“Flow States, Resilience, & The Fallacy of Productivity” – 100 Days of Soulforce #16

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Watch a live Soulforce Arts lesson with Joseph Arnold, violinist, Alexander Technique teacher and founder of the Soulforce Arts Academy, and Alyssa Lahoda, violinist.
Day 16 of 100 Days of Soulforce:
– How to remain resilient in the face of the busy-ness and turbulence of modern life
– What are “flow states” and how can we cultivate them?
– How regularly accessing flow states boosts resilience and well-being
– The fallacies of productivity, hurrying, and willpower
– The historical context for these fallacies: Puritanism and industrialism
– How the discomfort of having nothing to do drives needless busy-ness
– And more! See notes below for details
00:17 Alyssa describes her past and recent experiences with the flow state

03:00 Joseph talks about Jamie Wheel (flow expert); “Goldilocks zone”

05:10 Alyssa talks about the conditions of her current experiences to get to the flow state

06:30 Joseph talks about Jamie Wheels’ 3 main conditions for flow

08:06 Alyssa talks about how she chooses the music she plays based off of her emotional feeling/connection with listening to the piece

09:50 We discuss Hedonic calendaring and the importance of scheduling daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, etc. that make you happy and come alive

16:15 Alyssa mentions how she forgot her non-musical hobbies outside of music because of how busy she is with music

18:30 Joseph talks about how wellbeing should be prioritized over money, even though we need at least some money to pay for things for your wellbeing

19:04 We discuss how it’s easy to get lost in work and how “taking a day off” is looked down on in society

22:30 We discuss what happens when you’re productive vs. when you’re not productive

25:00 Joseph talks about the root of the mindset of productivity

28:40 Alyssa comments on what the short-term payoff is and the ideal goal of being productive

30:13 Joseph talks about looking for everlasting peace and how working hard can become a habit so we never reach peace

31:42 Joseph talks about familiarizing yourself with ease, and getting comfortable with doing nothing by using the magic pause

35:25 Alyssa thinks of a time this week to try the Magic Pause and ask herself what she wants to do next, rather than jumping back into work 37:30 Alyssa lists her main takeaways from our discussion
Subscribe to my blog or this YouTube channel to stay tuned!
What’s “100 Days of Soulforce”?
I’m embarking on a mission to spread the word about Soulforce Performing Arts because I believe it is a needed message for artists of all kinds in our times. To that end, I’m making 100 videos over the coming 100 days (or so) to explain all the different angles and ideas, and to hopefully spark inspiration in you! Each video will have inspirational and practical ideas for you to bring more Soulforce to your life as a performing artist.
These ideas are a part of my upcoming book: “Soulforce Performance Arts: Redefining Artistic Performance, Practice, and Pedagogy in a World That’s Lost Its Mind.” Subscribers to my newsletter will get early access and special perks. 🙂
Joseph Arnold
Violinist, Alexander Technique teacher, Founder of the Soulforce Arts Academy — Sign up for my bodacious mailing list and blog!
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