Pressure is a strange thing. It both motivates and paralyzes us, spurs us on and holds us back. It comes from all around, friendly and hostile, a constant aspect of life in one form or another. Each of us has our own built-in responses to various kinds of pressure, and from there we can choose to spend our energy defeating some of the less productive reactions and fostering the useful ones, if we so desire.
Some people respond very well to pressure, feeling that they work best when they're 'under the gun'. For them, deadlines help create focus. Holding themselves to a specific goal and timeframe is how they get things done, and as the due date rolls closer, they ramp up the activity. For others, however, pressure paralyzes. They need lots of time and open-ended deadlines that allow for unforseen circumstances. Constant hovering by a supervisor leads to an inability to achieve anything.
I, like most people, fall at different parts of the spectrum depending on the circumstance. I usually gravitate to a relaxed, low-pressure environment, but I can also respond well to more intense situations as long as they're friendly and supportive. For me, one of the worst combinations is a feeling of pressure to accomplish something, but without a clear deadline or purpose. When something really needs doing, but is capable of being put off until tomorrow, that's generally what I'll do.
I've been trying to do some recording lately, as I've mentioned before. Byron and I have a sort of a plan to complete a new Ticklish Brother album during 2007. I spent several hours this evening with the 12-track, poking at some of the songs. I didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked, partly because there were several kinds of pressure all acting at once -- the pressure of getting takes worthy of public release, the pressure of working out arrangements, the pressure of trying to record myself playing instruments I don't know how to play, the ever-present lack of time... Recording can be fun, but add in these pressures, and it becomes more difficult to move forward. Ideally, we'd both be living in the same place, and could just sit around and play music in a relaxed atmosphere and let the tape roll. But you work with what you have.
It's been snowing here for a week, and the forecast says we'll stay below average temperature for the next couple of weeks. The couple of weeks of spring weather we had really started to lift my spirits a bit, after the dreary winter. I'm looking forward to its return, for that extra bit of help in getting myself moving again.
I'll finish off today with a couple of live recordings of me in solo mode. These are from March 23rd at a show here in Cambridge. It was the first of a new series of monthly folk concerts being run by the Mill Race Folk Society. It was headlined by Ian Bell, with contributions from a few locals like me. I'll be hosting the next two, with James Gordon & Sons and Mose Scarlett headlining respectively. Both songs are traditional.
Take care
-J-
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