I've already blabbed about bad habits that prevent or stymy productivity, but honestly, one of the really fascinating things that you learn about yourself when you take a step back and examine the necessary steps to your goal is the way little imperfections make themselves evident. In fact, as much as the whole of the self-teaching process really excites me, I think it is this element of re-examination, deconstruction and refinement which most motivates me.
If I had to guess, I'd say it's the artistic impulse in me--particularly the part that adores the history and critical theory--that makes it so. Of course, the arts and culture in general tend to undergo periods of dramatic overthrow, where a radical challenge is posed to the status quo and things can never be the same, and these are the turning points most people remember. Fair enough, but to me, the immediate results of that shift are only very rarely the greatest exponents; no, those tend to come from the series of subsequent dialogues which examine the new paradigm, respecting it enough to believe it can withstand having bits taken apart and rearranged.
Though I'm tempted to talk about visual art, architecture and literature here, I imagine the example of contemporary music is more likely to hit a resonant note (hur hur) with my (non-existent) readership. So, then, consider punk rock. Depending on who you ask, they're most likely to tell you that the heyday of punk rock ran from the late 60s to the mid 70s (The Stooges, The Ramones, The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers) or from the late 70s to the mid 80s (Misfits, Black Flag, Minutemen, The Replacements). However, the earliest stirrings of what would become punk lay at the very end of the 50s and start of the 60s, with the formation of The Kingsmen in 1959 and of The Sonics in 1960. Later joined by MC5, The Velvet Underground and others, these bands would infuse a rawness, aggression and minimalist ethos into rock n' roll which laid the foundations for a genre that now has diverse subclassifications, has fused with every from blues to ska to metal to folk, and speaks very powerfully to millions. But though I love the great 'protopunk' bands of yore, and would consider The Sonics among my favorites, I do not think I would consider them the best punk bands.
They are seminal, and entirely necessary in the evolution of punk as we know it, but it is the examination, appropriation and experimentation that followed over the decades that have yielded not only the most beloved punk bands, but all the driving indie post-punk and garage revival stuff that has been taking the world by storm since the 80s. These things are refinements of the revolution, equipped to express certain ideas with a power and precision that their forebears were not.
Similarly, when one is striving to build one's self, some lifestyle changes are dramatic and momentous--committing to regular exercise and dietary control strike me as two examples in my case--and some are more minute. While starting one's pursuit of a goal is arguably the 'most important' step, if you do not stop every now and then to question and evaluate your progress, if you're not willing to tear it down sometimes, you'll likely find that the skill you have developed poorly will need to be unlearned in order to actually let you progress to the next stage.
Finally, and just as importantly, these adjustments are tangible progress, complete with the assurance that you are actually able to improve yourself with concentration, effort and savvy. Never underestimate the value of that psychological component.
Still learning,
~L
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