Bird by Bird
Yesterday, I woke up at 6:30am, played for the Adaptive Dance Classes at Boston Ballet, went on a walk in the sun, worked out at Innercity Weightlifting, took a three hour nap, relaxed and cleaned up the house, then met some friends from Sweden for dinner. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday. When I woke up this morning, I opened my laptop and stared....where do I begin!!?!? So much to do!! AHHH!
Adam said to me "take it bird by bird," and introduced me to Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird, Some Instructions on Writing and Life:
"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'"
I look forward to reading the book, but let the words sink in to make a plan for the day. There are just so many exciting things happening right now! I made a list of just a few small tasks that will help me reach my big goals for the next few months. The main five projects I'm working on right now are:
1. Kādence Arts is now under the fiscal sponsorship of Music Performance & Education, Inc, founded by Dr. Jen Bill! This means I can now apply for grants as a non-profit, aiming to open up a physical space in the next 2 years. Brian Calhoon and Robert Honstein have come on board with the plan and we are ready to make this dream come to life! I've also been accepted to audition for a TedxFenway talk next month. I'll be chatting about my GRIT and how this GRIT has shaped my idea to create a percussive arts home in Boston!!
2. I've taken Make Music Boston under my wing. This summer will be the first time our city participates in the National Music Day celebration by offering tons of free outdoor concerts on June 21st - summer solstice. The Make Music New York team has been helping me as they've laid some great groundwork already. The founders of August Noise JP, Beth McDonald and Anne Gregory, are also on the MMBos team, and we are cruising full speed ahead to make this happen!
3. ArtWeek Boston will host two percussion events this year! Charles Martin is coming up for the week, and we'll be performing at the Frost Ice Bar (on ice instruments made by Sarah Cohen) and at the Scandinavian Cultural Center (performing Charles' music Nordlig Vinter)
3. Clone Duo is going on tour in Sweden this summer! Anna Larson and Sanna Andersson (En Vokalist och En Cellist) are hosting us for our "Double It" tour! I can't wait to head back to the other side of the Atlantic.
4. I'm planning a Percussive Arts Society Day of Percussion entitled "The Creative Percussionist" that will feature a lot of inspiring new projects this fall.
This blog post may have actually acted as a distraction --- so back to work!
