I have a confession.
I was not a very good piano student.
My practice habits were…poor.
I would get home from school before my parents got home from work, and the first thing I would do is go to the piano and shuffle my books around so that it “looked” like I had practised.
(Sorry, Mom and Dad. And thanks to my older brother for keeping my little secret. 🤣)
They saw the books moved around every day and never questioned it. I thought I was pretty clever and “creative”. 🙈
On the day of my piano lesson, I would complete my theory and practice as best as I could remember and head out to my lesson.
Here’s the thing, my teacher could tell. I wasn’t fooling her and she wasn’t impressed.
The real issue was, I didn’t know HOW to practise.
I knew WHAT I was supposed to practise, but had no idea HOW to do it.
I didn’t lack motivation or desire (even at a very young age). I lacked practice skills.
I would start playing a piece, get stuck, then start again. I would do this over and over, getting more and more frustrated, and struggle to ever get to the end of a song.
I had no idea what to do once I was stuck.
Playing the piano = work and frustration.
I didn’t enjoy the learning process because I didn’t understand it. What I needed was an artistic practice.
At Donais Studios we are committed to helping you develop an Artistic Practice that you love and enjoy. An artistic practice that you want to spend time with each day.
We teach you HOW to practise so that you don’t get stuck and frustrated (or if you do, you have the strategies and tools to keep moving forward with confidence).
We teach you to love the learning process and to see your art not just as a skill to be mastered, but as a source of comfort, enjoyment, and fulfilment.
Art is SO much more than just a skill to be mastered.
So first, let’s dive into the difference between an “artistic practice” and “practising” (because I’m sure you are wondering)…
Practising = Specific
Practising is an important and key component of the artistic learning process. Practising is specific. It is hyper focused on skill development and the mastery of a specific skill, piece of music, or work. We typically practise in preparation for a specific event, lesson, examination, performance, or gig. We need practice sessions. They are super important.
However, as artists, we need something more..something greater.
Artistic Practice = Holistic
An artistic practice is a habit or regular routine – a non-negotiable in your day. An artistic practice is a more holistic approach to artistry. The distinction is CONSISTENCY and a mindset shift. Skill development and mastery are just one part of an artistic practice. A regular artistic practice becomes a place of comfort, solace, healing, challenge, creativity, and imagination. Not just WORK.
Daily connection and engagement with your art creates a deeper love, understanding, and gratitude for your art and artistry. A regular artistic practice means a deeper trust and belief in yourself. This is where resilience, inner strength, and confidence is built.
We want you to reap the benefits of skill development and mastery, but we also want you to gain the beautiful benefits of an artistic practice: resilience, confidence, creativity, and self-trust.
We are here to help you to create an artistic practice that you love and learn to rely on, not just for skill development and mastery, but overall wellness and fulfilment.
A recent review by the World Health Organization (2019), indicates the important role that music, culture, and art have in promoting health and wellbeing. Research has shown that regular and active participation in music study can lead to reduced stress and anxiety, improved mood, increased efficiency of the immune system, greater sense of self-efficacy, self-confidence and self-esteem, improved executive functioning, and improved mental health and social wellbeing.
We NEED a daily artistic practice.
If you are a Donais Studios member and you haven’t checked out our brand new Artist Within Membership, what are you waiting for? We have created an incredible resource to help you develop a consistent artistic practice that is meaningful and transformative. Send us a message if you haven’t received your login information.
If you are not a current Donais Studios member, get on our waitlist here so that you will be the first to know when the Artist Within Membership is available to our greater community.
Let us help you fall in love with the Artist Within by creating an artistic practice that positively impacts your confidence, skill, wellbeing, and artistic success.
Stop shuffling the books around and let’s get to work together creating an artistic practice that you love so you can become the artist that you want to be!
Keep singing,
~Andrea “embracing the magic of music” Donais