Quarantine Hobbies
Learning to play the ukulele is a lesson in patience and persistence
During the long, dark season of COVID-19, I have been in my home more than ever before. I am a passionate theatre practitioner, so much of my normal activity was curtailed. I also practice pottery, but I don’t own a kiln and the community kiln was closed.
I was spending too much time clicking between Facebook and Instagram. Social media has a way of sucking me in when I am bored. I have noticed. It’s too bad, because boredom has always been a primary cause of my leaps in creativity. I was stifling myself by pining for things that I couldn’t have (like regular social interaction with someone other than my truly wonderful husband).
What to do, what to do?
I tried counted cross stitch, an activity I enjoyed with my grandmother when I was a child. Gram was a voracious seamstress of all kinds. She sewed, quilted, embroidered, knitted, and cross stitched her entire life. I was awful at everything but embroidery and counted cross stitch. “Maybe you should just stick to embroidery,” she said once, after I had crocheted a chain so tight I couldn’t get the hook through to continue.
When I revisited my childhood hobby, however, I discovered that the allure was mostly in sitting on Gram’s back deck in the summer, spending time with my most favorite of people. Nostalgia can only take a person so far. I have a lovely project half-finished going on about 8 months now. Maybe someday. But probably not.
I have a pottery wheel, so I was still throwing pottery, but all forward momentum stopped after the green ware stage. Bone-dry green ware was stacking up. When the community kiln finally reopened, I had loads of pieces to fire. Still, the satisfaction of seeing a project through all of its phases was missing. I stopped throwing as much.
Being a theatre practitioner, some of my work is playwriting. I wrote and edited an entire full-length play during quarantine. However, for me this is work. When you monetize something, it ceases to be strictly ‘for pleasure.’ Writing is a creative activity. But for me, it’s judged as worthy or unworthy by others I am employed by.
I needed a hobby with no strings attached. What I got was a ukulele.
My husband is a guitar player practically from birth. He’s the type of musician who can play any instrument he puts his mind to, and can build any stringed instrument he chooses. His mastery with stringed instruments can be intimidating.
I’m in awe of his musical prowess, and a little intimidated as well. It was surprising when he gifted me a ukulele for my birthday. Maybe he didn’t know how daunting making music was to me. I didn’t want to do something I was convinced I would never be good at. But his purchase made me stop and ponder why I thought I couldn’t learn an instrument, while he thought I could.
So, I started learning the uke. I played my way through two beginner lesson books. I watched YouTube tutorials, and am using Patreon to support an online ukulele teacher I like.
And what do you know — 9 months in, I am a decent novice player. You can recognize the tunes I am playing. I’m not great, but I am having fun. Once I let go of the need to be ‘good,’ I am better. Isn’t that always the way?
I’m proud of my progress on the ukulele. It has stretched my mind in a lot of ways. Perfection is not the end goal of my practice. Patience and persistence is. I am satisfied with my noodling. I am happy when I can recognize the tune. And dammit, it’s fun!
I shouldn’t listen to that voice in my head that says I can’t ever learn a musical instrument. When I was a child, I tried to take up cornet because my Dad played cornet in marching band. I stunk. I tried to learn guitar from a friend when I was older. I stunk. When I first picked up my uke, I stunk. But instead of giving it up, I started learning by myself and I am better.
I am a good beginner. What a wonderful place to be.
