Burning the Candle

I've been having some great conversations on creativity with a friend of mine, and we talk about "burning the candle," like in the saying, "burning the candle at both ends." It's when you are working really hard and everything is bright and intense and the light you create shines and shines, but maybe you know you can't keep burning like that forever, but it's good to experience all that light and intensity while you can. That's where I am at. Things are getting intense. Intensity is not a bad thing, but it's a strong thing. Nerves and emotions get amplified, the effort you put in is harder than ever, but the progress you make is greater and the work you do is more fulfilling and meaningful. 

We had an all day rehearsal today.  Everyone worked really hard and we got a lot done. There is also a lot we need to do. There is a lot that I need to do. My transition sheet is all marked up with notes. Just trying to keep track of where all my bachi need to be is a whole world of memorization in itself, not to mention all the places we need to move the drums and what spikes they go on and in what order it all needs to be done. Oh, and did I mention, we're playing taiko in between all that? But I like working on transitions. I like how they are just pure order and logic--it balances out all that creativity of the rest of the stuff. 

Intense, yes.

After we had packed everything back up and and tidied the rehearsal space (they have church there on Sundays) and put all our personal things away, and as people were talking about their dinner plans and heading out the door, Janet looked up and me and said, "You still want to practice, huh?" It wasn't something I had planned on but I was like, "Yeah!" She accused me of being obsessive-compulsive about my practice, and then she said she was too, and it felt really good to be working, to be burning that candle. It was great because she and I had a productive extra-practice time and we worked on some things, and I had a great epiphany about part of a song that I've been majorly stressing over and losing confidence on all week, and I also got some solo-practice time in. It was wonderful, and it felt really good. 

When I was on my way home, I was surprised by a rain shower. I think everyone was. It's July! People I passed on the way home kept turning their heads up and looking at the sky in wonder. As the sun set, it slanted through the empty place between the rainclouds and the horizon, and we were rewarded by one of the most brightest rainbows I've ever seen here in California. I got a great picture of it arcing over my apartment. Beautiful, burning sky.