Language & Mindset

I am a practitioner. I do not see myself as an academic, nor as a voice scientist. I practice. I learn. I keep asking ‘why’. I observe. I trust my instincts (well, mostly…). Well, always with my practice!

In this practice of singing, of teaching, there are so many layers, levels, discoveries, nuances & more.

I work hard to understand. I work hard to discover new and effective language in the pursuit of something larger.

The language we use can be helpful, or it can be create a disaster. Language can affect mindset, and mindset can determine language.

I challenge myself daily. It’s not always comfortable. What language am I using with myself? What language am I used to using? Is it serving me? Is it keeping my mindset from expanding?

I can never say this too much, but being an artistic creative does not assume a career. Having a career doesn’t make you an artistic creative. Simply said, making music and making a living making music are two very different things.

Dare to unravel that for yourself first.

Do we want changes in our industry? Absolutely. Business, like academia, is slow to change. What CAN change is the language we use with ourselves, the language we refuse to use anymore, and the conscious choice of mindset in order to navigate the business of show.

You can even take some of the “lingo” we use without thinking (these are the most dangerous IMO) and choose to change your language and your mindset with that association. It’s words like “rejection”, and phrases like “PFO” and “young artist”. that are used without thought, that can often cause more mindset damage than we realize.

Language and mindset isn’t a negotiation with the industry. Language and mindset is a conversation with the SELF.

If you refuse to use certain language and reframe it for yourself, you can begin introducing that language into your lexicon with self, and with others. Your reframe leads you into the space between you and the email of enquiry; you and the submission; you and the artistic director; you and company.

The language and mindset then can help you determine your boundaries.

I already hear what you are pushing back about, by the way. Yes, but, Susan, the industry does it THIS way, and I can’t do it another way.

Really? Have you tried? Being creative demands it! Being creative allows you to take a chance and try it another way!

“It’s always been done this way” doesn’t cut it. Challenge it. But not from a defensive posture. That mindset doesn’t work for anything. Change the language and approach.

Dare to expose what is under that language and under that mindset: not just in the industry, but in the self. You might not feel the word “rejection” has any affect on you, but if you take the time to unravel what it does, you may find a much better word to replace it that will not trigger defensiveness, anger, frustration and more.

Even something as seemingly benign as “young artist” makes me itch. I have changed that to “emerging artist”. or “developing artist”. It gives a movement, and a momentum that is positive, possible, freeing…

And yes, I still hear you…but Susan, the industry won’t change, hasn’t changed, so why should I bother?

And to that I say this: if YOU do not take care of your mindset, how can you evoke change in the industry? If you are not healthy, how can you demand change?

You bother, because YOU are worth it. Your self talk, your mindset, your mental health, your psyche are worth it. Your artistic temperament is worth it. Your creativity is worth it. Your self worth is priceless.

That’s why you bother. That’s why you pursue. That’s why it’s messy and frustrating, and work and it’s also why it’s riveting and rewarding and revealing!

Challenge that language you use with yourself. Challenge your mindset. Step away if you have to, in order to create the space you need to see what you need to see. The boundaries you create then become creative negotiation and not pushback, anger and rigidity.

These self-challenges are continual. The realizations happen when you are open to discovering them. They are ongoing, and just like the journey of creativity it takes time and life to figure it out.

I continue to challenge myself. It never ends. That isn’t a negative either, it is a possibility!

with fondness & fierceness,