When we want to get good at something, we know to practice the discipline.

A lot of people will also cross-train with sibling disciplines.

A few examples:

  • Saxophonists practice piano
  • Actors practice directing
  • A salsa dancer might practice ballet

Sibling disciplines are siblings because they come from the same family.

Which means they share the same culture.

Personally, I’ve gotten the most mileage out of cousin disciplines.

That’s my name for disciplines that share the same DNA, but have a completely different culture.

A few examples:

  • A public speaker taking theatre classes (the family of standing on a stage, delivering memorized lines, and projecting to the back of the room)
  • A singer taking voice acting training (tone production, vocal control, and range)
  • A fiction writer taking improv classes (scenes, idea development, character interaction)

I get the most mileage out of pairing a rigorous cousin with a non-rigorous cousin, or a technical cousin with a non-technical cousin.

If you really want to spread your wings (and learn new things), cross-train cousin disciplines.