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BRIAN CLARKE-Share Your Story

Nothing is impossible

The Art of Learning (TAOL) spoke to me about potential. The ideas in TAOL transformed my journey as a musician because I was able to live with a new understanding of my potential and how it would be realized.  No matter how difficult a certain piece of music is, it can be mastered. The Art Of Learning teaches us that practically nothing is impossible.  Dive in and trust the process.

Working deeper, not wider

For a musician there are many small technical adjustments and segments of motion that make up even the simplest of skills.  Strumming an open string chord on the guitar can sound beautiful and complex or it can sound very one-dimensional.

It’s the same chord but there are many degrees of expression available. Understanding how a deeply refined skill in one area will accelerate my pursuit in others I was very content to focus for hours on the way I played a single major scale in one octave.

MusicianEach note possessed infinite degrees of nuance.  As a new depth in my playing began to emerge during my performances I became even more enthusiastic about Josh’s ideas.  Ron Carter is a world-class bassist.  He is a teacher as well.  A fellow musician from St. Louis was able to secure an hour of Ron’s time and went to New York for his bass lesson with the great master. All they did for over an hour was play a Bb major scale, with Ron exhorting the student to immerse himself ever deeper into each note’s potential for expression. This tells us clearly that the great masters understand the meaning of small circles; this is how mastery is to be pursued and attained.

Success is inevitable

Free from the disabling concept that some people are born with talent and others are not, we learn from Josh how to give ourselves the chance toclimb mountain succeed.  Are we willing to step into that process and give our body and mind the opportunity to excel?  If not, that is ok too. Just as long as we know it’s our choice.  We can climb the mountain if we are willing to. I take this very personally and I understand my prospects going forward are very much in my hands.  This alone, is a tremendously powerful revelation.  Champions are made when no one is watching.

It’s up 2 U

Possibly the most promising gift from Josh’s message is a broad and sweeping comprehension that this Art Of Learning applies to all of our human endeavors.  Maybe it’s a complicated foreign language you may wish to learn, or possibly you are intimidated by math.

canvasIt could even be a journey of personal healing.  TAOL teaches us to view any challenge as a grand set of small skills.  Over time and with focus they are threaded together seamlessly and mastery is ours.  Life is our adventure, our canvas to paint and to experience.  No one else that I know of has articulated the visceral truth of our potential as thoughtfully and clearly as Josh.  And come to think of it, is that any surprise?  I think Josh would be the first to say, “Why not you?”

Thank you, Josh.  All the best,

Brian Clarke

Kirkwood, MO

www.brianclarkeonline.com

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