I spent most of my childhood studying piano. At the age of 17, mere months before I would have “graduated” from my course of study, I quit.
Not long ago, someone asked me if I still play.
“Not really,” I said.
“That’s a shame,” they replied, disapproval obvious in their moued lips and the tight line of their shoulders.
I can imagine what they didn’t say: All those years. All that effort. All that money. And now you don’t even play? What a waste!
Is it, though? Is it a waste that I can appreciate a piece of music with a trained musician’s ear? Is it a waste that I can converse intelligently with my husband, who finds far more joy in piano than I, about his ongoing lessons? Is it a waste that I learned the language of music, which has since helped me learn other languages? Is it a waste that I’ve released myself from the pressure to love piano, that I now spend my precious time in other ways that bring me far more joy?
Of course not. Look what piano lessons have made possible for me!
There’s no such thing as wasted effort in creativity. There are no sunk costs, no lost time. It’s all cumulative. It all matters.
Every moment.
I should apply this attitude to the time and effort I put into making beaded wire jewelry before my partner made off with, then lost, $thousands worth of inventory, tools and materials. I won't (this is a resentment I am not finished holding onto just yet), but I should.
This is great , Robin! I love it. No wasted effort = no regret! Thanks!