BWW Blog: Staying Motivated While the Pandemic Continues

Hi! Thank you for clicking on this post : )

Almost 12 months ago, when the lock-down came and everything shut down, I felt anxious because (for the ones who didn't know), I am from Mexico and back then I was in Toronto, CA attending to in-person classes in my Musical Theatre College, but the pandemic measures started to rule from one moment to another.

I had a lot of uncertainty, in my head I was thinking... "Am I going to be able to continue my artistic education? Am I going to be able to see my parents soon? What am I going to do during this time where no one knows what is going to happen?"

As Elsa's song, we were all going Into the Unknown.

But I think that the best part of being an actor, singer and dancer, is that you get to connect your body with your mind and voice to find answers.

Today, I want to share some thoughts and practices that I have been implementing in my every day to feel good.

• Embrace the uncertainty. Like in auditions, accepting that we can't plan the next step is so important, instead of holding into this need and anxiousness, if we release and trust, everything becomes lighter.

• As a performer, your main tool is...YOURSELF! Your body and voice are the ones who bring the magic to the stage. So, if you are on isolation or feeling anxious as an artist of when will these limitations come to an end, and when are we going to be able to perform safely next to each other, Let's work with what we have! We have the main instrument to make magic happen. Moving our body, dancing, singing for joy and/or taking some online training will add confidence and joy.

• Remember your WHY. "Why am I doing this?" Is something that I ask frequently to myself and giving myself time to answer this, my energy and motivation increase A LOT. For me, the feeling of telling stories with my voice and body and knowing that I have the power to light someone's life with what I do in my craft and that I am here with the possibility to keep growing and learning, makes me feel thankful and motivated.

• Reaching out to friends and loved ones. Being connected with your loved ones, brings relief. Honestly, I am not an extroverted person but, checking in with my friends that are in a similar situation to mine makes me feel listened and connected.

I hope that these thoughts bring relief and joy to your day, and a reminder that it's okay to feel unmotivated or anxious, feel it, embrace it. We are going through some hard times, but I want to share this because we are all here looking for the light in this tunnel. I just wanted to remind you that you are enough and wherever you are in your process you are in the right place doing great. Let's use our voices and authenticity to light up the world.

-Claudia Quintero Franco, a lucky and passionate Mexican Girl.