BWW Blog: Sarah Osman - Feeling Down and In a Funk? Freshen Up and Get Inspired!

For some time now I've been in a funk.

Yes a funk. It's hard to describe. I feel as though I've been busying myself and haven't taken time to just stop and look around. I've been stressed and bottling my feelings up. One day it just hit me, and I've been in a funk ever since.

Being in a funk, for me, is usually a result from stress or lack of inspiration. My friends have been saying it's because of the Mercury retrograde.

In times like these, I try to get zen. To get motivated and feeling like myself again, I look to inspiration refreshers!

Being a performer, I find there are a lot of times when you may turn to freshen yourself up. Maybe you feel like you've gotten stale or a bit lost. Perhaps you haven't stroked your creative feather in a while. For some, you may need to remind yourself why you fell in love with performing. And sometimes, you just feel as though you need that optimistic performer back!

Here are some ways I freshen myself up when I'm feeling down!

Watch Live Theatre.

To me there is a magic to watching Live Theatre. Being in the room where it happens (BAM! Hamilton reference!), is so enlightening. Watching live performances and feeling a mutual connection with everyone in the room makes live performances special. There is a rawness and realness to seeing things happen in front of you that I find inspiring.

Watch film.

Whenever I'm feeling down I can always count on watching one of my favorite movies to keep me up. Whether it be running with Forrest Gump across the country, or sculpting ice statues with Edward Scissorhands- I find film comforting. There is also a greatness to watching a movie and noticing things you haven't realized before- i.e. why the director chose that shot, why the music plays at that point, why the character is wearing that color, etc. When I watch movies I often find something new that I hadn't seen before, allowing me to see things in a new way.

Immerse yourself in a TV show.

I live vicariously through television shows. This can be good and bad! I love being brought into the world of characters you get to watch grow. And when you're watching a show that has great writing and extremely talented actors, it can never grow old.

*** Now that you've watched actors, go and do! ***

Take acting classes.

If you're feeling uninspired or as though you haven't acted in a while- take classes! Someone can never learn "too much" as there is always room for improvement. Find a class that gets you motivated and feeling creative and/or a class that you find challenging!

Get involved!

I love being involved and participating in as many things as possible. Being involved in productions (whether it be performing, directing, writing, etc.) always makes me feel creative. Even the act of just auditioning- I feel as though just going out there and doing things is always a sure answer to get me out of a funk.

Socialize.

Communicate with other people who love what you do! Interact with people who have similar interests as you. The people you surround yourself with effect who you are, so make sure you have a group of people around you who positively influence you. (Check out my article on surrounding yourself with support.)

*** Get inspired by doing non-performance related things! ***

Know the world you live in.

Keep up to date on the world around you. Watch and read the news. Know what is happening around you- locally, nationally, globally. I feel as though having a better understanding of the world allows performers to see things in a different view, also allowing them to grow as humans.

Explore other art forms.

Art provokes emotion; feeling; thought. Go to a museum, a concert, a dance showcase. Look and use other art forms as inspiration for performance and life. Seeing other forms of creativity can fuel your own.

Chill.

I haven't been able to do this recently, but I am going to make time to do so. Don't be like me, get chill!
Watching your overall health is so important. Meditation and yoga are wonderful ways to stay healthy and remain at peace. Meditating allows there to be quiet to the constant noise of life. Yoga and pilates push your body to physically stay maintained while mentally focusing yourself as well. Along with these two, getting proper sleep and writing keeps me chill.

I know being stressed or feeling uninspired can be difficult, but I believe if you get out there and do things that push you, you will surely get out of your funk!

-Sarah Osman

Follow Sarah on Twitter here and Instagram here (@theSarahOsman). Don't forget to like and share!

To post a comment, you must register and login.