“You Can Do Anything, But Not Everything.” – David Allen, Getting Things Done
Sometimes I look back at all the activities I did in high school and college, and I wonder how did I ever fit everything into my schedule? I filled my life with school, research, orchestra, and more. I defined myself by all the things I did. However, when I started my PhD, I decided to press pause on it so I could focus on my studies. It didn’t take me long to realize that my hobbies enriched my life.
In this post, I’m sharing my musical journey throughout my life, how I took a break from it because of my PhD, and how I’m incorporating it into my PhD routine now.
My Musical Journey
Since I was 4 or 5 years old, playing music has always been a part of my life. During the day, I played in my school orchestra. After school, I practiced more piano and violin to prepare for my private lessons. Then on the weekends, my parents drove me to my piano and violin lessons, where I would almost always slightly disappoint my teachers. I was not a prodigy or virtuoso, but I liked playing because it challenged me creatively.
In college, it became harder to find a place to play. There were limited options for musicians who were not music majors. Inspired by Nodame Cantabile (an anime about the rise of a student orchestra), I created the Non-music Major Orchestra at the University of Houston (https://sisterstem.org/2019/05/29/do-what-you-love-and-make-it-worthwhile/).
After graduating, playing music in a group became more difficult. I tried to play on my own, but nothing compares to the feeling of being a full orchestra. I played piano on occasion to keep up my skills, but stopped playing violin entirely.
Pressing Pause
After I decided to come to UW-Madison, I was excited to join orchestra again. However, the only option available was a string orchestra that rehearsed on Monday nights from 8:30pm-9:20pm. I didn’t love this option because string orchestra is not as fun as a symphony orchestra. Plus, weekday rehearsals are not ideal for grad students, especially first-year students.
Instead of piling on commitments, I opted out of joining orchestra immediately. Instead, I focused on doing my best in classes, exploring research groups, and teaching decently. I settled into my new routine and found my pace.
Feeling Creatively Drained
Over the past few weeks, I started feeling creatively drained. Everything in my life became about PhD stuff. If I wasn’t doing homework, in class, or in lab rotations, I was talking about it. I am constantly surrounded by others who also only talk about chemistry or PhD stuff. I liked chemistry and my PhD life so far, but I didn’t want to be engulfed by it.
I realized that I felt drained because I didn’t make time for my hobbies. With all of my focus going to grad school activities and low energy at the end of the day, I could only do the bare minimum, which is taking care of myself.
Following My Curiosity
However, one morning I woke up and had this natural urge to start finding musical opportunities in the area. Community orchestra, church orchestra, volunteering for the local symphony box office – somewhere I could be in a musical community.
And then I found it: the Medical Sciences Orchestra from the UW-Madison medical school. It was so strange to me to find it because I never encountered it on my initial search. It was the ideal option for me because it was a symphony orchestra that rehearsed on the weekend!
I emailed them to ask about joining, and to my surprise, they were still taking on new members halfway through the semester. I attended rehearsal that weekend for the first time in years, and it felt just like where I belonged. On the repertoire list were Beethoven, Ravel, Schubert – all great pieces that I was so excited to learn, play, and perform.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I am happy that I waited for the right time to reincorporate my hobby into my PhD. Sometimes, waiting does not mean that things are not happening. In fact, not rushing a decision can help you make a better decision.
It’s also totally OK if your hobbies fall through the cracks when you are in a new phase of your life. It takes time to readjust your priorities and schedule before you can see how your hobby can fit into your life again.
You will intuitively know and feel compelled to your hobbies when the time is right. Listen to your body and energy, and follow your curiosity.
I hope that you enjoyed reading about my personal experience and takeaways from my chemistry PhD journey. If you’d like to chat more about what I’ve shared, feel free to send me an email at hello@brittanytrinh.com or send me a message on Twitter and Instagram @brttnytrnh.