— Own it — Creating something from your heart and sharing with the audience right on the spot can be extremely vulnerable. It’s like jumping off a cliff to dive into the dark vortex of unknown while keeping your heart open and creating art, all at once. And let people witness the whole process. I’ve been *journaling* on the piano and expressing emotions through improv music for the past 15 years. It had always been a private practice. Only about 8 years ago, I started exploring live improvisational performances on the piano and what it means to become a conduit, channeling the audience and transmuting their energy to co-create flow and harmony. For one of my recent performances, I found myself feeling a bit excited-nervous because it was a completely new vibe, different environment from what I’d been used to. I turned to my trusted friend, collaborator @srieffect and asked her what kind of inspirations I should look to. Sri goes, “you don’t need anymore inspiration, you already have it within you, Ayaka. You just tap in and own your art.” What a simple answer, yet profound. By trusting ourselves, we can connect with our heart, soul and true creative power. From that place, I was able to draw inspirations from within, become a pure channel to receive the audience’s energy to turn it into music. Owning our art and sharing the gift with the world are the best thing we can do for ourselves and everyone around us ♥️