Well, I guess this is a lot of questions, but I'll try to narrow it down to the biggest ones when we're able to talk about it more
Self-definition: Do I feel more like my authentic self when playing my instrument or less like my authentic self? Do I feel more or less authentic when performing rather than practicing? Or more or less authentic when practicing rather than performing?
Perfectionism: Do I try to use music to try to prove to everyone (and myself) that I am not really that flawed after all? Do I know the difference between perfectionism and healthy striving?
Self-compassion: Do I regularly beat up on myself emotionally for the things I don’t feel I do well? Do I include self-compassion exercises as a regular component of my practicing?
Letting the body go: Do I try to play “correctly”? Does my way of practicing both encourage LEARNING THE INSTRUMENT and DEVELOPING MUSICAL IMPULSES? How do I balance these?
Alignment of time use with goals: How do I spend my free time? Does my use of free time align with what is important in my life? Do I plan or do I just let my use of time happen?
Practice technique: Do I practice lots of hours, but in an unstructured way? Do I set goals and try to achieve them? Or do I just decide what to play based on what I feel like in the moment?
Playthroughs=hard: Do I expect a level of perfection that makes it difficult for me to play through a piece, even after I have been working on it for a while?
Practicing methodically/thoroughly: When practicing a difficult measure over and over again, when do I choose to move on? Fingers hurt? I am bored? My body has learned the passage? Feeling a sense of anxiety that my competitors will surpass me if I don’t move on to something else?
Looking in the mirror: Do I listen to recordings of myself? If not, why not? Technology reasons, emotional reasons, or other?
