Hey Folks.
If you are new to scratching, it can be super frustrating when you cannot scratch how you want to scratch, compared to the scratching that inspires you and that you aspire to. Here is some inspiration that puts things in context and will hopefully inspire you to keep practicing:
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“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me.
All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.
But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you.
A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this.
We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have.
We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work.
Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story.
It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.
And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile.
You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
– Ira Glass
I can totally relate to this explanation. In our case, the work Ira is referring to is scratching. For the first couple of years I knew the sounds I wanted to make with my scratching, but I wasn’t there yet with my techniques and style. It was frustrating and I was disappointed with my cuts most of the time. I kept going and that brought my to where I am today. I have put in many hours of practice which was not always fun, but you have to push on through. If it gets too serious and not fun, have a break and come back to it. Be reassured that you know what sounds good and you will get to the point where what you hear in your head and what you can do with your hands will match up, “you’ve just gotta fight your way through”.
Here is some artwork you can print out to remind yourself when things get tough:
Until next time…
Happy Scratching! Keep going! 😀
– Short-E