One of my current favorite blog subscriptions is with "goodbyevalentino.com". The author is a "sewist" like me and is currently engaged in a RTW (ready to wear) fast, vowing to make all her own clothes for one year. I believe she's now in her forth year of this ongoing quest and it's admirable to be sure.

The reason this reference is showing up on my professional singing/teaching website is that once again, my sewing has intersected with my singing.

One of the subscribers to goodbyevalentino's blog shared the following point of view; treat every sewing project as an experiment not a masterpiece in the making, thus avoiding the perfectionist pressure that plagues many creative artists. The net results of our efforts may indeed become masterpieces but the process of creating them may prove much more enjoyable and liberating with this less pressure-packed philosophy.

It occurred to me that such an approach can be applied to performance and practice as well; not dumbing-down one's efforts and expectations, but rather, having specific goals, plans and standards of excellence for that particular point in time and place and seeing how it all works out. An exciting prospect when you think about it.