The work Focal dystonia Ensembles About Writing Work with me
Writing

On flow, fear, and the inner life of performers

Essays from 25 years of performing, and the work of learning to trust the flow state that was always there.

The missed note that taught me everything

The missed note wasn't the wound. The wound was what I did next. I abandoned myself. I cut off the part of me that made the mistake, hated it, disowned it, exiled it.

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What it feels like to trust yourself completely

I wasn't managing my nerves. I was observing them with unconditional positive regard. The freedom was always available. It was underneath the fear the whole time.

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You're afraid of the end of the phrase before you've played the beginning

The fear of the hard moment at the end reaches backward and grips you before you've played a single note. You begin already braced. Already clenched. Already fighting yourself.

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How aware of your body are you while you play?

For years, my honest answer would have been: as little as possible. I had learned, without ever deciding to, that the body was a problem to be managed.

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