I saw this online the other day and it applies to us all!<\/p>\n
The Women Composers\u2019 Forum joins Spitfire Audio for an evening of discussion and advice. [Written by Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres]\n
What a night! All sorts of top tips were dished out and discussed and film composers took away many different thoughts on self-care. In the words of the amazing composer and blogger Catherine Joy who created a vlog for the event \u2013<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we do is really freakin\u2019 hard!\u201d Composer Anne Nikitin reaffirmed this later in the panel saying, \u201cI didn\u2019t realise you had to be such a masochist to do this!\u201d<\/p>\n
So freakin\u2019 masochists I have a list here. 10 top tips from the evening of self-care and bringing out our best selves.<\/p>\n
1. \u201cPLAY INSTRUMENTS\u201d\u200a\u2014\u200aCatherine Joy (composer)<\/p>\n
Play piano, play guitar, join a choir, play with friends, play on our own. No matter what\u2013we must play. It\u2019s good to keep our skills up and also reminds us to enjoy music. It doesn\u2019t have to just be work and can also be playtime.<\/p>\n
2. \u201cAWARENESS\u201d Prince Laryea (creative life coach)<\/p>\n
Awareness of self and awareness of others is a fantastically helpful skill. Sometimes it is worth reminding ourselves that we are human and that people are different. Not everyone will react the same way to things. Where we might be strongly opposed to some feedback we have been given, someone else might shrug it off and go for a run. A great example was given from an international composer in the life-coaching discussion time, saying that the word \u201cinteresting\u201d can be received in so many different ways. A lot of the time in this job we play the detective and the psychologist. We have to remember that it\u2019s an amazing skill that we possess. It is worth remembering to take a breath and try to decode how people are reacting to us and how we are reacting to other people. If we are actively conscious of this, we will become more confident, proactive and positive. Claire Singer spoke of a project where the director said, \u201cI won\u2019t freak out if you don\u2019t freak out!\u201d<\/p>\n