Tales From The Lane
Living Your Best Life as Creative Artist
Category: Life Hacks
How to Succeed at Everything the First Time
Think of something you have been doing since you were a kid. Maybe that’s performing, writing, telling stories. Maybe it’s a sport. Do you remember the very first time you did it? Me neither. I played and performed on stage as a cellist… Continue Reading “How to Succeed at Everything the First Time”
Shedding a Long-Held Identity: My decision to stop teaching
I taught my first cello lesson when I was around 13 years old. It was a younger student of my cello teacher, whose parents were both busy professionals, and not at home to help him practice. They lived close to me, so Mrs. B… Continue Reading “Shedding a Long-Held Identity: My decision to stop teaching”
Getting Through a “Spectacularly Busy Time” Like a Champ
The parent of one of my chamber music students texted me the other day to say that her daughter would need to leave our next coaching early in order to get to her school music concert. She was so apologetic–she knows that the group… Continue Reading “Getting Through a “Spectacularly Busy Time” Like a Champ”
How a Summer Project Can Lead to Your Greatest Success
Today, for my “in real-time” readers, is Memorial Day in the U.S. Memorial Day is first and foremost a day of remembrance. It is a day that we honor those who lost their lives trying to make this world a better place. On a… Continue Reading “How a Summer Project Can Lead to Your Greatest Success”
What if We Gave Ourselves Report Cards?
A few weeks ago, I was doing my morning pages, and there was a thought that kept popping up for me. “Everything in my life is at about 85%” Why is that? I thought about all of the various areas of my life–my health,… Continue Reading “What if We Gave Ourselves Report Cards?”
Fitting In
“The Opposite of Belonging, is Fitting In” -Brené Brown A couple of weekends ago, my husband Paul and I did a big charity walk. It’s the biggest walking event of the year, and on the 1st Saturday in May 2400 people walk from… Continue Reading “Fitting In”
The 5 Questions I’m Asking Myself This Quarter
Do you think of each year in Quarters? It’s a very corporate framework, for sure, and doesn’t always jive perfectly with the artist or performer’s calendar (I mean, unless you have to pay quarterly taxes-blech). We usually start things up just after Labor… Continue Reading “The 5 Questions I’m Asking Myself This Quarter”
Why You Should Take Some Time Off
I just got back from 10 days in England and Sicily. I still get giddy from boarding a plane without a cello–Talk about luxury! The trip was 50% family and 50% vacation, but it was 0% work. The time was full of deep… Continue Reading “Why You Should Take Some Time Off”
How to Tell if You’re Unhappy, or Just Uncomfortable
Growing up, I would often kick up a fuss about having to go to my Saturday afternoon cello group class, play in a recital, or anything scary like that. “Too bad.” My mom would say, shoving my flailing and sobbing body into the car,… Continue Reading “How to Tell if You’re Unhappy, or Just Uncomfortable”
5 Systems You Can Put Into Place This Week (to make your life far easier!)
Life is a lot easier today than it was when I was a teenager. Cell phones, laptops, Spotify, texting, emojis (lol) and it seems that whatever you need, a level? A star map? A metronome? There’s a free app right at your fingertips. But… Continue Reading “5 Systems You Can Put Into Place This Week (to make your life far easier!)”