Art Is Like A Coin

...there are two sides, don’tcha know?

Let’s talk art as related to music and guitar playing because that’s my only comfort zone.

Let’s call one side of the coin technical and the other side expression. They’re entirely different yet infinitely adhered. Each unable to exist without the other, yet always at odds.

The technical side enables the expression side to express freely and the artistic side always needs to disregard the technical side. The artist requires two mindsets, one to build up technical ability (the practicing side of things) and another to forget about all that practicing and just play (the performing side of things). It's quite the dichotomy and all very, very human.

Performing is no fun when I’m willing things to happen on the guitar that don't come true because there's not enough practice time behind me. It's always a struggle to some degree, but as long as I can keep it on the positive side of things then overall it is fun. Sometimes my performances feel like one long struggle, and other times when every note I will into being materializes just the way I imagined. I guess that's art. You never really know what you're going to get. Just prepare as much as you can and roll the dice.

I sometimes tell my students it takes a dedicated artist to play beautifully - any schmuck can play aggressively. When we can achieve beauty we're mastering the instrument instead of the instrument mastering us. That allows a much broader range of expression.

Practice is practice and performance is performance. Let’s not get the two mixed up. It’s best when like a coin - one side can’t see what the other is doing but can exist in comfort knowing it’s there.