airdevilblog-blog

[airdevilblog-blog]

You’re Only as ___ as You Think You are

We’ve all been there. Somebody comes into your job (studio, classroom, whatever) and tries to teach you something. Something new. Something different. Maybe its a new computer program, or a new way of going about a task. They obviously know what they’re doing, and they’re explaining it well enough, but it completely goes over our heads. Finally, they smile and say “Now you try.”

There’s nothing like realizing the spotlight is shining on you when you blanked out 30 seconds into the demonstration. Your silent head nods were on autopilot while the rest of your brain grumbled about how confused you were, how unskilled you were, how (insert negative comment here) you were.

Now try being that other person. You’ve mastered your subject. You’ve broken it down to the smallest, bite-sized pieces you can and now you’re about to have to force feed it to someone who swears that they won’t get it, even though you heard that many times before.

I’ve trained at least a few hundred students in the past year, and I have at least one person each week that comes into my beginner class who doesn’t believe in their own abilities. They say they’re too old, too fat, too weak, too _____. And I tell them the following:

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right. Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” - Henry Ford

You may think that Henry Ford was a pontificating businessman, but the truth is he was right about all of it. While there’s a lot of factors that go into learning and skill acquisition (more on that in another post) one of the biggest is the mindset of the student. Teachers struggle to teach someone who refuses to learn. Especially if that person doesn’t believe that have the ability to learn the skill. But the funny thing is, no one is born more able to do something than anyone else. Its a combination of interest, passion and instruction that makes the greats who they are. I repeat: You are no more incapable of learning physical or mental skills than anyone else in the world.

You may not progress as quickly as your friends, but the truth is that the more you try, the better you get and what you’re working on. Don’t be afraid of messing things up - its unlikely the end of the world. But it may be the end of your pride.

Take a look at these videos - One of me as I start working on handstands, the other a video of an 90 yo woman who kicks my butt with her gymnastics ability.

https://youtu.be/ZnDeVOBAXF4

https://youtu.be/W2bOED5LzZw

[airdevilblog-blog]

Waaaay Too into This Aerial Dance Thing

It’s 23:48 at night, I have work in the morning and what am I doing? Getting ready for bed? Quite the contrary. I’ve just had green tea, and I’m pouring over literally hundreds of videos. Videos of what, you ask? Videos of footlocks, flips, back bends and planches. Videos of handstands, consecutive pirouettes, and drops with ridiculous names like ‘The Pumbeting Whore.’

Why? Because they’re awesome. Because they’re awe-inspiring. Because I made the mistake of logging in to Youtube after checking my email, and discovered I had a crap-ton of videos hand-picked to pique my interest to watch. Because I am OBSESSED with movement- based arts.

Let me rewind a bit: My name is Jin. I’m 24 years old and started my movement journey in 2009 when I took my first hiphop class. I can’t remember why I was so interested, but whatever the reason hip hop classes were high up on my list of things to do. I was stressed and going through what has luckily been the worst bout of depression I’ve faced in my life. *knocks on wood* The classes were my way of trying to ‘keep the fire burning’ while on an upswing, having realized that suicidal thoughts aren’t normal, especially for an 18 year old. Since then, I’ve taken to hula-hooping, acting, burlesque, and most importantly, aerial dance.

Aerial dance is my passion, probably because of how much doing it has and continues to teach me about my body, my mind, and what I am capable of. What anyone in the world is capable of. It’s given me strength. It’s taught me discipline. (well... sorta) It’s taught me that I am more than capable of taking my life into my own hands and making it what I desire. It’s been the strongest tool I’ve had to fight off depression, and it rarely fails me. Being so focused on my body and mind has been wonderful. I’ve been able to become at least part of the person I’ve always wanted to be, and I push myself closer to that goal everyday. Even better, I get to teach all those lessons to others.

SO... I’m up at an ungodly hour, watching contact tango. Because I want to push myself and my students to being the best expression of themselves possible. I want people to feel empowered within themselves, and appreciate their lives and the world around them. And sometimes that means I have to grab a can of Red Bull before work. Because I’m waaaaay too into to this aerial dance thing.