ENDA Episode 19→ The time when the Endless Apprentice learned the importance of playing Music (Part 2)

What I was told the day I revealed to my teacher from “Shortfilm Direction” that I was cutting my days of piano practicing because of the school workload, was certainly not what I expected.

First, he told me that I should keep playing music. I didn’t understand at first why he cared. But then he explained (I’ll paraphrase) that we as digital artists live stressed enough with work alone. If we start to abandon our other hobbies or the arts in which we are good too for more work, then our lives will pass from difficult, to Extremely difficult.

He was right indeed, without realizing it I was following the same path that took me away from music in college for years. Even though I had a stronger compromise this time, there was the possibility that I end up abandoning it. So I decided to retake the full practice days while keeping up with the project.

“Was it difficult?” Yes, but it was worth it. Music like many other arts or hobbies has a particularity, it allows you to disconnect temporarily from the world and just let yourself flow with your emotions. I explained in previous episodes how we can learn the VFX Haki, but even after all the training, we need something that helps us stabilize all that energy in a stable flux.

I can’t recall the number of times when playing one or more songs has helped me to release a lot of stress and allowed me to take a breath from a difficult shot, just to return and have a clear mind on how to solve it.

It also allows you to meet a whole new world of people and stories never told. Knowing and living the Grand Line of VFX is a great thing, but as I explained in that series there are other Grand Lines with their own professionals, their own aspirations, their own dreams and their own stories….

All the people that I’ve met thanks to music: teachers, friends, and other musicians, all the things they have shared with me from their experiences, their stories, their knowledge. Has given me a wider vision of the world and has allowed to have a life outside of the office or the school, one that I’m grateful.

When I decided to travel to the Grand Line, I knew that I had to leave all those friends behind to continue my journey, but that didn’t mean that I would stop playing music. No, I’ve already learned how important was music in my life and I would keep playing till the day I can’t do it anymore.

And besides, just like the final phrase in the video clip of the last song that I played with my friends in my last recital: “Let’s get together again sometime”.

A melodious future still waits for us.

What is your story with music? Do you have another hobby? I would like to hear about it.