6 Ways to Foster Personal, Professional, and Artistic Growth While At Home
The COVID-19 pandemic has made a marked impact on the way we do just about everything. For performing arts students and young professionals, the effect on educational institutions and potential employers has necessitated major shifts in plans. If you fall into one of these categories, you may currently find yourself at home waiting for the right job opportunity or the time when attending classes face-to-face is less anxiety-inducing.
From what I’ve seen, individuals in the performing arts industries have shown responses to this at-home period that fall somewhere along the continuum between waiting for things to go back to normal and being the one to invent the next big thing.
If you are home instead of at work or school, I trust it is for good reasons. But if you are starting to ‘burrow in’ to this waiting period, it’s possible that you might start to lose the disequilibrium - the imbalance between your goals and your reality - that might catalyze your next steps. If this is the case, you could be missing out on the creative conversations that are happening in this moment, and the world is certainly missing out on the creative ideas you may have to offer.
Here are 6 things you can do to foster a new sense of moving forward in your personal, professional, and/or creative spheres:
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Engage in At-Home Study
We are entering into a golden age for self-directed education. The internet is full of curated reading lists (including syllabi for college courses), how-to videos, and online courses. If you find yourself with extra time at home, you might just let your curiosity run wild in ways that school and work wouldn’t allow for. When you come across something you find deeply interesting, pursue the topic intently. If you aren’t sure where to start, find an individual doing work that you find interesting (the ArtsBound Podcast is meant for just that) and ask them what you could be reading and/or studying.
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Build Your Online Audience
Video and other online content was already booming before the pandemic. If you are creating art that can be shared online, find a platform that fits your style (here is a review of 10 video hosting platforms and a review of 5 music hosting platforms) and build your own online venue. Take the time to write a great description, complete all your profile info, and give attention to the design. Then develop a regular schedule for sharing content that you can keep to faithfully. Start with your friends and family then broaden the circle. When the time comes to return to in-person performances, you’ll have even more people interested in coming to see you because of the work you did online.
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Collaborate Virtually
Once again, the internet is full of forums for finding collaborators (I was just checking out verse-chorus.com to find a lyricist to do some songwriting with) as well as tools for virtual collaboration (e.g. SoundTrap.com, a cloud-based digital audio workstation - DAW for short). That said, you don’t need to use fancy online tools if you are comfortable working through email and over the phone. Finding a fitting collaborator (it could be a friend you already know) allows for creative synergy and can also help to broaden your network and audience.
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Immerse Yourself in Your Practice
Play your instrument. Memorize monologues. Practice your pirouettes. If you have time, you can really take your skills to the next level. Just like the reading lists mentioned above, develop a list of skills, songs, excerpts, etc. that you’d like to add to your repertoire; this will keep you focused and support you in returning to your practice day after day.
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Hire a Coach
A coaching engagement is designed around your flourishing in every area of life. Working with a coach can offer clarity in how to move forward through this transitional time, and a coach can help you focus and develop a plan for your future. Furthermore, a good coach will help you to uncover hidden habits and patterns of thought that might be standing in your way, offering strategies for overcoming these roadblocks.
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Just Get Started
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” It has become cliché, but it is true. I’ve always struggled with this one, having a strong propensity to wait until the time is ‘just right’. I have to continuously remind myself that there really is no other time than right now. There is no excuse for not doing the things we are called to do. You can start with 30 minutes once a week and go from there. The best way to grow in any area of your life is to make it a regular practice. And any practice - regardless of how robust or involved it may be - has a singular starting point.