Purpose/Process

Welcome to my brain as I freeform and write some thoughts down.

What is the purpose of process?

What is the process of purpose?

These two questions have been sifting through my mind this week.

Let’s not sugar coat it: pursuing a career, having a career, maintaining a career, IS HARD. It is hard AF.

So, what about purpose?

What about process?

How do they intersect, influence, and reveal identity in both?

There are many definitions of purpose: an intention; an intention to derive meaning in one’s life/in one’s pursuits; a sense of meaning or calling; discovering passions, values & strengths;

Purpose is a personal journey that involves introspection, exploration, and aligning your values and passions with your actions. It's not about a single, definitive answer.

Only you can define purpose for yourself. It can be a broad stroke, and it can be a detailed and specific outline. It really depends on you.

Every step of milestone of the journey allows us to re-define that purpose, hone in on its details or perhaps shift perspective. Purpose exists outside of a career per se. You could say that your purpose is to sing at The Met, or on Broadway, and my response would be “really? that’s it?” That is a destination, not a purpose. What is the purpose of being there. What is that about?

And what about process? A series of steps or actions to achieve something specific; inspiration & ideas that are explored and experimented with; decisions made as to what is selected & what is rejected; producing and refining those ideas; reflection, adjustments & change; presenting and connecting.

All of these can be used as a template to journey through with everything we do artistically - from practicing, to developing a character, to being in a rehearsal room, to the stage, to figuring out what we want to present in an audition!

Purpose and process must intersect to find a fully dimensional moment. How that intersection happens is as unique as you are, every single time it happens. It’s never exactly the same. We can’t really produce it, nor can we control it. We simply need to be ready for it, and aware of it.

We may have a “process” of how we practice. And then, suddenly the voice changes, or demands something else of you, and that process needs to adjust to the purpose of the voice.

We may have a process of how we learn music. And then, suddenly we have a song or aria or role that is unlike anything we have done before and it demands a shift in approach, in thinking, in adapting, and the process adjusts to accommodate that purpose.

So, what have I learned about purpose and process? Process and purpose?

It’s fluid. It’s changeable. It’s adjustable. It’s flexible. It’s individual. It’s never finished. Thank the gods.

Let your purpose morph WITH you.

Let your process propel you and ground you and anchor you.

Let the two find the ability to synch together and intersect where they intersect. Let them adjust and re-adjust.

Let your purpose evolve.

Let your process evolve.

Let your being evolve to bridge them.

Release the idea of all or nothing.

Embrace everything. Release nothing. Commit to it all.

You are an artist. The purpose of your artistry has a process. Find it, claim it, and do it.

Find your process.

Find your purpose.

Find your purpose of process.

Find your process of purpose.

And let it change when it’s ready.

with fondness & fiercess,