Is it Recess Yet? Confessions of a Former Child Prodigy

Wanna unstuck your writing?

Sometimes, the hardest part is getting started. We get overwhelmed by self doubt and too many (or too few) ideas as we sit, staring at the blank page. 

What if I told you that you could write more quickly, with more fun and ease?

“So….do you still play the violin?”

Learn why this question is so annoying and how we can learn to reinvent ourselves, despite our early training.

Hello friends!

I hope you are staying warm and safe out there...So, I have some pretty big news to share:

I won a Fulbright Award!

This has been a long time coming -- what with Covid wreaking havoc everywhere it was really uncertain whether the Fulbright program would be able to go forward this year. But happily, it worked out for me, so pretty soon I'll be in Korea, working on various projects and I plan to share my adventures here with you! I'm excited and grateful, of course, but also nervous to be embarking on this new chapter of my life, especially during these strange times. At the same time, I feel honored to have this chance to flex my creative courage and share my experiences with you.

Do you struggle with Imposter Syndrome?

Today, we revisit a chat from 2019 with my friend, playwright and fiction writer, Jennifer Fawcett, where we talk about: how do we give ourselves "permission"?; the importance of making your own "stuff"; struggling with "who cares" and Imposter Syndrome; how powerful and necessary it is to tell our own stories; if girls face more challenges towards self-actualization; how to keep making things even if we feel inadequate; how writing her own material helped her overcome messages that she wasn't good enough; bullying as a "magnet" topic; depression and and the perspective making power of storytelling; narcissism and social media; teaching writing workshops in Tanzania and Rwanda; motherhood and its impact on creative work and process; how storytelling creates awareness of interconnection across cultures, languages, and experiences; why perfect isn't interesting; why we should "keep going and do it anyway."

Saying “2020 has been a weird year” is an understatement. Nevertheless, I’m really grateful when I look back at the inspiring guests who were generous enough to sit down and chat with me this year. So, I thought, wouldn’t it be great to revisit some of the most popular "Is it Recess Yet?" episodes of 2020?

You know how people say that "you should make the thing that you need"? Well, in a lot of ways, I started this podcast thinking about what little Tricia, specifically teenaged Tricia, might've needed way back when, when she was starting out on her creative path. So, the one question I ask all of my guests is “what would you say to your younger self to help them on their journey?” These are some of their answers:

I'm excited to revisit the very first episode of the "Is it Recess Yet?" podcast, from 2018. My dear friend and colleague, the wonderful violinist and human, Miki-Sophia Cloud, graciously agreed to be my first interviewee. In our chat, we talk about her former life as a strolling ‘gypsy violinist’; playing by ear versus playing from sheet music; her musical studies and mentors at Harvard, Yale, and the New England Conservatory of Music; the importance of finding one's purpose as a musician, beyond the intense competitiveness of classical music and the need for approval or being "special"; and how she answers the question: “why am I doing this?” and what motivates her to make music.

Check out my 2018 podcast interview with performance psychologist, Noa Kageyama, where we learn what he meant at age 2 when he said "oa wike mugas"; what it was like to studying with Mr. Suzuki himself in Japan as a little kid, how inconsistency in his performances lead to his study of performance psychology at Juilliard; how performers can believe that performing poorly means we ‘suck’ as people; what he learned from daydreaming about winning the Lotto; the difference between the ‘critic’ versus the ‘coach’; his surprising reasons for starting his blog; why he’d tell his younger self to play more soccer; and how he answers the question “is it too late?”

In my conversation with the Rev. D. Maurice Charles, the first African American chaplain at the University of Chicago, he shares how he was called to the ministry; his family heritage of slavery and survival; his scholarly work in religion and violence; why denying the existence of systematic bias is damaging to BIPOC and oppressed groups; how music and the arts help us process trauma; and why we should "treat others not only how we want to be treated, but how they want to be treated."

In my conversation with composer and musician Kenji Bunch, we discuss the value of listening to all music with respect and curiosity; why he draws parallels between his eclectic approach to music and classically trained food chefs; why improvising and playing in non-classical styles can be really difficult for classical musicians; what it was like to be a bi-racial Asian kid in the 1970's; why giving ourselves permission to fail publicly leads to flexible musicianship and connection; and why improvising is like the movie, "The Matrix."

In my conversation with writer Karen Rile, we discuss her experience of parenting four artistic children and her interest in musicians; how flexibility and creative courage led to her founding Cleaver Magazine, a successful literary magazine; why creative writing and small amounts of deliberate practice create a vast foundation for a successful life; and how change, uncertainty, and even tragedy can bring unexpected opportunities.