Every year, I hear all kinds of people knocking the month of January. Some say that, now that all the decorations are put away and holiday festivities are wrapped up, January feels dull and bleak and depressing. Others complain that it’s too cold, or that there’s nothing to do. But I think that poor January has gotten a bad rap–because by taking a different perspective on this season’s chilly calm, it’s possible to turn January into a monthlong creative and musical retreat!

I get into this creativity-friendly perspective simply by turning around the wintery subjects I’m tempted to whine about. For example, if my first thought is, “Man, it’s too cold outside to do anything!!” I spin that thought around until it says, “But it’s super-warm indoors. What are some things I can do inside?” (And for a musician, this question has some awesome answers: practice, compose, arrange, harmonize, study, improvise, jam, experiment…and the list goes on!)

Here are 3 more typical January complaints, and how to turn them around to give you a creative boost:

1. “I’m SOOO tired!” – January is quite a dark and gray month in many parts of the country, so it can be a nightmare trying to get out of bed in the morning…or at all. Sometimes it may feel like all we want to do is sleep! But what if we looked at this urge to hibernate as a good thing?

Extra sleep can feel luxurious, especially when we lay aside our worries about what we think we “should” be doing and just rest. When we allow ourselves small luxuries like lazy, carefree relaxation, we contribute to the health of our Inner Artist. And when our Inner Artist is strong and happy, our creative ideas flow more easily!

2. “I’m SO bored; there’s nothing to do!” – After the craziness of the holiday season, adjusting to the calm of January can be very difficult. One great way to turn this complaint around is to view a sparse schedule as a golden opportunity to pursue those things we never seem to have time for. For many freelance musicians, January is a time when nobody’s calling us to play their music. So, we can turn it into a chance to make OUR music! When we start feeling bored or stuck, we can use it as a signal to sit down and work on music we’re passionate about.

3. “Everything looks so depressing, now that all the Christmas lights are down.” – It can be a real drag taking down all the pretty holiday decorations we put up last month. But who says that decorations are only a December thing? We can also have great fun decorating for January! Each year, I make January fun by doing up Summerglen in calm, meditative winter stuff. I only decorate for January once a year, so it’s a special thing that I look forward to. And…changing up our environment can stimulate our brains, bringing us new ideas to bring into our musical lives.

So, how will you make this month a fun and musical time? Best wishes, and happy January!

Even when you do something you enjoy for a living, you can get burned out if you don’t take breaks. So, this past weekend we took a break…and drove to the Outer Banks!

It was a 4-1/2 hour drive each way, but we made the trip last even longer by stopping to check out this or that town along the way. Our favorite stop had to be Plymouth, NC. They have a nifty river lighthouse and a nice downtown area right on the waterfront. Most notably, the people in Plymouth say hello to you when they see you on the street, whether you’re their friend or a couple of strangers like we were! Many of the people there were also traveling by bike or on foot, and we totally dug their earth-friendliness!

Then, it was on to Hatteras. The Outer Banks is a chain of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina; it’s such a unique place, because it’s not quite land and not quite sea. And it’s not quite like other beaches you’ll see around here, either–no high rises, and sometimes, no buildings at all. And the place has tons of history; lighthouses, shipwrecks, Civil War battles…we can’t wait to go back!

The whole time we were there (except for the day we left, of course), it was raining heavily, so we didn’t get to do very much outside. That’s OK; it just inspired us to come back next summer. For a week. Or more! But what we did get to do was relax and enjoy a change of scenery and the chance to hang out with different people (we stayed with several of my relatives whom we don’t see much). The trip cleansed our palate, pulled us out of our routine, and made us think about different things than we normally do. Even though it was dreary outside, we still got to recharge; and that’s a valuable vacation.

Now I’m back in Raleigh, dreaming about our future travels. We truly have a great state to explore…and I can’t wait for the next trip!

As an independent musician, playing and teaching aren’t my only jobs. I’m also Summerglen’s marketing department, accountant, creative director, research and development department, and customer service specialist! I have to get the word out about what we do, keep everything organized, and continue expanding my skills as a trombonist and teacher as well. If I let it, my “fun” job can stress me out just as badly as any office gig–and can pull me out of whack where it really matters, my music.

But there are a couple things that can change my mindset from stressed to relaxed very quickly–being mindful of what I’m doing, and finding things to be thankful for. When I pay close attention in my recordkeeping, I make fewer careless mistakes, and the repetition of the task becomes soothing. Then when I try to be thankful as well, typing in checks and mileage is no longer a chore but a celebration–like Woohoo! I have so many gigs to type in! Responsibilities become the result of something good that has been given to me, and that makes those responsibilities quite fun to have. It makes being busy joyful instead of stressful.

Being mindful also helps me stay creative and mentally uncluttered. Yesterday I was walking home and I practiced listening carefully to the sounds of nature and looking at the details as I walked down the street. Noticing what was going on around me made me feel connected and gave me a burst of new ideas, and made the walk special as well. I wasn’t just leaving Point A thinking about what I needed to do once I got to Point B–it was a journey. (And on the journey I saw a flock of Canadian geese and a lizard. Cool!)

As musicians, we specialize in subtle nuances, in sound, in teaching, and in performance. So, in noticing and appreciating the tiny shades of life, we can become better musicians almost effortlessly!

So yesterday, I did one of the healthiest things a musician (or anyone) can do: nothing. I turned off my phone, closed the door to the computer room, and hung my trombone on its stand. I dropped every responsibility and floated in Falls Lake all afternoon. When the lake made my fingers pruny, I laid out in the hot North Carolina sun. I enjoyed the sounds of nature and of other people having fun in the lake. And everything was OK.

Now I’m back in the computer room, looking at my pile of things to do. And I’m refreshed and ready to tackle it! This may be one of the most productive Fridays known to humankind, all because I let myself relax.