Something new
published: 2010-05-15During flamenco class the other day, I found myself comparing flamenco to writing again. You can’t expect to get it right if you don’t practice until your feet bleed and your knees hurt. But there’s also this: if you stand there thinking, “I can’t do this, I’m bad, I look like crap,” then I guarantee you that will be the truth. Being bold and just throwing it out there gets you a long way, at least in terms of self-value and enjoyment. Is it the same for writing?
Yes, because it’s not simply a matter of boldness. If you dance with confidence, what you’re doing may seem pretty snazzy for a few minutes. However, try keeping it up for the entire duration of a show. And any expert will immediately see right through you, even if you don’t see it yourself.
After class, I asked my flamenco friends what they learn from flamenco.
“To let go and simply enjoy.”
“To be able to look in the mirror at myself.”
“To be myself within the technical framework, to do it my way.”
“To turn inward, forget about the rest of the world.”
The overall lesson being: take classes in something entirely new. Anything.