Re-inventing & Re-emerging!

Happy Spring!

Other than allergies (!) this is my favorite time of year…it represents possibilities, and new ideas, and freshness, and clarity!

So, what about you? Can you re-invent yourself and re-emerge?

In a word: absolutely.

So often, we feel we can’t stop, we can’t take time off, we can’t, we can’t, we can’t - for fear we will be lost in the shuffle or forgotten and have to start over.

Wrong.

If we never stop, never take time off, never take a moment to catch our breath, we burn out, we get cynical, we lose the love and the passion for why we do what we do.

If we believe we are artistic souls and spirits, we need to feed that and nurture that in order to keep the well full to draw on for our artistic lives.

Again, I share with you this little secret: the business isn’t going anywhere. It will be there if you decide to take a vacation; travel; explore another avenue; have a life outside of theatre for a minute or two;

If you are answering “yes, but…” Slow. Down. The business isn’t going anywhere. If you don’t take time to create a life that allows you to breathe, explore, rest, laugh, BE - you aren’t going anywhere either.

When things feel stale, mundane, then it’s time to re-invent. That can mean so many different things, and can just as creative! The possibilities are ENDLESS. They only need to make sense to you. No explanation necessary. If it gets you excited, if it interests you, focus on it. Explore it. Explore YOU in it. It doesn’t mean you are turning your back on theatre; It means you are bigger than the hustle.

Embrace that reinvention. Explore where it takes you, knowing when you choose to return - the business hasn’t gone anywhere. You have! And you will bring more into your artistic world, and how you choose to be seen in auditions, in your social media presence, in classes and lessons, in workshops, with your colleagues and peers.

How you re-invent yourself is up to you. Let your gut lead you. Allow yourself to gestate and grow there as long as you need to; you can always return and rediscover THAT as well.

Reinvention allows you control of your narrative. Don’t let the questions throw you! Once you re-emerge and begin exploring the business and how you fit there, the questions will come: who are you? where have you been? how come I haven’t seen you before/in a while?

Let the curiosity of others allow you permission to have a narrative, and don’t be afraid to create a succinct answer that keeps them curious!

“I took some time off to travel/explore/have another life…and now I am back, refreshed with more to offer!”

“I gave myself permission to explore other interests, knowing the roles I am really wanting to play are still waiting for me to be ready”.

SO many possibilities in HOW you emerge and re-emerge. So many possibilities in how you answer the questions that may come your way. Embrace that curiosity too

Allow yourself permission to be still and know how, why and when that is for you. Also know, it can happen more than once.

Your artistic life has no expiry. It will continue to grow because of how you view the world and how you live your life.

Audition, class, coaching, lesson rinse & repeat does not have to be a way of life. That grind gets tired very vey quickly.

Learning how to step away, to step into, to mix it up, to add something, to take something away, to be more discerning, is CRUCIAL to your re-invention and your re-emerging!

Allow the possibility of you to emerge. In your time. Know you can create it fully. Creating isn’t starting over - it’s just beginning from where you are.

Take a breath and move into it at your own pace. No “yes, but…” but rather, “Yes, and…”