I felt like this video warranted an entire post.
Really, every aspect of my life can be related to this post. As a musician through and through, the importance of practice is drilled into our heads from early ages. Without practice, growing as a musician is nearly impossible. I also feel that there comes a time as a musician that one moves past the point tedious practice into performance worthy art. Mine came during the second year of my Master’s degree when I realized the power of putting emotion behind music. It took me ten years of tedious practice to finally connect.
Obviously this blog is also evidence beyond music. When I started cooking and photography three years ago, I was bad and I knew it. I also knew what I liked and everyday I practiced to grow at what I loved. If I failed at making bread, I would try it again the next day. If my photos looked poor, I tried different light and angles to see the outcome. Being a musician trained me to practice (and eventually get grow.)
One of the best experiences is looking back to my earliest post and look at the food I was preparing and the photos I was taking. Three years ago making galettes and gnocchi weren’t at the top of my list. I was barely making it by with homemade pizza and spaghetti.
I think it is so easy to get discouraged (and quit.) I still struggle with that especially when it comes to areas I suck at (like fashion and design.) There are also days when I look at my photos and think, “if only I could get it to look like such and such.” This in return continues to push me. It drives me to explore, practice, and grow. I don’t necessarily like the term “better” and more prefer the term “grow.” We are always evolving and growing.
I also agree that challenges need to be set. If you want to become a better cook, pick out one or two recipes a week that challenge your comfort level in the kitchen. If it’s your photography you want to improve, go out and shoot! Also, find examples of things you like (pinterest is fantastic for this!)
So go, explore, practice, and grow. And if you want, I can treat you like my students and bribe you with cookies to practice 
Also, if you don’t know who Ira Glass is, check out This American Life on NPR.
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