Studio Blog (May, 2010)

Are you looking for ways to sharpen your strategies for a creative project or a new skill? We gave these ten powerful tips to our piano students this year. Give them a try!

1. Establish a consistent practice time each day

• a consistent daily time turns your practice into an automatic success mechanism
• it takes a minimum of 21 days to form a new habit

2. Prepare your mind before you begin

• breathing exercise: inhale slowly for 4 counts, hold breath for 7 and exhale for 8 (repeat this cycle three times)
• close your eyes and visualize putting your distractions on a rolling table that you can push out of the way while you practice
• read something that puts you in a good mood or look at relaxing images (this is why we created “Water Films”)

3. Write out your practice plans and goals in a notebook

• you may also use this notebook as a practice journal to keep track of your progress

4. Do it until you believe it

• with repetition comes confidence and clarity
• by strengthening your belief about the quality of your practice routine and your creative skills, you eliminate excuses (which are talking about or thinking about things you don’t want)

5. Transform distraction into focus

• use your practice time as an exercise to practice being fully in the present
• if you learn the skill of how to focus while distractions are present, you become more consistent (in the case of music, you become a better performer)

6. Prioritize your day

• plan your upcoming day the night before and include creative practice in your plans
• planning your day makes your goals easy to accomplish with minimal effort – the more you do this, the more effective you become

7. Silence the inner critic

• “easy” always wins out over “struggle”
• affirm: “I approve of myself, no matter what anyone else thinks” multiple times every day
• celebrate your victories and focus on your strengths
• overcome insecurity by making an effective practice routine habitual and by fully engaging in each task at hand before moving on to the next task (in practice and in life)

8. Detailed in practice, free and easy in performance

• develop such an effective practice routine that you “trust” your process
• during a performance, job review or evaluation, “there is no evaluating [yourself]. There is no judging. There is no anticipating the result. There is only trust and acceptance.&rdquo
– Bob Rotella, The Golfer’s Mind

9. Enjoy the process more than the product

• “perfection” is both unattainable and stress inducing
• you benefit more by improving your process than simply learning how to get through one creative task (i.e., a single piece of music) in an effort to be “finished”
• accept partial successes and remember that you are on a journey

10. Let go of Fear

• fear is simply your mind giving attention to something that creates anxiety, and you have no guarantee that this object of your focus will come to pass
• talk or think about your life as you want it to be
• focus completely on the task at hand to engage your mind constructively

“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.”
– Wayne Dyer

In the video sample below, you can watch the scenes that inspired the new CD, “Waterflow II.” Take in images of British Columbia, the Canadian Rockies, Sanibel Island, and Holden Arboretum in Kirtland, Ohio.

The soundtrack for the video is comprised of the music from “Waterflow II.”

Press play and enjoy!

Here is another Water Film that comes from one of our favorite places on earth, Lake Louise. This awesome glacial lake is located in the heart of Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.

As with all of our Water Films, our intention is to create relaxation and stillness so that you may become creatively inspired. By sitting and watching these videos, you get in touch with the pace of nature and become inspired as the mind becomes quiet.

The quote at the beginning of this Water Film comes from Lao Tzu:

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

The soundtrack for this video is Clear Stream from our new CD, “Waterflow II”.

Press play, sit back and enjoy images of gentle water, glaciers, streams, Icelandic Poppies and canoes.

You can also watch it in HD on YouTube

The soundtrack to the video can be downloaded here.

Thanks for watching!

Not only are we approaching the release of a new CD (“Waterflow II”), we are also getting ready to release a DVD of Water Films.

Wanna go to the beach? Well, here is our latest Water Film entitled, “Key West.” Sit back and relax while you watch stunning images of gentle water, sailboats, sunsets, palm trees and mangroves.

The soundtrack is part of the track entitled, Shorebreak, which is on the upcoming CD release, “Waterflow II.” Press play, sit back and enjoy.

You can also watch it in HD on YouTube

The soundtrack to the video can be downloaded here.

Have a beautiful day!