“You don’t get better, you grow.” Bass virtuoso Jaco Pastorius
This quote caught my attention this afternoon as I caught up on my newsfeeds. (note to self: OpenCulture about French music teacher Nadia Boulanger.) Six simple words that encompass a great many philosophies or mental models of the world and approaches to work or hobby or art and so on.
Weeks of writing later, scattered here and in my journal and in Notion and elsewhere, words are flowing easier. Not better :), pun intended. The growth has been in quantity, not necessarily quality. The growth has been in finding topics easily. The growth has been in finding, no, making time to write. The growth has been in confidence that I do have a voice that I can raise and make a little sense. The growth has been testudineous – at the pace of a tortoise. Barely discernible day by day, it has been making its presence felt in my fingertips.
It appears in my calligraphy too – in the strength in my fingers, in how I’m holding the pen, the hairlines I’m able to write, the pressure on paper, the consistent slant angle, and so on. Learning is as much about study of form as it is of practice, and it’s something I suppose I’ve not focused on as much this sprint as I wanted.
Growth. Not just a mindset, although it might start there. Showing up. Doing what needs to be done consistenly even when I don’t feel like it. It no longer is a feeling, but a habit, like brushing teeth. Going back to the basics is what I can do, and I am the kind of person who does go back to the basics. That’s how you become a professional.
and here’s Jaco, accompanying the mid-week reflection 🙂