New Things Challenge Update #6-10

I’ve been slowly keeping things going with my challenge of trying 100 new things… January is always a bit of a weird mental time to me… the state of hibernation and wintering that I am trying to learn how to resist less and use for the good creatively. I’m looking forward to this challenge being something I can have some fun with in my process.

New Thing #6- Pottery Class

I think I felt drawn to trying this because of the metaphor. Because I have felt like what I’m working on with my music for a long time now has been clay in my hands, that I’m still trying to figure out what I want it to become. And constantly wondering how to shape it on the wheel that’s always spinning too fast. A few friends and I met up at Zane Ceramics in East Nashville with our instructor, Emma, and she was patient and helpful moving around the room guiding us as we made our bowls and mugs. I loved the tactile feeling of this, of watching it change shape with the way I held my hands around it. And it was messy and flawed and I let myself not be concerned with the result and just enjoy making something. I also enjoyed that I could lift my foot off the pedal at any point. That the wheel would stop moving. That I could control that. Felt like a new level to the metaphor that I needed. I also am in awe of how extensive the process of pottery is… how the time on the wheel shaping it is just the start. Then there’s the drying and then time in the kiln and the gloss and then more time in the kiln and days worth of process for my tiny little bowl. I feel like every pottery in a store should come with a sticker saying how many hours it took to make and be worth a million dollars. I had no idea how much goes in to this and I have mad respect for the art of pottery.

New Thing #7- Watch E.T.

I somehow escaped plenty of classic films in my childhood. We watched a lot of Oprah and Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Oh and Fear Factor. E.T. just never happened and I felt like I needed to experience it. I still can’t believe this little alien made me emotional by the end but damn it, it did… I struggle with endings and goodbyes and always have and I think what got me the most was how hard sweet Elliot tried to help E.T. get back home through the whole movie, even though he didn’t want him to leave… I mean who wants to lose your alien best friend with healing powers. I was in awe of the generosity of taking care of somebody by letting go. Even when you don’t want to. Also baby Drew Barrymore killed me ha. Makes sense why it’s a classic.

New Thing #8- Boxing Class

I know this may come as shocking news, but I’ve not one for ever throwing punches. I stood watching the class before mine and was instantly intimated. All these numbers being called and everybody moving so fast and looking so professional and tough and I almost walked right back out the door. Stephen at the front desk must have sensed me inching towards the escape hatch and came and stood beside me and kindly started showing me what each of the numbers meant. He walked me through each motion and tried to show me how the rhythm of your footwork is meant to “roll with the punches” as they say… I followed his lead like Simon Says, he told me I was doing great but I’m pretty sure I looked like a bad ballerina trying to be a power ranger. He didn’t point that out, which was nice and all. Then he asked me what colour of wraps I’d like and I told him pink would be fine and acted like I knew what a “wrap” was. He brought over these bands and got my hands ready and that was the moment I knew I wasn’t going to be able to bolt out of the door. That I was committed to giving it a shot. Damn you, Stephen. So I stayed. And felt like a fool for the first part of the class and then I realized I was the only person feeling awkward. Everyone else was just zoned in, doing their thing. What a concept. Just the punching bag thing and themselves. And I was just wasting my time worrying about it. At that point I started feeling less like a fool. I actually started to feel kind of strong and brave. And I set the intention to just be in my body and to let out any thoughts I needed to each time I hit the bag and it felt awesome. The class lasted an eternity though and when we would “break” from punching the bag, we did ab exercises and I’m not sure I’ll be able to laugh for at least a week from the pain I currently feel, but I enjoyed the work out. It kicked my ass but it was fun.

New Thing #9- Hang the frames on the wall

I reached the point where every drawer in my house was exploding and I nearly exploded and therefore began a cleaning rampage. Probably just an attempt to keep moving busily and out run my January feelings, but I was on a mission going through every closet and cabinet. I found these cardboard boxes with a bunch of frames inside them stuffed against the wall under the stairs and I sat on the floor looking at them, like they must belong to someone else. Gold records and plaques celebrating a couple number one songs and beautiful moments of victory that must be someone else’s. I felt myself start shrinking like I often do around these sort of things. Some kind of cocktail of impostor syndrome and guilt and hating the possibility of coming across selfish or too proud and the fear of not measuring back up to these successes and you get the reason why I shoved all of these boxes very quickly out of sight and out of mind. The thing is that kind of posture is starting to feel paralyzing… it used to be manageable and now it’s sanding down the edges of confidence I have and it’s getting in my way. So even though I still feel the same cocktail of reasons, I decided to do something different about it. Decided to over ride the feelings. I hung them up on my wall. I’ve still got a security blanket emergency curtain near by so I can cover them all up if they are taunting my creative space ha, but I made the step to hang them up in my little music room. And I stood back and smiled looking at them, and started to feel like they do belong to me. I felt the fire in my belly of what I want to continue building. And all of that felt like some progress. And I’m grateful for that.

New Thing #10- Go to an Improv Comedy Show

I’ve been wanting to explore an improv class (also on the list of new things I’m going to try) and as a pre curser, felt like I wanted to go and see some live shows here in Nashville. The idea of improv terrifies me to the core. There’s no time to over think. To doubt or question yourself. Or operate with the filter of worrying about what others think. That sounds kind of thrilling and awesome to me. And so I went to Third Coast Comedy Club and had the best time… it was hilarious. As the audience you felt a part of the show throwing out settings and names and lines that become the jumping off point and I sat in awe the entire time of how freeing it felt to witness something completely off script. So brave. So impressive. I’m definitely going back. It felt great to just sit and laugh (aside from the muscle pain thanks to boxing). I went on my own and made friends with the people sitting around me and I’m so glad I got my butt off the couch and went.