I’m Aric With An A
And I’m here to tell ya…
My mom changed my name from Eric to Aric several days after coming home from the hospital. I used to be as unique as this quetzal. Now you can find quite a few of us Arics.
I have been writing in medical charts daily for the past ten years. With all that typing during the day on top of years of data entry clerical work in my previous career, I suffered from a bit of ulnar neuropathy (like carpal tunnel but different).
My eyes also bothered me with all the screen time. And I didn’t have much energy left at the end of the day. So, I put aside my creative writing for several years.
I engaged in other left brain pursuits and kept my artistic side nourished. I took up singing in a men’s barbershop chorus for several years. I spent a great many hours learning to play bluegrass music on the banjo too.
One day in late December, I sat that instrument down on its stand and let my subscription to ArtistWorks lapse. I was a bit fatigued. I found myself walking a line between stimulating my left brain, and causing myself excessive frustration.
Even though I’ve made some strides on the banjo, I’m just not an innately talented musician. Music simply does not come naturally for me. Despite hours learning, trying to play better and level up, I wasn’t achieving…
