julia
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Hi magnificent followers,
I am so sorry for leaving the community for so long. I have been working through some difficult issues involving burnout (not the conventional type - the autistic type, which can be really debilitating). Life just gets overwhelming sometimes, and I find I am unable to do things even if they are interests or sources of joy, like drumming. It's similar to depression, but not quite the same.
It's taking me time to pull out of it, but I am covering all my bases and attending to all aspects of self-care to avoid falling back. It's really frustrating that this happens to me, but I am better off if I just call it what it is and do what I can to just keep swimming along.
There was a phase where I wasn't practicing drumming consistently, but hopping on the kit to mess around. Then I got back into practice but wasn't ready to come back to the community forum -- it was daunting to think, "What should I say about what's going on with me?"
I decided to just tell it like it is, this would be better than staying away.
I really have missed you all.
I am 90% finished with the Warrior Way. I need to keep going, I want to accomplish this. I'm stuck on Basics of Groove Lesson 23, it's not coming together for me for some reason. I am also on Lesson 2 of Hand and Foot Doubles (not difficult, just putting in the time and effort). It will definitely take me more than a month to finish the last 11 lessons of WW, but I am determined.
As I work on these, I have started to do a review of the entire WW. The beginner material is delightfully easy to play now (with a few exceptions of course 😆 )! I love going back, seeing my progress, and trying to perfect what I only did "well enough" before.
Tell me what you're up to, and what I've been missing here!
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Love to hear you are thinking about recording. I'd like to help with that, as it would be in my own benefit too 😃
I'm very good starting things and also on staying with them, but I'm awful going back. So my strategy is based on making them new enough to renew their appeal.
These things have given me that fresh start with drumming:
- attending the SDS retreat
- starting in person classes, with a new teacher that has a different method and approach to teching
- starting to play live
A new set of exercises wouldn nake it for me, but those things gave me anew perspectives on how to practice and what I want to practice, and most importantly a boost to my motivation.
At a lower degree, I had similar experiences with meeting the drummer of a local band that is so good and so nice that we had several long conversations where he game me too a different perspective, and motivation. Also when I attended a drum festival and immersed for a couple of days in drum shows and talks.
I'll be attending a intensive blues drumming course in June that will take place side by side with courses of the other instruments, so there will be jams and a lot of other musicians to talk and share with. I'm sure I'll come back gassed up.
SDS zoom calls sometimes have had that effect too.
In general, new experiences are what provide me with new goals, and then building a new practice plan and diving in it is easy.
If nothing like that is within your reach. I'd look for a musical subject that I could get excited about. I've just went or am going through a Blues and Old Time Rock crush. That made me not only play a lot of songs of those times, but also explore the style, the rhythms and look for exercises that I could relate to them. Some where things I had already learned, but they seemed new when practicing them with this specific purpose.
This would be a great topic for one of David's students community calls, or even a regular SDS one.
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@Juan Unfortunately I'm limited on funds and time, and the Zoom calls are always during my work hours 😞
I have a lot of patience when it comes to reviewing old material, but I sometimes lack a good strategy and don't discern when I've gone over it enough vs. too much. I do love to explore the songs on my playlist to see what I'm ready to learn next, but I need to stick with what I am learning now because I start too many and don't finish!
After the Warrior Way I have a list of lesson tracks I want to put in a "Warrior Way sequel" for myself. First, I need to make sure I am ready, and review the WW to really assess that I've learned it well. I've started reviewing Beginner Track 1 and picking the songs back up I first chose from my playlist. This allows me three topics to work on: finish TWW, review it, and My Future Set List 🙂
