TCHAIK PROJECT 15 - Thoughts, fears, doubts and the Mind Over Finger discoveries

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here are the links to all the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

April 16th, 2020 - Thursday

Today it’s one month since I started doing  the 1 minute bows every practice session, that is, I've been in social distancing at home for 1 month, also known as quarantine because, as far as I know, there is no way of knowing whether I didn’t get the coronavirus or I’m an asymptomatic. I haven't seen or hugged my mother and siblings for a month, talking to them only over the internet. I'm still fine, considering the fear of the virus and fear of speeches that minimize the world situation or claim nonsense conspiracies. I rest what my mind allows, and practice.

I made 1 minute bows for a month and I want to switch goals. Now I’m going to do Staccati in the middle of the bow every day.

TCHAIK PROJECT 14 - Having time, not having time

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here are the links to all the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

April 1st, 2020 - Wednesday

It's still not the easiest task in the world to practice in the midst of a pandemic. One thing is to have available time, or rather, time at home; another quite different thing is to have the willingness to practice 8 hours a day when the body says "If you're at home, rest.”

There is an urge on the internet for us to be productive during the coronavirus quarantine. Online classes made available, events, conversations, workshops, lives on all platforms, with all subjects and for all tastes and ages. Me, personally, in the beginning of this period I thought I'd be very productive and would make a lot of progress on many things. Today, a little more than two weeks after I began my isolation at home, I must confess that I don’t feel like being sooo productive. I want to rest my body and mind by doing LESS things, more slowly, with more attention and, for the first time in many years, without an alarm clock.

TCHAIK PROJECT 13 - the beginning of the pandemic

And then, just like this, a pandemic starts. I was (I still am) scared, anxious, thinking it was going to last 3 months tops. Uncertainties about the profession swirled around my thoughts, fear that this virus and consequent disease would take the people I love and care about away from the world. We were hesitantly re-learning the day-by-day routine.

Here I am on March 9th of 2021, posting the diaries of March 2020 and seeing that not enough has changed. I'm still at home most of the time, the uncertainties about artistic professions are even bigger, the news in Brazil are not happy. There are vaccines, though, there is hope. In São Paulo the red fase (the most strict one) is back as from the day after tomorrow, hopefully attaining the goal to reduce the number of infected and deceased in 2 weeks.

Meanwhile, how do we do to keep practicing (specially when we have a deadline)? How do we keep doing our thing so we maintain some mental health? How do we keep ourselves alive and active, body and mind? 

Click here to see the introduction of the TCHAIK PROJECT and know what it is about. =)

And here are the links to all the practice diaries of this PROJECT.

March 1st to 6th: I did practice violin from March 1st to 6th, not much per day, practiced just technique and a little bit of orchestra and contemporary repertoire. No Tchaik.