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Day Three Hundred Twenty Nine (Year Four)

Ever have one of those moments that happens at what seems like the perfect time?  That pretty much happened to me today. 

I don't get a lot of comments on my blog, but I got one today that asked about goals and noted that things seem scattered.  I'd be the last person in the world to deny the truth in that statement.  Ever have something that starts out with what seems to be a singular goal, and then ends up splintering off in so many different directions that the initial goal gets lost?  That's one way to look at the last four years of my writings here.  I've made progress, no doubt, but it has lacked a definite focus for a lot of that time.  Moving forward, that needs to change.

When it all started almost four years ago, I was about to turn 30, and coming out of a relationship that had spent two years stifling my playing and my creativity.  I wanted to get back into playing again, to dust off and repair my chops, and get better from there.  Along the way, I met someone who supports and encourages my dreams, I moved twice, and I finally have a dedicated space in which to practice.  I would argue that I've come farther in the last year than I did in the three before that combined.

That said, heading (as I am) into year FIVE soon, maybe it's time to restate the purpose as a way to refocus on what's really important.

1) I need to find my voice on the instrument.  I want to be able to have what I hear in my head come out my fingers.

2) The initial goal was to be good enough to apply (and be accepted) to Berklee School of Music in Boston.  I've said for years that I don't have to go, I just want to know I was good enough to get in.  At least on some level, this thought still stands.

3) I'd like to self-release a CD.  Not sure if that is a this year goal, or what the time frame is on it at this point, but it's definitely on my musical bucket list.

Those are the biggest three goals at the moment, and I really think that the acoustic side of things, and the lead guitar side of things that I've been working on (and wanting to focus more on) definitely fit into these goals as at least some part of the process.
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