After I graduated from grad school I was burnt out. Years of recitals, papers, and trying to pass language exams took its toll on me. I needed a break.
Seven years to be exact.
My time off consisted of teaching, photography, videography, and food with the occasional, “oh, I can still play guitar,” moment.
Then the pandemic hit. Like everyone else, I was taking a census on my life and trying to figure out what mattered. The years of not seriously playing the guitar anymore felt like a moral failure - a slap in the face of all who helped me achieve my dream.
I took it for granted. I was trained to play classical guitar, a skill set many try to attain yet quit because it was hard to do.
As it should be.
So I picked it up again, slowly. Bach, Villalobos, and Llobet we’re still under my fingers but not in my current mindset. I wanted a fresh start. Something contemporary that had weight of all that came before.
As I listened to countless hours of music, my ears and heart were drawn to the likes of Dusan Bogdanovic and Gyan Riley. I started to build a recital around the two with a hope, God willing, that I would be able to perform the set.
So, what does this all mean? What will this lead to?
Honestly, probably nothing more than a gut check that I can still play. Maybe that’s just what I need to appreciate what I had and still have.
