Greetings! Today is the 2nd year anniversary of our wonderful business, Summerglen Music. A lot has happened in the last two years–big time musical progress, lots of marketing, a book, and tons of learning new things. To celebrate this milestone, I did something good for my business: I went to a networking group and gave a speech!
I joined Coffee and Contacts, a dynamic women’s networking group here in the Triangle, about 2 weeks ago. In my experience, networking has been a nourishing experience for my business–each contact is like a plate of good food, supercharging my business and making it healthy and robust. Since joining, I’ve already made some great contacts!
I also had a chance to turn my musical experience into a helpful presentation called “Making Your Presentations Memorable”. Today, I shared some of the techniques that help me take the stage with confidence, and showed the women in the audience how to use these skills to make their business communication more exciting and effective. It was a great experience, and I can’t think of any better way to celebrate Summerglen’s anniversary.
I apologize for not writing for, er, a month… It looks like I’ve taken my 17-day retreat thing to a whole new level. It’s long after the 17 day mark, but I’m still making sure to relax and enjoy the little details of life (unfortunately, though, at the expense of my blog). But how else does one stay creative, relaxed, and generally OK?
There’s been a whole lot going on at Summerglen lately: Cabaret, trombone ensembles, the summer session of Women Embracing Creativity, the book release, Wiley Band, etc, etc. But all is well. I’ve been working on balancing tons of projects while not getting burned out, and it’s all turning out well so far. But I am a teensy bit tired. Not too tired to start blogging again, though, so consider me back on the blogging wagon! Look for updates every couple of days about all things Summerglen.
Perhaps one of the best ways to relax is to get out of town and take a nice vacation. Although it can be tempting to make excuses like, “Oh, it’s too expensive” or “I really have a lot to do,” vacation is important, even vital, to our sanity and creativity.
Last weekend was our first open weekend since January, so we eagerly set aside those nagging excuses, hopped into the car, and sped off to the beach. We laid in the sand, soaked in the sun, and watched a Dr. House marathon on TV. We also ate some food. And that’s about it.
I’ve got a little practice to catch up on this week, and plenty of stuff to do before the summer begins. But because I was willing to take a vacation, I now have the energy to get it all done (and enjoy every minute of it!)
It can be all to easy to get locked into schedules and habits. We get used to doing certain things in certain ways at certain times, and life becomes a comfortable routine. But sometimes it’s the very comfort of a routine that holds us back from being energetic and innovative and spontaneous. Yesterday, Andrew and I threw routine to the wind and followed a wild Tweet down the road to lunch–and what fun we had!
It all started when TriangleCoupons twittered something about a free ball of falafel at Angelina’s Kitchen, a restaurant in Pittsboro (that’s about 45 minutes away from Summerglen). Instead of inventing an excuse to keep myself squarely in my comfort zone, I said, “I’ve got a free afternoon, WHY NOT drive out to a new town and eat something good?” I told Andrew about the falafel, and within minutes, we were on the road.
We were well-rewarded for stepping out of the routine. That falafel was AWESOME…Angelina’s now officially has won my “best falafel” award, beating out the place in Sarasota, FL that has held the title for the past…hmm..8 years. Since Angelina’s is a take-out place, Andrew and I enjoyed our food in a park about 2 blocks down the road. Then we swung on the park’s swingset for a while, and took a nice walk around downtown Pittsboro. It was a super-nice trip…we were gone for a couple of hours, but I came home feeling like I’d been on a long, relaxing vacation.
And the best thing about taking a road trip on a Tuesday? I finished everything I needed to finish, and then some, with no stress whatsoever. I find that when I put my nose to the grindstone, I grow so tense that I keep myself from getting anything done. But when I relax, it’s an investment in sanity and productivity. Everything gets done, and easily. And sometimes I get a falafel out of the deal, too.
On Day 1 of our 17-day retreat, the weather was gorgeous! So Andrew and I did something that has always been therapeutic for both of us–we worked in the yard.
We’ve had a swimming pool sitting under our house for 3 years now, waiting to be filled and enjoyed–but we’ve always been too busy to get it up and running. Earlier, we had built a platform for it to rest on in the backyard, and today, we stuck posts in the ground to make a fence around our pool area:
My dad also brought us a pond for our yard a couple weeks ago, so we started digging a hole for it, and getting everything ready to put a nice lattice wall beside it:
Some of you may ask, “Why are you guys doing physical labor if you’re supposed to be on a relaxing retreat?” The answer is simple–digging holes and hammering nails is fun for us, because it’s something we don’t do every day. Putting a pond in doesn’t require subtle motions of my facial muscles, and doesn’t require Andrew to count insanely complex rhythms. We’re not promoting stuff or teaching anybody anything. We’re just being one with our little spot of earth, and doing a project together that we both enjoy.
Sometimes, retreats aren’t just about resting, but are about changing up your routine. Change is a great way to energize yourself, even if it comes in the form of tiring physical activity!
2009 has been a wild and crazy year for us Summergleners…we’ve been writing books, setting up ways to market those books, getting a salsa band up and running, working with students, playing heaps of shows, and planning creativity workshops, summer ensembles, and various kinds of school bands. It feels like we’ve been working nonstop, because, well, we have!
Musicians and other types of creative people tend to work very long, strange hours. Strange because we do a lot of different stuff that doesn’t necessarily happen during the regular workday, and long because it’s tough to take a break from doing something you love. But even when you do something fun for a living, it can still be easy to become sleep-deprived, worn, and burnt out. And these are powerful enemies of creative thinking and beautiful music.
And so, we’re taking a 17-day retreat. We’ve cleared our schedule of shows and workshops for the rest of May, and all our early-2009 projects are coming to a close. During our 17 days, our only goal is to scale back our work schedules and ramp up our relax time, so that we feel refreshed and comfortable as we enter the summer. Why are we doing this? Simply because taking care of ourselves means taking care of our music, and our students, and our projects as well.
One of the few commitments I’m making during our retreat is to blog regularly about what we’re up to, and how the retreat is helping us. I’ll try to pop on here each day and write about something retreat-related.
So…could you use some down time, too? Feel free to join us on our retreat by commenting or dropping us an email. Until next time!
Hello Summerglen Friends! If you’ve popped by the Summerglen studio anytime in the past few months, you’ve heard about Christina’s upcoming book, Women Embracing Creativity: Unleashing Your Inner Artist. After months of writing, editing, scheduling and other stuff that requires staying up all night, it’s time to celebrate! Please join us on June 7th at Pullen Park, for the kickoff of our SUMMER OF CREATIVITY!
On June 7th, we’ll have a Book Release Celebration, complete with hoopdance, drumming, hot dogs, and tons of Cabot cheese–and we’d love to have YOU as our guest! Here’s all the info:
When is it? Sunday, June 7th from 4-8pm
Where is it? Pullen Park in Raleigh, Picnic Shelter #9 (overlooking the playground)
What should I bring? Bring your drums, hula hoops, favorite outdoor games, and get ready to have fun! You’re also welcome to bring your favorite food to share.
May I bring my family and friends? YES! The more the merrier!
Activities will include:
Mini creativity workshops on the hour
Drumming (no musical experience required)
Learn to hoopdance
Hot dogs and an abundance of Cabot cheese
Time to socialize and have fun with friends
Christina will also have copies of her book available, and will be happy to sign them!
Whether you’re a Summerglen veteran or this is the first time you’ve visited our site, we’d love to celebrate with you. So, come on out and let’s get creative on June 7th!
Both of our symphony concerts this weekend went very well, both great endings to another exciting symphony season. Here’s a recap and review of each of the concerts, courtesy of our friends at Classical Voice of North Carolina. Enjoy!
Looking for something fun to do in the Triangle this weekend? Drop by one of our two symphony concerts–both should be a blast! If you come, be sure to wave to us; we’re both in the back row.
Durham Symphony at Piney Wood Park in Durham, NC
Saturday, May 2nd at 6PM
Featuring our final guest conductor of the season, Wayne Wyman, the Durham Symphony will present an exciting pops program including selections from James Bond, Carmen, Superman, and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet.
Raleigh Symphony at Meredith College
Sunday, May 3rd at 7pm
The winners of the RSO’s Youth Concerto Competition will join the Raleigh Symphony for an evening of beautiful concertos.
Last night, Andrew and I went to see Kiriku, a group that our friend described as “the best handbell ensemble in the world”. After just a couple of songs, we knew just what he meant! The members of Kiriku are all excellent musicians, and their musical sensitivity and communication were phenomenal.
I especially enjoyed the variety of music they performed, and seeing the different ways they used their bells to produce sound. Their repertoire ranged from classical to traditional Japanese to “Georgia on My Mind” (complete with Louis-Armstrong-esque noodling after the phrases. Sweet!) In short, Kiriku’s show is an absolute must-see. If you can’t make it to any of Kiriku’s East Coast Tour Dates, here’s a video for you to check out.
