Give yourself permission – be a mixed media artist

Posted on July 24, 2019 by Jen

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty comfortable being a musician. And that’s good. I don’t avoid the topic – I tell people that’s what I am and it’s what I do. And I guess now I can say I’m a recording artist too*. But then I become less comfortable. I have a hard time seeing myself as an artist of any kind!

That word conjures up visions of “real” artists like DaVinci, Rafael, Van Dyke, Mondrian, or Basquiat (don’t like my list? I’d love to know how you like better! Tell me in the comments.). And then I become full of “can’t”. I can’t draw, I can’t paint. I can’t sketch. Heck I can’t even doodle (no seriously, check any of my margins. They are all starkly blank!).

And that pile of “can’t” starts to weigh me down. If I can’t be an artist how can I call myself one?

How you look at something defines what you’ll see. Reframing is simply actively deciding to look at something differently. For instance, if I need to find a particular word on a page of text, I turn the book upside-down. Because it is now harder to read, it becomes easier to search. By reframing the problem, I have changed my perspective and thereby made finding the answer just a little bit easier.

And so, to become comfortable calling myself and artist, I have to think about reframing how I see – myself, art, as well as the various media within which I can work. Sometimes we need to push ourselves and allow ourselves to grow as artists. And that push is not just at the harp – we need to push ourselves to do what we don’t think we can…in another medium. We have to give ourselves permission to work in multiple media and possibly we’ll see growth across media!

Remember when you started playing the harp? It certainly is a forgiving instrument, but even so, there were probably times when you were sure you’d never learn to (Gliss accurately? Play harmonics? Get faster?). You were a beginner. When you’re a beginner, everything is a challenge, but you’re excited and curious and while you hope it will come easily, you sort of expect to not do it right immediately. As adults we have a much more difficult time adapting this beginner mindset and we stop allowing ourselves to be beginners – we expect a perfect try straight from the box. Which is ridiculous – we’d never expect other people to do that well on the first try, but we maintain ridiculous expectations of ourselves!

Being creative away from the harp will allow you to have room to grow. Working in another medium also means learning new things, practicing different things that you need at the harp and having to think differently – even if only briefly. Being creative in any medium will help you be more confident in your capacity to be creative. And while the skills you master may (or may not) transfer – the freedom certainly will.

I have a number of creative, artistic, free friends who make amazing art. They create knitwear that actually looks like clothing, paint pictures that look like actual scenes, take breathtaking photographs, write captivating poetry. They freely make and create and generate. They are all harpers. They create all the time.

I have learned a lot from them. OK, I’m still learning! What have I learned?

Be Creative. As the shoes say, just do it. Stop talking (inside your head) and make!
Don’t judge! No really.
Be Flexible. It didn’t turn out the way you imagined? Is it still kind of cool or do you need to learn some more and try again? Either way…ok.
Try things. Just try it – you might like it! Don’t know how to draw? Ok, well, pick up your pen and do something and keep working on it. And try again. You’re learning! (A friend also exasperatedly reminds me to go find a YouTube video to learn how to do something – she’s right, there’s videos for just about everything).
Identify your hang-ups. What’s stopping you? I usually know I can’t do what they’re doing so I’m tempted to not try, because it won’t be good enough (reference TWO and FOUR above). Be tough here – what is r-e-a-l-l-y stopping you? Name it!
And defeat it! Now that you have named what your hang-ups are – defeat them. Look into their metaphorically beady little eyes and tell them to pound sand!
Be Brave. What’s the worst that can happen? Your drawing of your dog looks like a firetruck? Your photo looks less like Loch Ness and more like Loch Mess? So what? It’s not like they’re going to take away your birthday! Sneer at your inner doubter and be brave!

Being creative away from the harp in another medium will allow you to have room to grow. Being creative in any medium will help you be more confident in your capacity to be creative. And while the skills may (or may not) transfer – the freedom certainly will.

I talk a big game. I am always starting to make art in other media and get caught up in “can’t”. So, let’s set ourselves a challenge. Within the next week, make some art. It doesn’t have to be large, complicated, complex, or tortured – it just has to be yours. Take a picture of it and post it in the comments and we’ll share them next week. I say this with trepidation – because, you know, I can’t draw. But I’ll be doing it too. A doodle? A sketch? Photo from your phone that you crafted? An ashtray (are these still made in art?) Whatever you want – make it, photograph it and post it and I’ll make a gallery of our work next week. We’ll all be in this together.

UPDATE: PLEASE EMAIL YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO JENIUSCREATIONSCHALLENGE@GMAIL.COM (YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO LOAD IT INTO THE COMMENTS!).

* why yes, my cd, This Moment, is available in ShamelessSelfPromotionLand.

In the Bleak Mid-Summer…8 ways to stay Motivated

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Jen

It is the Bleak Midsummer – that time of year when it might as well be winter for all that you intend to go outside! It’s predicted to be about 100^o tomorrow – ugh. And raining. The remnants of a tropical depressed (yes, I meant that).

Of course, it will be pouring while I try to load my car to head to Somerset Folk Harp Festival. Why does it always rain when you need to load your harp into the car? It’s just a law of nature I supposed.

But that’s the thing about the Bleak Midsummer (you might call it the Summer Doldrums, but that’s not bleak enough for me) – the heat, the humidity, the knowing that it will last another eight weeks – all gang up on you and sap your strength and motivation! Who wants to play when you know you’re going to sweat on your harp?

Ugh.

So, how do you stay motivated? Here are 8 ways that might work for you:

Go to summer harp events! I’m delighted to be going to Somerset Folk Harp Festival and I’m missing all the fun we had at the Ohio Scottish Arts School, and I’m really looking forward to Harp Quest! I wish I was able to fit more in, but these events (and others like them) really help you break out of any rut you might be in, let you catch up with old (but distant) harp friends, make new harp friends, and learn a lot in a relatively short time. Best of all, you come home with new tunes, cool tricks and tips, and usually a bounce in your harp-step! [BTW -There only a few remaining spots in Harp Quest and registration will close soon, so be sure to get in while there’s space! More info here or contact us here]
Use the long days to your advantage – if you normally practice in the evening, you can use the early light to get a new view on your playing. Never gonna happen that you get up at 5 to practice? No worries – enjoy practicing in the late afternoon or early evening – here too the light is so bright and the sun still so high that it feels like you’re practicing much earlier than you are. Or wait until the lingering sunsets of summer to enjoy the feel of playing the evening in. No matter what, you can use the longer days to get a fresh perspective on your playing.
Don’t let the short nights get the better of you – be sure you’re still getting enough sleep. Getting enough sleep will not only help you play better but will also help stave off the blues. Those long nights will be upon us before we know it (even if it feels like they’ll never come) but you can still arrange to get plenty of rest.
It’s VACATION TIME! You can take this a number of ways. You’re going to go away and have a frabjous time somewhere else doing nothing (including not playing). Or you’re going somewhere amazing and taking your harp with your time away. Either way – use the down time to rest and recover. And maybe devote a few quiet moments to reminding yourself of how much you love playing the harp and that the work is just a path to enjoyment. [And if you want to plan ahead – you could never go wrong spending your vacation on a trip with us! Harp the Highlands and Islands 2020]
Use those long sunny (hot) days to spend time in your favorite chair with your favorite libation thinking about how lucky you are to play the harp! That should perk you up and make you want to play (and maybe even to practice?). Of course, that libation should be part of your hydration plan – it’s so easy to get dehydrated in the summer and that will throw you off your game, sap your motivation, and probably give you a headache – all no fun.
Think about Christmas – every year Christmas comes racing up and we’re never really ready, so give it a little thought now. Maybe plan out your cold weather strategy while it’s still nice and hot. When will you start? What tunes are you going to add this year? What have you played in the past that needs more work (and inevitably, more than you think)? Where are you going to play? What non-holiday tunes will you keep in the rotation to avoid boring the socks off your listeners? See, there’s loads to think about, while you’re sweating and not wanting to play.
Just sit for 15 minutes. Promise yourself that you’ll only play for 15 minutes – after all, it’s hot and you won’t be able to concentrate for too long, so don’t think you will – just do it in bite sized chunks throughout the day.
Have ice cream. Really? You’re going to question this? Fine, I’ll have yours.

Power through – it’ll be autumn soon and before you know it, we’ll be complaining about how cold it is! There’s eight ideas – do you have others? How do you stay motivated throughout the summer? Leave me a comment and share!

Permission Granted x20

Posted on April 10, 2019 by Jen

Playing the harp is more challenging than it looks. You already know that. That’s why we work hard during practices. It’s why we try to practice regularly – so that we enjoy small, incremental improvements each day. And this is one reason I’m always suggesting that we track our progress – to acknowledge, accept, and grow from that practice.

Practicing certainly gives us a way to work on the technical aspects of playing, but there is so much more to playing – things that go beyond the technical. However, to get to those things we sometimes need to get out of our own way.

So, how do we do that? We start by giving ourselves permission. Permission for lots of things. But mostly, you have to give yourself permission to be YOU!

Here are 20 types of permission you might consider giving yourself:

Permission to fail. It happens. Actually, if you’re learning, you’ll fail a lot on the way. But if you refuse yourself the opportunity to fail, you won’t learn…and that would be a shame.
Permission to be silly. There is so much seriousness in music, but a little silly will probably help you enjoy more.
Permission to give it rest. Sometimes you need to percolate – and taking a little break will give you the option to do just that.
Permission to be as good as you are (and no better). You are where you are. Be there.
Permission to work on just one thing (until you get it right). Sometimes we think we have to master everything, all at once. But this doesn’t really do much except frustrate you.
Permission to do scary things. When you scare yourself, you learnt that it didn’t kill you to try something new. We’re usually most scared that we will embarrass ourselves – you’re going to embarrass yourself one way or another, so embarrass yourself your own way!
Permission to get out there and share. We often huddle in the safe cocoon of our harp room at home. But the music is best shared – so get out there!
Permission to fail again (and again and again and again). You can’t just stop at one failure – do it over and over and over – and each time you’ll learn more that you can apply to the next failure.
Permission to make art in multiple ways. This can be as small as playing a new kind of music or as big as learning to sculpt or paint or write. All your art will work to help you in the others.
Permission to create “first drafts” (and second and third and on and on as needed). You know that what you see on stage or on YouTube is not spontaneous, right? So why do you expect your initial efforts to be performance ready? Think of the pre-work as your “drafts” that you will continue to refine and develop – until they are ready to share.
Permission to have fun. Ok, this is pretty self-explanatory!
Permission to laugh at yourself. No really, you should be able to laugh at yourself. Keep it light – it’s not rocket surgery after all.
Permission to expect more from yourself. You don’t have to be content with your lot – you can want more (as long as you’re willing to work for it).
Permission to be good at some things, not good at some others, and even to be terrible at a few. Here’s an example – I’m good at playing the harp, I’m not as good at cooking and I’m terrible at gardening. I’m ok with that – I allocate my time and resources accordingly (e.g., I practice for hours, I heat soup for dinner, and I pay a kid in the neighborhood to tend the garden – that’s that sorted!).
Permission to practice as much as you need – and no more. I know some of you struggle to get your butt on the bench, but others spend too much time there – practice while it’s productive, and then go do something else. Got a deadline? Try a little practice multiple times in the day.
Permission to be happy with where you are. This might seem counterintuitive (or counter to development) but it’s not – you are where you are. Be there. Right then. Realize too that time is a river – there is only constant change and you are changing when you are where you are – give yourself permission to accept that.
Permission to want more. You think I’m contradicting myself – but remember I said there is constant change – if you want more, want it – and work for it!
Permission to change your mind. Playing classical music and tired of it? Trapped in session tunes but longing for something more “substantial”? OK. It’s ok to change your mind about what you want to play. Just do it.
Permission to keep track of what you are doing…and what you want to do next. However, you need to – keep track in your own way and build on that.
Permission to spend your valuable time doing what you love. After all, time may be your most precious commodity – so spend the time you have doing what you love.

There are plenty of permissions to give yourself. What other ones do you give yourself (or do you need to give yourself)? Share that in the comments!

Is it getting warm in here?

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Jen

Yes, it’s now spring. And yes, temperatures are going up – it’s starting to get warm. The question is – are you?

Every morning, when I head out for a walk or run, I start slow. Work out the kinks. Settle into my body. Paying attention to my body. Feeling my feet hit the ground and roll up again.

Do you take the time to warm up when you play? No matter if you’re practicing for 15 minutes or preparing for a 3 hour background gig, you should should take a little time to warm up. Why?

Really?

Oh yes – you need to warm up! One of my favorite sayings is that musicians are the athletes of the small muscles. This is central, not only because it equates us with athletes – who are more far more respected in modern society – but also because it focuses on the corporal elements of making music, rather than on how “pretty” our music is!

While we may not spend hours in the gym (not that getting additional exercise would be bad), you can still keep in mind that you’re about to do physical work. Caring for those muscles will allow you to do more.

Why is warming up so important? Well, for at least four reasons:

Gently moving lets those muscles gradually make ready to work. While significantly experienced humans (read: older) probably appreciate this, it is important begin to warm up long before you even actually feel the need to do it. And if you are a growing human (read: not yet out of adolescence) you have the opportunity to build the habit long before you need it.
Warming up is work – it’s “pre-work” so it is a legitimate part of your practicing time.
Warming up is actually about warming up – you want to warm up those hands that they will be more limber and flexible.
Warming up is a great time to check in on yourself – to really focus on how you feel and if you are ready to play.

But, you don’t just warmup for the fun of warming up! Doing some warmups will allow you achieve flexibility to play better. Warmer hands will result in better technique because your hands will be better able to move – keeping your thumbs up maybe? will be easier if your hands are limbered up. Loads of crossovers for scales? certainly easier if your whole hand is warmed up and working together. And of course, it’s not just your hands – you should warm up your arms and shoulders at a minimum.

What should you do to warmup? Here are a couple of ideas:

Wash your hands in warm water with nice soap – be luxuriant. Massage your hands while you’re at it.
Simple stretching. Stretch. Go slowly. Raise your arms overhead and reach for the ceiling. Stretch through your fingers. Wiggle your fingers. It’s not a race and it should be like when you wake up. Don’t overstretch.
Palm taps – you probably learned this in your first lesson. Tap your palm with each of your fingers to mimic closing.
Shoulder rolls – this is an iconic stretch – do rolls both forward and back.

Then move to your harp and begin there – you already know this but remember – you’re warming up, so go slowly! There are loads of warmups but here are a couple of easy ideas for use at the harp:

Scales. No, not the “how quickly can I get these over with” scales – slow, careful, accurate, gentle, fully closing. Check your posture. Go up and down all of the harp. Yup. All of the way up and all the way down. A few times – remember you’re warming up.
After that, it’s up to you. You want your warm up to reflect what you’re going to be doing. So, that means you could make part of what you’ll be working on into a warmup! Take it slowly – you’re warming up, so maybe the rhythm doesn’t matter as much as the placement certainly does.

Remember this is warming up – not exercises. Yes, you can do the same stuff, but the focus is different. Warmup scales are slower and quieter, while exercise scales may be focused on intonation, speed, articulation, or something else.

When you’re warmed up, you’re ready to play or practice and to get more from it. It only takes a moment and the benefits will become readily apparent. Do you warm up already? If so, what do you do? If you haven’t been, are you going to try any of this? Let me know in the comments what’s working for you (or what totally doesn’t!).

PS – per request of a reader, I have increased the text size – please leave a comment and let me know what you think. Thanks!

First Day of Spring – Get outside!

Posted on March 18, 2019 by Jen

No matter where you live, the first day of Spring can be a wonderful day. The farther you are from the equator (and whether you have Spring in March or September), Spring portends change and newness. Although I grew up near enough to the equator that Spring is just another day on the calendar, I now live where Spring occurs very palpably. And although it is my least favorite season, I still very much look forward to it’s arrival.

Here we are slowly transitioning from winter, and just now we are enjoying a faux May day. Of course, we’re not quite there yet and we will be returning to our regularly scheduled March in just a few hours. But for the moment, it is Spring. And it’s a perfect day to take get harp outside…and play!

There are all kinds of reasons to take the opportunity to do it right now!

The fresh air will do you good. There’s a reason “Spring Cleaning” is a thing. We have been cooped up in furnace air for months, so a little fresh air will be a welcome change (and you also want to enjoy it before A/C season shuts you up again).
The sunlight will do you good. This is a perfect time – bright clear days while the sun angle is changing – it’s not beating down on you or your harp. No sweating on the soundboard. No worrying that the glue might be in jeopardy. Research keeps showing the importance of getting some sun – to collect Vitamin D precursors, to stave off the winter blahs, and to put the finishing touches on your adaptation to the time change. Playing your harp will only enhance all that.
The warmth will do you good. Some research suggests that you will feel better with just 15 minutes of contact with the earth each day. When it’s Spring, it is warm enough to take your shoes and socks off and keep your feet on the ground. No matter how it operates, taking 15 minutes to stand still (or sit still) will do you good.
Being present will do you good. Sometimes when we take our harps outside, we are worried – will the harp be stable? will other people hear me? does anyone see me? We might feel exposed with our bare arms and our bare harp. But that’s not the point. Instead – be present. Enjoy the feel of the wood, the strings, the air, the sun, the deck/park/garden/yard in which you are sitting, the breeze, the sound. Be present and remind yourself how much you enjoy the feeling of playing – no matter how experienced you are (or aren’t).

Spring is a great time to remind yourself to be thoughtful. After the bundled up, flurry and flutter of the holidays and the start of the new year – take a breath. Be here. Now. Enjoy your harp.

Go play now. Spring is fleeting. Soon it will be Summer, with its hustle and bustle and A/C and harp events! Ok. Gotta go – the deck is calling me, the trees are beckoning, the birds are off key so they need help. Where will you play? Let me know in the comments below!

We’re all made of Stories – The Comparison Trap

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Jen

We humans observe…and then compare. We are always collecting data about the world around us, analyzing it, and then selecting a winner. We have a classification scheme for winners and not winners – so we see where we rank in there.

This comparison trap is insidious in two ways. It assumes that you are an unbiased (and knowledgeable) arbiter of truth and it rarely takes context into account.

And typically, when we make comparisons, we find ourselves wanting.

Finding yourself wanting is not motivating.

Are you a “Fair Witness” *? Are you certain that you are qualified to critique the performance of others relative to your own? And can you say, perhaps with more certainty, that you are qualified to evaluate your own performance – clear eyed and unbiased? Are you a Fair Witness to yourself that you can only report the truth with no trace of bias? Likely not – you have a vested interest in the outcome, so be honest about your ability to assess.

I just learned that my sister writes poetry. I learned this while thumbing through an anthology in which she is published! This very clearly highlighted the second point of context. You very rarely have insight into the context of others (even in a close relationship). Even though we are all made of stories – we don’t tell them all to everyone. And there are some we tell no one. In addition, many have no insight into the context of themselves, much less that of others. And even if you know someone, you might not have an accurate view of their context.

On occasion, you’ll hear someone “praise” another by stating baldly that playing the harp comes easily to (another). I find this both horrifying and irritating. You might think you should be delighted to receive what might be meant as a compliment. But because you have worked quite hard to be where you are, and even if you give the illusion that it comes easily, you might rather be annoyed that someone has discounted all that hard work. When you compare your own playing to someone else’s (or someone compares themselves to you), you never know the entire context – where they are, what is happening, or how your comparison may upset them. By the same token you may not be fully aware of how things affect you and impact your own playing.

As the trope goes (did you know that “trope” originated as a music term?) Comparison is the thief of joy. Why do we make comparisons? Because we’re good at it. We are quite adept at making pairwise comparisons (choosing a preference between two options). There are entire lines of research built on these comparisons – we’re that good at making them! But in this case, our strength (comparison) is a real weakness – because, you don’t have to pick! Someone else can be good and you are still too!

In addition, comparing yourself to someone else is more likely to make you feel bad than to make you play better (and you can see how that’s not helpful – the comparison makes you feel bad, so you’re not motivated to practice, so you do not become better (and may lose ground), which makes you not play as well the next time you’re with others and your comparison results in your poorer showing – etc.…you can see how that’s a downward spiral of not very helpful).

At a recent workshop I overheard a relatively new harper wistfully comment, “I’ll never play as well as (insert significantly experienced, p-r-o-f-e-s-s-i-o-n-a-l harp player here).” ** Well, DUH! Of course you don’t! You’ve been playing the harp for 10 minutes and they’ve played for 20/30/40 years. You dabble, fit it in, get to it when you can, as a hobby. That person is a pro – it’s their job! And they are seasoned, they work at it – you know, for hours – every day. And they are absorbed in multiple aspects of being a musician, not just the practicing for 20 minutes when they can!

Of course you don’t play at the same level! When I overhear this, I am always tempted to ask, “Do you w-a-n-t to play at that level? Or do you just wish you played at that level?” Big difference! (of course, the start of the difference is – you know what I’m going to say – practice!)

Do you say to every Dentist or Auto Mechanic you meet, “oh, I wish I pulled teeth or rebuilt transmissions as well as you”? Bah! No, you don’t, so why do you do that with harpers? (and if you do, stop, you’re creeping people out!).

But how can you escape the Trap and emerge solid in your own story (and possibly helping other people grow fully into their own stories)?

Be honest – and clear – about where you are and where the other person is (and the path from here to there). And be frank about your willingness to take that same path (or not)!

Be content, but not complacent – You are where you have gotten. You are not your harp hero. But you might be someone else’s (did you ever think about that?). So kindly and gently encourage yourself to continue to work and grow. You already know that it is work to continue – but it’s fun work! And there’s no deadline, so just keep at it.

Be analytical (but only part of the time) – note how much you have grown as a harp player. No, really note – be aware. At one point you hadn’t even touched a harp – and look at you now! One of the reasons I’m always exhorting you to keep a journal of your practice is so that you record (and therefore don’t forget and can review) your small, “every day” successes! Because those small accomplishments are what matter.

Be-YOU-tiful (stolen from a tea towel!) – you are amazing! Be that. You have strengths and weaknesses – just like everyone else. Celebrate your strengths. Be mindful of your weaknesses. Work on those weaknesses you want to be stronger at, set up systems to support the ones you know need work (but are still working on), and forget the rest. If you have to, turn your picture upside down so the weaknesses are in fine print at the bottom rather than in headlines at the top of your page.

There is one comparison that does matter – how are you now relative to you previously? Are you growing? Are you becoming the you that you want to be (not wish – but want). Do your thing. Let everyone else worry about being them. Do you have another way of keeping your thief of joy in check? Share that in the comments!

* If you haven’t read this, you might enjoy it – at your local library or at online
**I have no problem making this claim since I hear this at nearly every workshop I attend.

Let the sun shine!

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Jen

It’s early March and so here in the US, whether you agree or not, it’s time to set the clocks ahead – it’s Daylight Saving Time. Yea.

It’s not really all that bad. It does lead to “longer” days, in that, while the sun is up as long as it is going to be each day, the clock pushes us to use more of it awake. So it feels like we have more daylight than we do. So then the question is – what are you going to do with all that sunlight?

Well, you could use it to play your harp more! And like anything – there are bad things but also good things about moving the clocks to take advantage of the sun.

What are the bad things?

You have to get used to it. Your body is not wired to make these jolting shifts and it might take you a little time to adjust. If you don’t want to experience a wrenching difference, you could take a few days to prepare yourself – go to bed, eat, and go for a walk 15 minutes early each day from now until Sunday – that will help ease you into it. If you can’t work this shift into your schedule, at a minimum, keep to your current schedule so that you are only adapting to one hour change (sort of like jet lag!).

Everyone’s health takes a ding. Research has shown that there are more of all kinds of accidents – car, industrial, just being dumb. But also there are more heart attacks and strokes for the first week of the time change – so take care of you! Eat carefully, sleep, and take a little exercise (use all that extra daylight to go for a walk!).

Then add your harp into the mix! Now you can look at the good things –

First, acknowledge that although the time change can be a bother, you will adjust in just a few days. So cut yourself some slack. Be nice to you – don’t do a lot of forced or concentrated practice. Instead, just play and allow the sound energy to envelop you – all that vibroacousticness might help you adapt (well – it can’t hurt!).

After the first week of adaptation – you’ll be ready to use all that glorious sunlight to be more energetic – you can apply that energy to your practicing. Practice in natural sunlight. Go outside (as I write this, it’s about 20^oF so that idea might have to wait!) or open the curtains and play in the window. Just take the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine!

You can let the beautiful lengthening days be an inspiration – make music, play music, share it with others! Can you compose an improvisation of the day, the transition from night to day or from day to night? It’s in you – let it out!

You may enjoy playing more. Sunlight helps combat any kind of “blahs”, so if you layer that over the joy you get from playing – you’ll be nearly euphoric. Keep that up for the eight months of DST and you’ll be…happier? Probably!

You’ll have more time to practice. Of course you won’t. But you’ll feel like you do. When the day is unending – you can practice in the morning, in the middle of the day, and in the evening and still have loads of day remaining.

So there are good things about changing the time for the spring. Layer that on top of the gentle flow of time here on earth, longer days, warmer days, an uptick in harp events everywhere (!) and it just doesn’t seem so bad. Spend a little time preparing this week and you’ll have eight months of enjoyment (before we have to get ready to go back again in November!).

PS – I’m trying to mix it up with the graphics – let me know what you think! Leave a comment below –

Baby, It’s Dry Outside! 8 ways to take care of your skin so your hands can keep playing

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Jen

No matter where you live, no matter how arctic or temperate, winter tends to be drier than the other seasons. And it’s easy to tell that when you look at your hands. In case it had escaped you, you use those hands a lot when playing the harp. So, keeping them in good shape is a good idea!

Problem is, you use your hands for so many things, it’s easy to look at them and not see them. Who really checks them every day for wear and tear? I get it – we’re busy. We wash our hands, we see them. We decorate them with rings and bracelets. But how often do you really look at them? Your hands are like that – or more specifically, the skin on your hands is like that.

It’s easy to take your skin for granted. So, it’s time to add caring for the skin on your hands to your things to do list!

It’s winter, so the air is dry. And it’s cold and flu season, so you’re washing your hands a lot. Frequent hand washing strips the natural oils from your skin, leaving it dry and flaky. Of course, this dryness also gets more likely as your get older. If you let it go long enough, it is possible that your skin will become so dry and tight that it impacts your playing – yikes!

What happens? Well, you already know your skin can become dry from the dry indoor (and outdoor) air, but healthy habits can also impact your hands badly. The water and soap from hand washing – both of which draw the oils away – lead to drying. And the drying after the hand washing can be a problem. Air driers blow warm, dry air at your hands and towels (including paper towels) can also “rough up” your hands (leading to chapping). Left untended, after all these assaults (albeit healthy assaults), your skin may become dry enough to feel tight, flaky, rough and it might even split or crack.

Splitting and cracking is bad for a number of reasons – it hurts and leaves your fingers sore. Sometimes you’ll also get bleeding – and no one wants that. Perhaps the worst part is that your skin is part of your immune system and these cracks and splits leave your open to infection.

So, what can you do? You can’t really take the entire winter off (ok, you could but that wouldn’t be fun!). Here are 8 ideas you can pick and choose from to improve the state of your skin throughout the winter. Many of these are basic maintenance and some are downright pampering. But caring for your hands will be good for your health and for your harping!*

Hydrate! This is a good place to start. Because the air is so dry in the winter, you need to drink more water – or at least drink enough water. You can use your favorite rule of thumb (8 glasses, half your body weight, or “drink when you’re thirsty”!).
Moisturize. You might think this goes without saying, but say it anyway! Use your favorite moisturizer – but use it! And remember that the skin on your hands is different in different places on your hands. Lay it on thick on the backs of your hands, get your fingertips, but maybe the palms don’t need as much of a slather? Put it where you need it. And use the product that works best for you – there are loads to choose from.
White Glove Treatment. If you are having trouble keeping your hands moisturized, this works overnight! Wash your hands, leave them damp, slather on “too much” moisturizer (this is a good time to use an emollient rather than regular moisturizer), slip on plain cotton gloves and go to bed! Plain white cotton gloves are available on line and are inexpensive. This keeps your hands warm and traps body heat which seems to help the moisturizer “get in”. Caveats – you’ll feel ridiculous (especially if you have a roomie) and you will feel much warmer than you would otherwise while in bed (so layer your blankets accordingly).
The Black Glove Treatment. Keep gloves in the pockets of all your coats – and wear them! I buy the cheapy Walmart ones that come in packs of three and look like they won’t fit a toddler but magically grow to be the right size when you put them on. They have all the qualities you need – they are inexpensive enough to have a lot of them so if you lose them, it doesn’t matter much (they’re like $1.25 a pair), they come in colors so they go with everything, and if it’s really really cold, you can wear two pairs). I have gloves in all my coat pockets, in the pocket of my harp case, in my gig bag, in my car, in my purse, and anywhere else I happen to stash them. Like the white glove treatment, they keep your hands warm which seems to help the moisturizer be more effective and just protects your skin in general.
Take care of your nails. Not only do you need to keep your nails trimmed and filed to play, but you can also apply oil to the nail beds to keep your cuticles supple. There are fancy nail oils but Vitamin E oil or plain ol’ olive oil also works (you could combine this with the White Glove Treatment – and not get oil all over the place!).
Keep your hands clean, but…. You do, of course, need to wash your hands frequently. But warm water will do – it doesn’t need to be so hot you can barely stand it! If you can, use liquid soaps. And when drying – just get to damp rather than completely dry. Then apply moisturizer. If possible, try to avoid hand sanitizer (which is typically made with alcohol – don’t believe me? Use it when your hands are chapped, and you’ll find all the little cracks you didn’t know where on your hands – ouch! Ask me how I know!). If you’re working in hospitals and health care environments, they often use a hand sanitizer that is not alcohol based. Of course, patient health is a priority, but still, you need to take care of you.
Get a manicure! This is a little luxury! And while a good manicurist will leave you feeling heavenly (!), you can also do this at home for yourself. Just be sure you do all the steps on all of your hand! Don’t leave out the massage. One big advantage of having a professional manicure is adding the paraffin dip which is really lovely and softening!
Deal with it. If you have cracks or splits – deal with them quickly to heal faster and to avoid infection. Use an antibacterial treatment (often typically carried in an emollient – so a two-fer!) and cover with a bandage (to protect it and to keep the antibacterial in place). If you have a gig and must play, many swear by the liquid bandage products or superglue. These hold the crack closed and will certainly make it easier to play – just be sure to try this out b-e-f-o-r-e you try to play any kind of gig, so you’ll know what works for you (but it is definitely easier than a bandage when you play the strings!).

It’s never too late to treat your hands well. Even if you’re a cracked, bleeding, sore mess – your hands will respond to a little TLC very quickly. Don’t wait! Do it today. Don’t have visibly dry hands? Build the habit now – before you need to. These small steps will certainly keep you playing comfortably throughout the cold dry months. What is in your daily routine? Do you have other great solutions you can share with the rest of us? Leave it in the comments below!

*As always, these are suggestions from my experience. I am not a health care professional nor am I a manicurist or other professional who professionally knows this stuff. If you have a health concern, see your qualified medical practitioner. And if
you know something that works well – let me know – I’m always looking for good solutions!

Planning ahead – for the Somer(set)

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Jen

I’m very excited to share that I will be teaching at this year’s Somerset Folk Harp Festival in Parsippany NJ! I’ll be presenting a workshop on my own. And even better – I’ll also be co-teaching another workshop with Donna Bennett! It just gets better and better – two workshops! Yea!! There will be more than 100 workshops and I’ll be in great company with an amazing pantheon of presenters!

In case you have missed it, the Somerset Folk Harp Festival is amazing. It is a 4-day conference that celebrates diversity in music, as well as the talent and experience of the folk harp world. It provides a great opportunity to do what you need to move forward, whether that is to focus on one type of music, or to solidify specific skills, or try out something new. There are opportunities to learn new things in every–single–session! And the Exhibit Hall – yikes! It’s jammed with harps and music and accessories and stuff and more stuff…so much harp shopping in one room!

The festival begins on Thursday and runs through to Sunday. I will be teaching Friday afternoon. First up is a workshop called Sounding Scottish from 1:30 – 3pm. This will be a hands-on workshop, for all levels of play. We’ll be working and learning by ear. And yes (don’t worry), there will be paper too! Here’s the write up so you know what you’re getting into:

Love Scottish music? Wondering how to make your tunes sound more Scottish? Scotland has captivated people for hundreds of years and inspired composers, artists, and authors. In this workshop you will learn specific elements and techniques to ensure your tunes sound Scottish. Jen will teach tunes to apply and practice those techniques and use images, video, language, sounds, geography, myths and legends of Scotland as muses to provide inspiration for your own take on the music.

And then, in the very next workshop session, Friday from 3:30-5pm, I will be working and teaching with Donna! This will be so much fun!! We’ll be teaching Creativity Tools to Improve Practice & Performance. This is also an all levels (including companions!) hands-on workshop exploring your creativity – and you know we are all creative, so bring on the companions! Here’s what you’ll find in the workshop description on the website:

In this workshop, you will learn the skills, tools, and techniques that bring the creativity secret to your work as a musician or a teacher. Find out how to actively apply creativity tools and techniques to improve your personal work processes and your overall approach to harping. These tools can prepare you for projects and gigs, regardless of your level of accomplishment or years of experience. Jen and Donna will give you techniques to help generate better ideas and expand your arrangements and repertoire without adding to your learning load.

If you haven’t looked yet, the hotel is already available and there is a lot of information already available on the Somerset website. You can also register at the early bird rate until 1 May (which is a really good approach – not only do you get a lower rate, you get your summer planned!). The registration includes all the workshops you can fit into your day, entry to the Exhibit Hall (otherwise known as Harp Shopping Nirvana), tickets to the concerts (where you will see and hear Harp players you probably always wanted to see in concert). If you can’t make it to all four days, you can register for individual days too (Kathy has thought of everything!). To register, you can go here.

I hope you’ll come along to the Festival – and come to my workshop! Will I see you there? If so, let me know in the comments below. Hope I see you there –

Are you happy with 2018?

Posted on December 19, 2018 by Jen

The end of the year is drawing near. With only two weeks remaining, are you happy with your harp year 2018?

In January, I suggested you keep a diary, build an I-love-me board, and/or record yourself. Did you get a chance to start these?

If you did – it’s time to pull them out (and likely dust them off – it’s ok if you lost motivation in the middle of the year – it happens). Look through your artifacts. What you collected there will help you continue to grow and develop into the coming year. You can review your diary entries or your continued additions to your I-love-me to see what worked and what didn’t. And by worked, I mean what worked for you. The point of the diary, the I-love-me, and the recording is to give you a means to review where you were, where you are, and to determine how they line up with where you are going (or where you think you’re going or where you thought you meant to be going).

No pillorying yourself! No harsh critique. No judgmental condemnation. Just a review of how you spent your time and if it served to get you where you were headed. Take the time to thoughtfully review your documentation. Did you practice the technique things you needed to so that you could play that dream piece? Did you practice enough? Did you practice regularly? Can you identify patterns of good (or bad) things that you spent your time and energy on? With this information you can continue to move forward – wherever you’d like to go!

If you didn’t (or if you started but got sidetracked by, like January 3rd) – why? What about the methods I suggested didn’t do it for you? There’s gold in the answers – because these are only three ways to capture your continued development. If they didn’t work for you – can you tell me why they didn’t work and what would work better – for you? Did you use another method? What was it?

Remember, the idea is to know where you’re trying to get to (to master some particular technique, to play a particular piece, to be able to play a tune at a particular tempo, etc.) and to make slow, small, accurate, continuous progress. And to avoid getting sucked down a rabbit hole (of a particular gig, something that’s giving your trouble, your regular life, whatever) and thereby getting derailed.

How did you monitor yourself this year? Did it work? What would work better? Enquiring minds want to know – so share in the comments!

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Category Archives: Caring for yourself