#96: We'll worry about it on Sunday

Monday 11/11/24

Whether you are a teacher, a coach, a performer (professional or hobbyist or aspiring) - I have a question. 

When was the last time to you took a class for yourself? A voice lesson? An acting class? Or even (gasp) a dance class?

I know, we are adults and time is scarce and money is sometimes scarce-er. We can find a million reasons not to. Trust me, I get it. I have them too. I have a million reasons I “can’t” get to class or a coaching. One of them is - in an acting coaching for an audition song… what are they going to teach me? Not that I know everything. I don’t mean it like that. What I mean is, I’ve worked with so many coaches and so rarely do i feel like I truly “get” something out of it. 

However, I’ve had to shift this thought for myself. Instead of thinking that after 20 years of acting training and a whole degree and random classes here or there that someone is going to awaken some new technique in me - or give me feedback that no one ever has - is silly. BUT, they can’t help me stay fresh. They can have me try something maybe I didn’t think of in a piece - I may disagree, it may not be life-changing, but it’s taking feedback and applying it. That’s half of the art. Taking the note and applying it. It’s always good to hear that your choices are affirmed, of course, but it’s also ok to just try something someone offers. 

Whenever I coach, thats exactly what my feedback is: an offering. A proposal. Just an idea. You can agree or disagree, but you should at least try. Then, you can decide if it works. I like to think of feedback as taking a piece of clothing into a fitting room.  You need something, it may work… so you try it on, and it could look good but be the wrong size. Or it could not work at all. The only way to know is to put it on your body. Sometimes, a piece of clothing just needs something to make it work - shoes, spanx, an accessory - and those are the additional adjustments. Feedback shouldn’t be “ok try this one thing and lets see if it works”... no, you have to WORK the feedback. Add to it, take something away, try and try. Adjust and adjust. 

The only way to know if you are still good at the “trying” is to put yourself in a place to try. A class, while can take time and funds, is a critical way to get better at the trying. Remove the pressure that you have to come out of a coaching as a new human. You are flexing muscles. You are putting in the work. Find someone you like, take recs, make the appointment. 

MAKE THE APPOINTMENT! 

Dreams Don’t Die 

Julie