Thinking outside the box!

When I studied at musical theatre college, we had lots of guest speakers come in from the industry. They were invited in to talk about their area of expertise in the business and from casting director to leading lady, they all gave advice and guidance on the key to a successful career in the performing arts. All of course backed up with experience and amusing theatre anecdotes, with a couple of celebrity names thrown in for wow factor. Sometimes these guest speakers would touch upon the subject of being out of work. They said it was a hard industry and there would be periods of time in which work would dry up. As I reflect now, I realise I must have thought I had some sort of immunity to such unemployed periods. After all I was a hard working student and I did pass all my assessments, I'd planned for a consistent and smooth career. But no matter how much it was mentioned in my classes, nothing could prepare me for the reality of an artist. I never would have predicted the roller coaster career I was about to have, the highs and lows of job offers to rejection. Further more what I had no idea about, was through this contrast I would have to start 'thinking outside the box' to survive in this industry.

As a represented artist, an agent submits you for work and the casting director (if they are kind enough) invites you to an audition. And then the fun begins, you keep going back for recalls in hope that the phone rings with an offer. You're performing career is completely in the hands of those above you. Network all you like, unless you are famous you will be subject to the powers that be. However, am I not my own business? What does a company do when there is a dip? Drum up some more business through innovation and thinking outside the box. If I can't get any work, I'll just have to write some myself.

So I did, I wrote my own successful cabaret act. This then lead me to performing in various gig venues and cooperate events, enabling me to devise more acts to create more work. It was through the success of this idea that I decided to invest in my own children's theatre school. It has been open for a term and already full. Suddenly my career is not subject to casting directors and agents, auditions come and go but definitely play a secondary role in the make up of my work. I now find myself in the driving seat of my career, with this comes an element of freedom towards my work as an artist. All because I dared to think outside the box.

My First Blog.

After reading the programme handbook and having a short but dramatic panic about all the things I had to get in place before I start the course, I called on a close friend who is just about to finish this very course. We met in Starbucks and I gave coffee and cake in exchange for a clear and informative breakdown of what I needed to do. My first question was of course was, "What is all this blog business about?". After I understood why I'm blogging and what relevance it has to my degree. I naturally came to my second question, "What do I blog about? The weather?"

So here I am, just turned thirty and after a ten year career on stage, I go back to school. I haven't written an essay in about 13 years, so my feeling of fear combined with anxiety is understandable. However, it's "the show must go on" mentality that has got me through the last 10 years and I intend to apply the same Freddie Mercury attitude to my studies. The thought of reviewing my professional practice and giving it the conversion of an academic credit, makes me feel excited and enthused with ideas for my studies. Having obtained all the knowledge I've been collecting over the years, I can now inject them with the exploration and analysis of higher education. Pretty cool stuff...

I am really looking forward to learning and can't wait to start my journey. Here is a quote I found on the net, thought it summed it up quite nicely, "The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts but learning how to make facts live."

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

I look forward to meeting all my class members and tutors soon, look forward to following your blogs. Blog Blog blog  away...