Episode 102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice

Finding Your Groove With Kathleen Thompson

One key to building craftsmanship as part of the Artisan Life is to practice. And not just any practice. Because as you’ll hear on this episode, practice doesn’t make perfect. It makes something else. Something you might not want. Here’s how to practice in a way that actually develops your skill.

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On This Episode

Rhythm of Life – Sometimes There Are no Words
Random Riffs – The Butterfly Effect
Feature Segment – Building Craftsmanship: Practice

Today’s Quote

Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent. –Dan Heath

Rhythm of Life – Sometime There Aren’t Any Words

It all started as a dare. I was challenged to write a song in 2 weeks.

I did it. It wasn’t easy. I struggled with words, but I eventually did it.

Then I started on a second song. Had the same struggle. Because emotions run deep, and we feel them in a different part of our brain than where language sits.

I did finish it though.

Now I’m onto song 3. I got the chorus pretty quickly. After that, I got stuck. I’ve been working every day for more than a week just on a 4-line bridge. It’s just not right.

Part of the reason been having trouble finding the words is because the emotion is stronger this time. It’s about something I have to choose to do every day. How I have to choose to live. And let’s face it. Sometimes there just aren’t words. And yet as songwriters, we try and find them.

I’ll let you know when I finish it. I’ll put it up on YouTube with the others.

Here’s a link to a round table discussion with 6 incredible songwriters.

One comment that stuck with me was that these writers feel privileged to write songs that become the soundtrack for someone else’s life. And you know, the words we say to others do that too. It’s a big responsibility. Be careful of the words you use. Not out of fear. Out of respect and love.

Random Riffs – The Butterfly Effect

Have you heard of the Butterfly Effect? That even a small butterfly flapping its wings can have a huge effect on the weather – even causing a typhoon a long distance away?

There was a movie about this in 2014. And Andy Andrews published a book in 2009.

Perhaps you’ve seen this in your own life. You make one decision that seems small – and it changes the course of your life.

For the want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail. –Benjamin Franklin

At times like these where politics has become a series of contentious sound-bites, and people are trying to be more self-expressed and let it all hang out, it’s time to think about the butterfly effect.

Feature Segment – The Artisan Life: Building Craftsmanship – Practice

I’m standing in my voice teacher’s studio. Doing my warm-up exercises. Starting low and moving higher by half steps. He watches and listens intently to see what I’m doing. When he finds something that isn’t working as it should, he stops and corrects it.

In the 5 lessons I’ve had so far, I can see that in each one he’s focused on one aspect of my singing. He doesn’t work on everything at once. He’s been methodical. He believes in practicing success and building on it, which is essence of what we’re talking about today – Deep Practice.

That term was coined by Daniel Coyle in his book “The Talent Code”.

He defines it this way: “The form of learning marked by 1) the willingness to operate on the edge of your ability, aiming for targets that are just out of reach, and 2) the embrace of attentive repetition.”

Here's how you can do Deep Practice:

1. Notice when something isn’t right. You may need the help of a coach.
2. Isolate one thing to work on.
3. Slow it WAY down.
4. Put it in context.
5. Practice outside of your performance time and space.

Once you’ve practiced enough and put it into context, you can try it out in performance. Don’t be surprised if you have mixed results. It might take a while to fully incorporate new learning into performance.

Once you’ve mastered this skill in performance, repeat the same steps with a different skill.

Where would you like to start? Pick one thing. Just one thing. Get a coach if you need one. And then keep practicing.

For additional resources,

The Talent Code –Daniel Coyle

Practice Perfect – Doug Lemov, Erica Woolway, Katie Yezzi

Work with me. Fill out the short form at the bottom of this page. I’ll get in touch with you to explore working together.

Instead of racing to the bottom, why not race to the top? Where do you want to start?

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Deep practice is one of the keys that unlocks craftsmanship.
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Artisan Series

090: Why You Should Be an Artisan at Work
091: The Three C's of Artisanship
092: Are You a Creator, Consumer, or Critic?
093: Where to Start as an Artisan? With a MAP.
094: What's Your Signature Scent?
095: The Foundations of Craftsmanship
096: Follow Your Curiosity to Build Craftsmanship
097: Craftsmanship Requires Change
098: Building Craftsmanship – When it Gets Hard
099: Building Craftsmanship – Take Care of Your Tools
101: Building Craftsmanship – Be an Apprentice

The post Episode 102: Building Craftsmanship – Practice first appeared on Kathleen Ann Thompson.