Crafting with Love: Music & Bread

It's finally happening Reader...

I've let myself get completely lost in the rabbit hole of making sourdough.

In past, I've helped others maintain their starter or enjoyed listening to the process of making sourdough. But it's been very much on the periphery, and I haven't ever been in charge of my own starter. There was always the "this takes a lot of time and I just don't know if I can really give it the attention it needs."

Doesn't that last sentence sound a bit familiar? From perhaps a practicing-your-instrument standpoint?

I'm a big believer that good and meaningful things take time, particularly when it comes to music.

And I guess that mindset is sneaking its way into other areas of my life, like the food I prep!

But I also have to acknowledge that "this is going to take a lot of time" is a really daunting statement. And it's very very easy to let that deter you, particularly on a day when you're in a bad mood.

So I want to share a couple of reframes with you on how I introduced a more complex project into my life (this is coming on the heels of the Deep Work book I told you about last week -- I got more responses to that email than I have in a long time, so that tells me this is a topic you've got plenty of great thoughts on too)!

Reframe 1: Over the long run this will take time, but on a weekly or day to day basis it's not as intimidating as it sounds.

This week I learned that it's a lot harder to kill a sourdough starter than I would have thought. Bear's mom gifted me her starter over a week ago, and I had thought that it had been in the fridge too long and was therefore unusable. But lo and behold, it's doing just fine and there was no mold (which is apparently the main reason to throw your starter out).

I have all the basic tools I need (kitchen scale, mason jar, flour and water), and all I have to do is feed the starter twice a day and leave it on the counter to get it ready for baking bread.

The actual bread baking process will be a bit more intense, but I'm not signing my social life away by maintaining my starter from week to week.

Just like 20-30 minutes of effective daily practice can go a long way...

Reframe 2: I do not need to understand this entire concept all at once. I will enjoy the learning process and know that I'll continue to pick up bit by bit and improve as I go.

There are a lot of new words getting thrown at me: "baker's percentage," "leavain," "proofing basket."

They are not intuitive yet. But since I have time (this is a long term process after all), I trust that I'll start to understand them more as I go along and experiment.

In the Irish traditional music world, this could perhaps be similar to recognizing intervals and phrases across tunes and building the ability to learn by ear.

Reframe 3: On a similar note... I'm okay with this not being my best work for awhile. It's a necessary step in the process.

As I mentioned, I do have the basic kitchen tools needed to bake bread. But I can most definitely upgrade or add a couple of items to improve the process over time and work with the tools I have at hand in the meantime.

Musicians have tools of the trade too... violin, bow, rosin, shoulder rest, strings, case, humidifier, gear for gigs... You get to play around with the options that work best for you but most of us can't financially afford to do that all at once!

I'm reminded of a favorite George Herbert quote on a handout given to me by my violin professor in undergrad (Hi, Dr. J!) that I have framed in my room:

"Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along."

Reframe 4: This is a process that is going to bring joy to others, not just me.

A lot of the recipes I'm following for baking bread involve making two loaves. One for me, and one for someone else to enjoy. That in itself is the gift that keeps on giving, and I'm understanding more and more what "made with love" is!

Your music is a gift to others as well. You can bring joy to people whether they just love to listen to you play or they love to see that you're applying yourself to a skill that takes time and intentionality to develop.

Weekly Tune Library Update

A busy week for new Tune Library Trainings! We've got two new reels per your request: Devanney's Goat and Beare Island.

You also have a new training in your bonus section all about tips to pick up tunes live in sessions (and self-assess if it's worth the effort). This training is an exercise that fits well with our theme of intentionality and taking on a challenging but rewarding project!

More tune tutorials to come this week, then I'll be taking a mini break in adding new material to visit my parents + play and prep for St. Patrick's Day gigs. 😊

I'm off to feed my sourdough starter, Reader. I want to name her after a tune name, but haven't landed on the best fit yet... if you have any ideas, please send them my way!

Enjoy the good and meaningful things that take time this week -- aka... happy practicing!

~Hannah