The masters are up there just having a good time.

I saw a Robert Glasper concert last night at Yoshi's in Jack London Square. The man is a master of his craft—a jazz pianist blending hip-hop, spoken word, vocals, and electronics into his sets while accompanied by top-level NYC jazz musicians.

The show wasn't just playing through a bunch of standards. It wasn't one announcement of a song after another. It was a flow of motifs and improvisations, one transitioning to the next seamlessly. It left me guessing how Glasper structured the set to ensure his fellow musicians knew where they were in the music.

The feature that struck me most was the effortless, relaxed nature of the performance. Honestly, it looked like they were just a bunch of friends up there, messing around with musical ideas, and having a good time. It just so happens that they're so good at what they do that people will pay to see them do it for fun.

The show gave me a new North Star, a fresh goal to strive toward: effortless, relaxed, and fun performance. There's tons of training and practice that goes into making that possible, but when it comes to the stage, I love the idea of complete relaxation. It's the confidence that no matter what you play, it will be well received and respected.

I've had a taste of that with my sitar playing. Maybe it's due to the uniqueness of the instrument, the low-key nature of venues, or the relaxed expectations of audiences, but I've generally received only positive feedback for my sitar playing (for better and for worse). Here's the great thing about that: I know what it feels like to go on stage without fear because I know people will enjoy whatever I play.

There's tremendous power in that confidence. There's freedom in it. It has allowed me to explore, grow, and make mistakes on stage. It's allowed me to tap more into my emotions when I play because fear or nervousness isn't blocking my flow. It's the power to go for it, fail, learn, and ultimately succeed.

You don't need a unique instrument or 10,000 hours of practice to build that confidence. It starts with small steps—low-key gigs, getting out there on the regular. It's the yin and yang of focused practice on your own and solidifying what you've learned by sharing it publicly.

If you're an artist, remember that your art isn't art until it ships (thx for that gem of insight, Seth Godin). Shipping and failing is part of the process.

Yes, it's cliche! We've heard it a million times. But there's wisdom in it. How do you exercise it?

Get a regular gig. Get a residency. Give yourself a systematic means of sharing and performing your work. A gig is worth a thousand rehearsals. A residency only amplifies that. We need habits and systems to automate our growth—regular exposure is just that for an artist.

So let's loop it back: how do we develop that ease and mastery? Practice and performance, paired with the automated regularity of a residency or recurring gig.

So get out there. What will you do to find your regular performance spot?