Friday, October 10, 2008

The Piano Cave: Help Me Pick a Color!


Welcome to my piano studio! I've really been working hard on decorating it in such a way that helps me force focus... I used to go in for a few minutes, but then think of an e-mail I wanted to write, or a cup of tea I wanted to make, or some weeds I wanted to pull in the garden, or to go check the mail when I heard the mail truck go by, or go pet my kitties when they look in at me all pitiful-like:

(note kitty Rosemary staring at me from the other side of the door, begging for attention).

In any case, you get the idea... I'm a big time "P" on the Myer's Brigg personality test... thoughts always racing from one to the next. So, how can I shut out the world and get real work done? I had my Aha! moment at the beginning of September when I was practicing for my Volvo concert... and I wasn't getting any good practice done in the day, but having amazingly creative sessions at midnight, way past my bedtime, but then was exhausted the next day. I wondered how I could create "midnight" during the middle of the day when I actually have time to practice. And I figured it out:


Black curtains over the doors, shutting out all the daylight and kitties (who are still sitting right on the other side of this curtain in the picture). I make sure I have no appointments or phone calls coming that really need my attention, set my timer for an hour or so (sometimes two hours), eat a snack, go to the bathroom, make a cup of tea, and then enter the piano cave. I do not let myself leave until the timer rings. If I don't want to practice, I do my Alexander Technique lie-downs, or I sometimes allow myself to read piano teaching related articles. However, I'm finding that I'm actually getting real work done, and not wanting to leave when the timer goes off. It hasn't been easy, there have been many times when I start to leave, or my mind wanders... but then I just bring myself back to the next task. I guess it's a kind of meditation/mindfulness practice--but I'm just so incredibly excited that this "P" girl (I think that that P on Myer's Brigg stands for Procrastination) actually is getting Forced Focus.

Being in the curtained room also inspired me to hang more art on the walls... so I have something to look at when I'm playing:


And that makes me feel good when I enter the room:



But, here's where you can help! We've been in our house for over a year now, and this color-loving-girl is desperate for color on the walls. In new construction, it's recommended that you leave the walls without color for a year so when there are cracks and peeling from the inevitable settling, it's easier to do all the touch-ups throughout the house with the same 'builder's white'. But... now I can put color on my piano studio walls!!!

What color should I use? I want something warm and cozy, but yet helps me FOCUS and fosters CREATIVITY. It has to look good with the art on the walls... that huge orange blow-up of my "The Undershore" cover, and the red accents throughout the room, including the chair. I've been thinking a pumpkin-ey gold since all the art has gold somewhere in it, but I'm open to any and all ideas.

In the meantime, I just heard the mail truck go by... gotta go get the mail!!