I’m here today to talk about a paradox I haven’t heard many others speak about.
Even if you do drums as a hobby, you’re going to face challenges and have to reckon with how high the level goes, and still find a way to sit down and enjoy playing.
But if you harbor ambitions of being “great”, both sides of this double-edged sword can sting. Here’s the conundrum:
One the one hand, you have to become obsessed with getting better, to the detriment of balance in your life, your mood on many occasions, and many hours of your life you could spend doing other things. You have to live and breathe the drums, and do things others aren’t willing to do.
On the other, you have to accept yourself completely, be gentle with yourself, and nurture a little seedling of your own voice through the harsh winter winds of ego, extrinsic pressure to conform, mean comments online and in person, and the years it’s going to take to germinate.
Fall off one end and you risk spinning your wheels - never really getting purchase on your true potential.
Fall off the other, and you risk hating the drums, washing out, mental health badness, and lots more. Is anybody else talking about this?
Anyway, today I decide to explore this paradox, through a few examples from my own story, and tons of completely-scientifically-unfunded anecdote. Ready to come along for the ride?
Where do you come down on this supposed spectrum? How have you struggled for balance, and where have you found it? Leave a comment below!