For Grown up Artists
Some advice for those grown up performing artists finding balance.
I was teaching my 5-7 ballet and teaching them how to properly get into their splits and the requirements for them to not injure themself. ie. Knee pointing to the sky, using your hands to press the floor away, hold and breathe for 4 counts. About six six year olds immediately before I even finished explaining the stretch blurted out “I CAN’T DO A SPLIT”
I immediately froze. The negative self talk. Where is this coming from in these little people”
I took .2 seconds to think and realized that they are aware and privy to the fact that they in fact cannot complete a full split. Which was not what I asked them to do. Of course they can’t they haven’t learned or practiced yet, but they CAN complete the steps, the process. In their mind a split is a split and if you aren’t someone that can do that naturally you cannot.
I explained to them that it is important to know what you want and to do the steps. What is it that I am actually asking you to do. Put your hands on both sides of your legs align yourself in the way I described and hold it. With patience.
I explained to them to not let the goal be the expectation of the now.
The process is to practice the steps of the split every day once and we will see where we are in time.
Where are you going with this Haley? Try not to get overwhelmed with the noise, with the product. It is very easy for the ego to immediately say you’re not good enough because you’re not there yet or maybe if you changed this or pursuing art in one way is the only way. In order to grow while seeking external things such as dream contracts, the ego must be quieted by reminding yourself of your why. With patience.
When I’m not hired to perform it is important to remind myself that I am a dancer, and I make life choices in this way. I am a storyteller, I will allow myself to create. I am a good friend, sister, daughter, I have a lot to learn in all spaces of life. It is always worth it to do work that I love and I remind myself (and mom reminds me thanks mom) to do what authentically aligns with me, Haley.
We hear this a lot, trust the process. The process looks different for everyone. It doesn’t look like the perfect split. Maybe through college years your necessary process was 5 dance classes a day to really hone in. Maybe it looked like a contract. Maybe now it looks like things that authentically align with your soul. Maybe now it looks like community. Maybe it looks like a 9-5. In the real adult world it looks different and we have to find what our process is for us to be able to show up for our life, our art and to continue to feel purpose. As artists we have experienced a world and studied a world many have had the privilege of and many have not. We have unique perspectives. For most of us as artists, when we don’t have the external things we want, its so important to live our lives as an artist even if you have side jobs or a full time job while in pursuit. To carve out time for intentional process doing what you love. You might wake up one day and look in the mirror in disbelief of what the universe has handed you, your dream. The little steps keep us in pursuit of what we were born to do.
Those little steps open us to different ways we are able to use our art to serve our community.
Life as an artist ebbs and flows. The process for you will shift and change. The way you have done things may not work for you with your “Why” now. Continue to re asses your process and rather than focusing on what works for other artists, or a process that once worked. Find one or two things that fit into your human life that will lead you where you want to be. Know what you believe in and what you want now. For some it’s a consistent dance class with choreographer that speaks to them artistically or challenges them physically. Get in the library and research. Find a new song to play with or a new person to collaborate with. Stick to your priorities and ground yourself there.
Remember as an adult your work as an artist will look differently than it did when you were in high school and able to practice hours every night. Same thing if you attended an arts college where that was your primary focus. Allow yourself to build a life that is conducive to you building your art with habits that fill you as an artist.
The external things are fleeting anyways, but the lessons and people are not. That external thing you think you want may not actually serve your life. (I’ve been having many conversations on this one).
Put your hands on either side of your leg, align your form, take your breaths and be patient, and whatever you do quiet the ego when it starts to scream like the little 6 year old ballet babies who absolutely can.
You absolutely can do anything you want to when you take a microscope to your life and find the little things, your values, your why, and the little daily actions.
DO WHAT YOU AUTHENTICALLY LOVE WITH LOVE EVERY DAY <3
Dance on,
Haley
