Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!
Well, the 5 minute Practice Challenge is continuing, unbroken! Victor Noriega and I haven't actually spoken since we began the challenge on Oct 12 but we've served as each others' accountability partners by texting the number 5 to eachother once we've done our daily five minutes. This texting thing was my idea and I have to say, it was a damn good one! It feels good to have a someone else with 'skin in the game.'
If you're wondering why someone would need an accountability partner to do something you really want to do, then... well... good for you. But for myself and many others who have busy lives, trying to balance work, family, and art, practicing can slide into the 'luxury' category. I'm a professional, I can play and do just fine with most of the gigs that come my way, so in a way, practicing isn't a necessity. At least, not on paper. But if you're a musician, a certain kind of musician, who is on the path of discovery, the path of curiosity and desire to continue growing, then practicing IS a necessity for the soul.
So there you have it. Practicing is both a necessity for the soul AND simultaneously something which does not, in itself, pay the not-at-all-proverbial bills. So, yes. Yes I will happily enlist an accountability partner to help keep me on the right path and I highly recommend it. Having tried a few different partners before, I can say that it helps when your accountability partner is also doing the practicing thing. This way, it doesn't feel so one-sided.
Alright, get out there and find your partner! As always, thanks for reading and have a great week. JD