Why we do What we do…
“They” say that to master anything it takes ten thousand hours of patience and practice. Most of us don’t have the discipline that the ten thousand hours represents or requires.
Occasionally, I am inspired and a witness to genius and perfection. Whether in sports, art or a moment in time, I am caught in the amazement of something beyond the typical or the normal. These gifts sometimes are the ground floor for my inspiration and motivate me to move off my circumstance, comfort and anonymity towards an aspiration.
For some its music, some its art, for some its sports… the things that inspire someone to an endless pursuit are limitless. For me it is my guitar and my camera. These pursuits are my “hobbies” and drive me, albeit sometimes drives me crazy but most of the time gives me deep personal satisfaction and self-fulfillment. In the end I think that these pursuits are what make us who we are as people and what makes us uniquely human.
I started playing guitar when I was 14 years old. On and off for the last 40 years I have concentrated, practiced, fought and cursed the guitar. It is quick to show your flaws, your shortcomings and your skill. But most of all it will show you the truth about your dedication, discipline and desire. It will also show and give you an immense appreciation of someone else’s ten thousand hours. It will teach you there are no shortcuts to competency and excellence. Only when you accept the challenges of your journey can you grow and benefit from work and dedication.
The truth is most of us will never be “professionals” or fortunate enough to make a living doing what we truly love. Yet the obsession to do, create and dream never ends. The incessant calling to practice and strive for that one perfect picture, song or painting keeps us coming back relentlessly. A true, meaningful display of your humanity through your art is the ultimate goal. What we all struggle for is to achieve that feeling of completeness in some corner of our life, a moment of escape and gracefulness with our true self. Yet getting there can be a lifelong struggle.
The hours of learning a craft requires humility, patience and stubbornness. The loneliness of the long-distance runner, the concentration of the gymnast, the pain of the athlete is the core of any success. The struggle makes you appreciate the goal no matter how fleeting the moment is. The adage of “there is joy in the struggle” is many times the mantra or philosophy we must take to achieve any success. Hard work and consistency are the cornerstone of any path of success or contentment.
These endeavors also make you acutely aware of those individuals and moments that are special, outside the norm and certainly a cut above the rest. The wonder and amazement of watching greatness somehow justifies and inspires my struggle. To watch excellence is an opportunity to reaffirm and restore the “why” I continue to practice and proceed down a sometimes lonely and uncertain path. In the end most of us realize that we probably will never receive recognition or distinction for our endeavors. Rather we will have to settle for self-awareness and satisfaction, and that is well enough for me. And in truth that is what I want and strive for anyways. The underlying foundation of my creation is never for recognition or acceptance from others. It is to fill that desire that lives inside my heart, mind and soul.
The calling to play and create no matter the end game cannot be denied by rational wisdom or thought. The purchases of gear, the trips, the time and obsession are only to obtain some spiritual or physical closeness to our passion. The need to practice and create is deeply personal or should be. This drive is a marker of who I am. The need to grow my abilities and my mind to better communicate ideas through art is a powerful “thing”. In the end the goal is to be free and get lost in the process of expression. So, when I feel lost or untethered from my passions I close my eyes, clear my mind, in the attempt to quiet all the noise and just listen to that drum beating in the distance. Like a moth to a flame this drumming brings me back home to my endless journey.
Be safe and create…