Amateur

Is it just me, or is there something strangely comfortable about allowing oneself to be an amateur and just enjoy a creative process?

This is how it is for me with sewing, and composing music. Whilst I can spend hours, days, weeks (and more) striving for high-end results in writing about musicology, I take a good deal of pleasure in just sitting and sewing, or writing lyrics and music, enjoying less pressure on myself to produce perfect results. Indeed, several decades ago, when I was writing light fiction for a modest fee, I briefly attended a writing society, but concluded quite quickly that I preferred to row my own boat, solo.

I am chronically perfectionist where I have to be, but I can allow myself a bit of slack with spare-time occupations.

Last weekend I encountered a challenge to write a song in the hour gained between British Summer Time and Greenwich Meantime. I wrote the lyrics in advance, but did complete the song and the score in an hour.  

However, I had to change a couple of chords and un-double a few octaves before ‘recording’ my effort as a computer audio file. Sing it, accompanying myself? No chance! Now, that would be embarrassing.

Listen here!