I’ve been playing a lot of guitar lately, picking up my instrument every day and running through a slew of songs for an upcoming show. It’s fairly usual that I noodle a couple of times a week. Practicing every day is something I haven’t done in years. I can’t tell you how proud I am of the callouses I’ve developed over the last few months. As I practice, I can definitely feel my old form return. There’s an ease and fluency coming back that I haven’t felt since before the pandemic.
My practice is also decidedly imperfect. Away from my apartment in Brooklyn, I’m keeping less regular hours. I’m not practicing for a set amount of time, or running my set in the same way each day. I’m just picking up my guitar and going for it. Experts on practice will tell you this is a deviation from … erm … best practice practice. Those experts would be right. And yet, I’m enjoying this approach, and it is bearing fruit.
One of my favorite thinkers and creators, Yumi Sakugawa, has a webinar called ‘Discipline Is Pleasure’. The joy, she says, is in the integrity of showing up every day, not in quality or productivity. It is a sentiment that has stuck with me since I first encountered it. It feels so true.
So, this week, I’m sharing some thoughts on how to show up for the sake of showing up.
Big love,
Lucy
On showing up imperfectly
MEMO - Bookend your showing up with delicious ritual
Find two small things that bring you easy pleasure. Do one at the beginning and one at the end of practice. Keep them short and easy: little things like lighting a candle, brewing some coffee, pulling tarot cards, or having a hot shower that take a few minutes at most. Luxuriate in them, and pull that energy through your practice.
MEMO - Write yourself a permission slip to make the worst junk ever
Grab an index card or sticky note as you sit down to practice and write yourself an elementary school-style permission slip to play badly or write a shitty song. Stick it somewhere you can see for the whole session. When frustration at imperfection arises, refer back to the permission slip and try to have a bit of a laugh about it. After all, for this session at least, you’re expressly allowed to not be perfect.
MEMO - Playfully document your streaks
Unbroken streaks are extremely satisfying, but tracking practice is a bit of a drag. Or at least, I find it so. As an antidote, experiment with documenting your practice in a playful way. Fill a jar with gum balls, or draw a little cartoon, or put notches in a stick. Whatever floats your boat, as long as the documenting action brings your some kind of pleasure.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments: What’s your relationship to consistent practice and showing up?