you’re only a beginner once…a bunch of times

lately I’ve been thinking of all of the new things I’m learning right now. I’m also thinking about how they are so new and foreign to me, I wonder if I can ever master them. I want to be part of the band in the spring so so much. The only problem is that there is no room for me in the woodwinds, so I’m learning a brass instrument. Granted, I love the other people in my section and brass gets a little more attention from the director (which is a little unfair, but when you get to choose your section…you know??) everyone in the band has been so supportive of me, but of course the real learning is up to me. It’s been so hard that I wonder if I can do it. I’m also being heavily challenged in my creative writing class. I’ve never written creatively in a formal setting, and on my own, my favored format is the essay. Fictional prose? Eh. I’m having trouble shying away from the autobiographical. Everyone else in my class is so talented, and knowing I have to read my work out loud makes me hold back.  However, I keep looking at my first sketchbooks to remind myself that I used to hide my cartoon character’s hands because I couldn’t shade before I got to doing commissioned portrait work. The most difficult hurdles to overcome are always the ones at the very beginning. You’re only a beginner once! Well, until the next time you try something new.