Oh, I definitely experience this even with things that are not professional. For example, I’m not very musically talented, and haven’t done much other than sing badly in the shower and at karaoke since I left high school. I have little things around I could play with to get better, like a harmonica, but I just don’t have fun engaging in the play of exploring the instrument, and I think part of this is because I’m not already good enough to feel like I’m having fun. There’s this kind of subtle way curiosity and play get stopped for me when it feels too hard or like my play will only pay off far down the road.
Maybe this is the right choice ultimately, but it’s hard to know since curiosity and the related notion of play seem to valuable in their own right much of the time.
Oh, I definitely experience this even with things that are not professional. For example, I’m not very musically talented, and haven’t done much other than sing badly in the shower and at karaoke since I left high school. I have little things around I could play with to get better, like a harmonica, but I just don’t have fun engaging in the play of exploring the instrument, and I think part of this is because I’m not already good enough to feel like I’m having fun. There’s this kind of subtle way curiosity and play get stopped for me when it feels too hard or like my play will only pay off far down the road.
Maybe this is the right choice ultimately, but it’s hard to know since curiosity and the related notion of play seem to valuable in their own right much of the time.