Thinking Out Loud ~ It Takes Practice, Practice, Practice

Joseph Campbell speaks of the creative act in Reflections on the Art of Living. He says, “The creative act is not hanging on, but yielding to new creative movements. Think, for instance, if someone is studying the piano. There is nothing worse than having somebody in the neighborhood, studying the piano, practicing their exercises. There is nothing at all beautiful about them. Their function is to give you facility, and presently there comes a point when you have the facility, It happens automatically, and you do not have to think this is true for everything. The one who attempts to be an artist and has not learned the craft is never going to be an artist. P. 262

Note: I read a book where the author says it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master a skill. That’s why there are so few great ones. There is the joke where a reporter asks a virtuoso how they got to Carnegie Hall. The virtuoso replies, “practice, practice, practice.” It’s true in all areas of life. Do you want to be a good friend, parent, husband, or wife? Practice, practice, practice. And, one day it will happen, and you will not even realize it is happening,