The Artists 4 Artists Newsletter Released!

If you subscribe to my Artists 4 Artists Newsletter,  it was released at midnight last night and should be in your inbox somewhere!

If you don't subscribe,  and still want to take a look at the many resources in it,  the link below will take you there!

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This newsletter,  although heavily NYC-based,  has many other cities/areas with resources as well as ONLINE WORLDWIDE resources.

From coaches in opera and music theatre,  to classes for performance,  to skin care and makeup artistry,  to fitness,  to photographers,  to finance specialists for artists,  to composers,  to social media and website design and MUCH more - I hope there is something you can find that you might need now, or tuck away for when you may need it!

The newsletter is a labor of love for me and a chance to give back a little to my community of artists.

Hope you enjoy reading through and if you are interested in subscribing to this particular newsletter you can sign up here:

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Here's to the artists that support other artists!  Our community is STRONG!

What about YOU?

Saturday musings...

This audition season for music theatre and opera performers has been what many of you are referring to "the hunger games".

It has left so many of you exhausted, frustrated, angry, defeated, sad, and second-guessing what you are doing.

It breaks my heart.  I see your commitment,  your struggle,  your desire,  your drive...

Yes, there is much that is wrong with the system.  There are flaws in every aspect of the business.  We have little control over that, and must watch it hit critical mass before it changes,  IF it changes.

But, more importantly, what about YOU?

You the performer;  you the artist;  you the human being.

What have you done for YOU during this hunger games season?

When you feel depressed, sad, exhausted, wondering, what do you DO?

If you are a performer wanting a career,  that focus can be exhausting if you actually ignore YOU.  Now you might say,  but Susan, I am studying and taking lessons and classes and going to seminars and intensives and and and...

Okay...but I ask again,  what about YOU?

Does auditioning give you joy?  Does spending all that money on application fees make you warm and fuzzy?

These are the necessary evils to become viable in the business...this is NOT YOU.

Remember when just stretching your body and making sounds and singing gave you JOY?

What is your goal?  Yes, working and being paid for your work is a goal;  Having reliable craft is a goal;  Sustainability in your work is a goal.

What about nurturing yourself THROUGH your voice?

What made you love to sing in the first place?  Do you remember?

How did it make you FEEL?

Listen,  I am goal-oriented as the next type A personality! I get it.  However, pursuing, and working toward something, and focusing - all good things - can sometimes exhaust us.  It is outside of us, and we forget what brought us to this aspiration in the first place.

Who inspired you?

Who believed in you?

Who inspires you now?  Who believes in you now?

Do YOU inspire you?  Do YOU believe in you?

How does it FEEL to take a singing breath?  To just sing because,  oh I don't know...YOU LOVE IT.

What happens when you let all that pursuit release for a few minutes and just come to a song BECAUSE YOU WANT TO;  because you love it;  because you love how it makes you FEEL. 

Nothing more,  nothing less.  Just how it FEELS.

The depletion we feel during and after a hard audition season where we must focus on the DOING to get seen to be called back to have a chance to be hired,  can not just fatigue us;  it can get in the way of us remembering WHY we do the actual singing;  the actual acting;  the actual dancing.

If you can find the joy again and re-discover and re-commitment to the JOY we experience with no value judgement and no pressure, then perhaps there's a chance to be still enough to recuperate from the fatigue.

Maybe, just maybe,  we change our focus to ourselves in the truest form, and our artistry and commitment to the nurturing of self reveals more truths and allows us to TRUST again. 

Perhaps,  finding that space for self will allow for a still moment to release and discover why  it feels GOOD to sing;  why we wanted to in the first place!

Feeling, and letting all the real and positive and beautifully overwhelming feelings envelop us might be EXACTLY what each of us needs right now.

I dare you to nurture YOU.  Shift your focus just a little bit inward and trust it won't betray you.

I dare myself the same thing.

Ignorance is not Bliss

It really isn't. 

Many of us, when we look back at things we did in our studies, in the business,  when we didn't know what we do now, CRINGE at how we handled things.

It happens to ALL of us.

However, it doesn't mean you cannot be as prepared as possible and when you know better, you do better.

Let's talk auditions, shall we?

In music theatre,  things are a little slower now for holiday season and will ramp up again soon enough.

In opera, deadlines are coming for summer program applications,  many YAPs and general auditions are happening now.

What are YOU doing?

Here's just a quick check list to see if you are ready to truly be taken seriously for whatever you are focusing on.

1.  Are you studying?

This doesn't mean once in a while,  or calling a teacher or a coach for a "quick fix" the day before or the week prior to an audition.  This means, are you studying regularly?  Figuring out what that means for you is CRUCIAL for you!

2.  Are you ready to audition for what you are want to be seen for?

Do you know the business landscape you are entering?  Do you know what is required?  Are you accessing that fully enough in your current development to be seen as a viable candidate?

3.  Are you taking workshops about the business of show?  Do you take advantage of blogs, webinars, online skype sessions, and in person workshops to get to know what the business of show is really about?

4.  Do you have a team around you that can give you TRUTH about where you are in your current development to help you with recognizing the mine fields, what to avoid,  where to be seen?

5.  Are you doing regular research about casting directors, opera companies,  conductors,  directors, agents, regional theatre companies,  summer stock and the like, in order to recognize the people who are in the position to hear you and hire you?

6.  Are you working on the "other" aspects of your craft - not just singing - like acting,  audition protocol,  dancing and/or moving well?

7.  How is your online presence?  Are you up-to-date with your website?  Are you visible professionally on social media?  Are you on audition sites for submissions?

8.  Do you know how to prepare for the actual AUDITION with repertoire,  presentation,  what you wear,  how you approach things?

9.  Are you overwhelmed yet?????

That last one was supposed to make you laugh.

It CAN be overwhelming.  It doesn't have to be.  Breaking things down for yourself will help you figure out where you are,  show you were you might need a little more time,  a little more attention,  and help you organize what can be an overwhelming process.

There is no reason to feign ignorance anymore.  It often is used as a stress management tactic,  but it never really fools anybody.  The only person it might fool,  is you.

If you commit to your process,  you will find what you need in order to access what you are ready for NOW.

NOW is all we have.  Use it wisely.  Don't wish,  just get it done.  One step at a time.

Theatre isn't going anywhere.  When YOU are ready to be seen and heard,  it will be there.

Don't panic,  don't whine.  Don't claim ignorance in this day & age.  Find what you need;  if you don't know what you need, ask for some guidance!  Many of us are here to help you get on the right path for YOU.

During this upcoming holiday season,  take stock,  be real with yourself,  begin to discover more about yourself and prepare to step securely into your NEW YEAR as you pursue this crazy, wild and wonderful business, called show!

Needs & Wants

happy September!

We are into the middle of the month already,  and I am not sure how that happened, but ONWARD!

As the academic year as begun, and audition season starts in full force,  here come those questions again:

What do I want?

What do I need in order to do what I want?

Will my wants change if I really focus on my needs?

Am I willing to be honest enough to truly figure out what my needs are first in order to discover if my wants are actually viable?

It's time to take stock and question in order to find the answers and then put those answers into action!

Do you make lists?

Do you create a vision board?

Do you write in a journal?

What gives you a more focused and somewhat tangible accountability outside your own thoughts?

Whatever works for you,  do it.  This helps to keep things clear as you can stand with some distance and objectivity in order to create some order of the chaos!

There is no direct path - however, needs & wants when it comes to a balance of craft and business of show,  should be there to bring each other into higher relief.

The clearer you are the more concise you can be to discover what you have to do to focus on those wants and needs and how they feed each other in a positive way.

Wanting to be a working actor or working singer,  and being told you aren't ready because you refuse to acknowledge what you NEED to get there,  isn't serving you.  You are spinning your wheels,  wasting time and probably money,  and getting little of what you need and ultimately nothing that you feel you want.

 I see too much "cart before horse" activity. As an example:  if you are a dancer and your singing is holding you back,  then do your research,  find out who is teaching voice and will give you the tools (not the tricks) to SING WELL and find your voice and build the craft of voice to access what you NEED to be able to feel confident and strong walking into that callback or audition.

 If part of what you NEED isn't developed enough,  you've got to address it in order to access your craft more fully.

Don't use the crutches - throw them away and get to work!

If I tell you that I want to wear this gown,  and can't because I am 20 pound heavier than I want to be and do nothing to get off my ass to lose those 20 pounds and just complain that I can't wear that gown - the responsibility is not on the business, or the gown, or the 20 pounds! 

The responsibility is on ME!!!
 How badly do I want to wear that gown?  What do I need to do in order to do that?
Do I have what it takes to DO what I need to do in order to reach that goal and wear that gown?  What is actually important to me?  Wearing the gown?  Taking off the weight? Feeling good and healthy?  Just talking about it?


See where I am going?

Often we get cluttered in our wants/needs,  and end up feeling overwhelmed,  and then, do nothing, or give up.

Fall season is a chance to slow things down,  go inward and start to get real with ourselves.

What are we doing?

What are we doing too much of?  Why?

What are we wanting but not achieving?

What are we being told we need to do?

Are we looking into that?

Are we ignoring that?

Are we dismissing that?

Why?

Yes, sometimes it's bullshit.  Sometimes it's not.  Sometimes it will reveal what we really need to see.  Always remember the source.

What are we afraid of?

What are we ready to claim?

 And guess what,  it's okay to say "I'm not ready to do that yet."

We have to be ready.

We have to be ready to identify the differences between needs and wants.

We have to be ready to dream.

We have to be ready to put action into acquiring those dreams.

We have to be ready to realize what those wants REQUIRE OF US.

We have to be ready to have an honest conversation with self,  and seek out those who will be straight with us and help build us up - not tell us what we would like to hear in order to stay comfortable and complacent.

Write out what you want.  Create a vision board.  Work one want at a time.  Don't overwhelm yourself.

Then start researching and discovering what you need in order to move you closer.

DESIRE your NEED,  not just your want.

The journey and the work doesn't have to be overwhelming.  In fact,  committing to the realization of the NEED can be more fulfilling than you ever imagined. 

The work can then illuminate the deeper truth of the want.

Dream, aspire,  create the big picture.

Then desire and focus on the steps to create a journey that is uniquely yours and yours alone.

Desire the need.

Plant the seeds to fulfill your needs.

Watch what happens!

 

Bring it into the room!

Friday musings...

Well,  I am busy with many projects at the moment - including getting this BOOK written, based on YOU the readers.  Thank god I have a supportive husband, and a daughter who know how to motivate me!

It is audition season,  and we are always preparing to get that job.  I am starting a class with DreamHonor next week about booking the audition - but from a different perspective than other classes.

In addition,  I have been doing things differently in my OWN world,  post-accident,  and wanted to share with you,  to perhaps give you another perspective.

We are told "don't do this", "don't do that" and on and on...but what CAN we do?  What are we there to do?

In the audition room,  we'd like a callback and book a job ultimately.  Let's not beat around the bush on that one.  However, isn't there more to it than that?

What do you want to show in the room?  And then,  what do you want to claim in the room?

If you are a Toyota and they want a Mercedes,  no matter how you TRY you will never be what they want.  And if you are a Ferrari and they want a pinto - same thing.

What do they want?  How do you know?  You'll drive yourself nuts trying to figure it out.

So how about saying,  "here I am.  This is WHO I am.  This is WHAT I do.  I am a SINGER(actor/dancer - fill in the blank) and that's what I am going to show you now."

Today - I bought a dress.  A sparkly one.  One that will hit, length-wise, just above my knee.  My knee.  The one that was damaged in the car accident.  "Total derangement" the surgeon calls it.

I am very good at slight of hand - I can masque things well.  I have done that with my scars and my pain and my inability to "do" as I used to physically.  However, today, I decided that it was time to simply enter the room with WHO I am.  What I do, AS ME.  Scars and all.  Those scars are well-earned.  They are part of my history and my present and will be part of my future.  If they show, they show.  I didn't ask for them,  but dammit, I will NOT let them stop me from claiming ME.

I do not use them as an excuse.  I would rather gracefully bow out than put myself in a position where I am unable to meet the demand.  I will not make excuses for them though.

I see that happening in the audition room,  and sometimes in the studio,  and on stage.

It's okay to recognize your strengths, and your weaknesses and your "I'm not quite ready for that yet".
Then you go right ahead and claim them all,  and lead with what you DO.

It's not okay to put yourself in a position where the scar leads and you follow;  where the scar calls the tune (all puns intended!).

The scar is a story.  You survived it.  Now you claim it.  It belongs to YOU.  You do not belong to it.

Scars can be visible,  they can be hidden,  they can be emotional or psychological.  They can be screaming red and hot to the touch, or they can be faded and still itchy from time to time.

It's part of our journey.  Mine certainly are.  I am not about to expose them and say "look over here look over here",  but I have decided that I am not going to let them run the show.

I will not excuse the scars.  I will not try to hide them.  I will wear them because their story is real.  I am real.  I will not hide them in plain sight.  I won't ride them, or let them call the tune.

I am an artist.  I am a singer and an actor.  I DO that.

What do YOU "do"?

Create your action;  weave your life and your craft into that action;  show them what you DO!  In showing them what you DO,  you reveal who you ARE and what you are capable of becoming.

No apologies, no worry,  no wondering.

What do you bring into the room?

BRING YOU!  ALL of it!  Scars and all.

happy weekend!