Student Blog: Sick Day Q&A!

As I write this, I’m currently home sick in bed. However! I took the opportunity of time to post a Q&A on my Instagram asking for questions about my journey and careers in the arts! Here I’ll answer some of the questions I was sent :) 

Q1: What is the biggest thing you struggle with as an artist?

Comparison and imposter syndrome! The tale as old as time in performing arts. I started doing theatre in middle school, which for performing standards, is “late,” and something I’ve always been really hard on myself for for not starting earlier. It’s often a battle for me to not compare myself to peers and professionals who’ve had more time and access to training I haven’t growing up. But at the end of the day I always remind myself that my journey is mine and happening in perfect time for me, no one else. I practice being gentle with and accepting of myself often, and can say I’m really proud of all my accomplishments and how far I’ve come. In terms of focusing on my own journey, I only compare myself to who I was yesterday– this has helped me both on and off the stage. 

Q2: What is a production role in theatre that you haven’t tried that you would love to?

So many! I’ve directed a few of my own pieces here and there, but I would love to take on directing a full production sometime. I love conceptualizing scenes and aesthetics for shows and think the process of creating a show from the ground up sounds so artistically fulfilling. Something I also haven’t talked about much is my relationship to dance! While I’m not someone who considers herself a “dancer first,” I think movement and dance can carry so much beautiful and poignant storytelling and I would love to take a crack at choreographing a show or even small pieces sometime.

Q3: What show process has taught you the most about theatre?

The first show that comes to mind is the most recent play I was a part of, Pocatello by Samuel D Hunter. The character process was the most rigorous one I’ve been through and we spent as much time as possible dissecting our roles and the world they live in. As I mentioned in my blog post about it, this was the first time I was expected to cry onstage and the journey of emotional depth and connection for me with that was a really interesting process (you should totally check out my blog about it :) ). Another one that I think of is doing Mamma Mia! last summer where I played my first big lead (Donna Sheridan). Learned SOOO much about vocal health, that’s all I’ll say.

Q4: How do you balance all of your projects with self care?

This is something I’m very passionate about, as I not only never stop swimming in theatre projects, but I’m also very passionate about self care and wellness work. I schedule myself and my time very particularly, so I have hours in the day that are just for work and creating, and hours that are just for relaxing and down time. I don’t always get everything I want done in a day finished, so having time that is strictly scheduled as a me-time hour allows me to keep from bleeding burnt out or guilt work into my days, which gives me energy to try again the next day. It’s also important not to take on too much work at once! Based on how crowded my schedule is or how many things I have going on, I pause certain projects to make sure I’m not overworking myself by creating a bunch of deadlines in the same period of time. So my advice is to schedule your self care as strictly as your work, as well as don’t be afraid to take needed steps back! Artists' lives are always changing, everyone needs them.

Q5: What would be your biggest piece of advice to your high school self?

To work on being the person you are, not the person you aren’t. I spent so much time in high school comparing myself to others and catastrophizing about my future, almost deciding to entirely give up on theatre as a whole with how far below my dreams I’d put myself. The best thing I ever did for my health as a person and an artist was to take a huge step back and take time to rework the way I perceived myself and my future. I had to really disconnect from other people's journeys and focus on my own to start learning how I actually am and work as an artist, not how I should or don’t. This past year is really the first time I’ve truly fallen in love with myself as a performer and felt like I have a place and feasible career doing what I love. I’ve accomplished so many things I wouldn’t have been able to dream up when I was in high school, and it’s really crazy how much goodness has come to me in the few years I’ve been out of it. I always tell people struggling with similar issues– the love for this wasn't placed in your heart by accident. If I hadn’t pushed through, I wouldn’t have experienced so much success such a short time later. You have no idea how much goodness is in store if you follow through.

I hope you enjoyed this little Q&A! I received more questions than these and would be happy to answer them in another blog post, but for now! Happy July, and as singer Laufey says, “keep on going with your silly dreams” :)

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