The singer neurosis

What is the singer neurosis?

If I truly knew the answer to that,  I would be living in a villa in the south of France!

I am not a medical doctor and the truth of neurosis is well above my pay grade,  however, as a teacher of voice and a singer, I am very aware of what I shall call "the singer neurosis".

here a definition of Neurosis from the dictionary:

1. a functional disorder in which feelings of anxiety, obsessional thoughts, compulsive acts, and physicalcomplaints without objective evidence of disease, in various degreesand patterns, dominate the personality.

2. a relatively mild personality disorder typified by excessive anxiety orindecision and a degree of social or interpersonal maladjustment.

Again,  I have no medical degree, but I do deal with the neurosis of the singer daily.

For those singers who truly have psychological issues larger than what a voice teacher can handle,  this is a disorder that needs medical attention.

HOWEVER,  a mild case of neurosis as a singer is not uncommon!

We hear, or have said at some point in our singer life, a we clutch our throats wrapped in a large scarf,  "there is something wrong with my voice!"  or  "Where has my voice gone?"  or  "I have phlegm, or dryness, or post nasal drop,  I cannot possibly sing!"

A friend and colleague who has often collaborated with me on the piano and conducted me,  told me the story of the singer walking onto stage with her pianist saying "darling, my voice is feeling a little fatigued, can we take the recital down a tone today?"  To which the pianist replied,  "Of course Diva,  your wish is my command."  (insert eye roll here)  and commenced to play the recital in the keys that were on the page.  She didn't know the difference, and of course, sang perfectly well.

Ah, the singer neurosis.

We have developed an over-ripe stereotype because of it.  We need to own it and discover WHY.

I am not making excuses for it at all,  nor am I simplifying real psychological issues,  but part of the issue is simply this:

As singers,  we have to discover how we embody INTANGIBLES.  This is where the basic neurosis can be linked.  Intangibles.

We do not have the luxury of looking into the mirror,  making an adjustment and continuing to dance.

We do not have the luxury of having our instrument on the outside,  so when things aren't working we can tighten or loosen a string,  use some rosin,  change a mouthpiece or reed,  or simply stand up and walk away until we are in a better head space!

We work in intangibles:  breath,  and vibration.  We work with a physical athleticism that is intrinsically impossible to see while working.  We cannot simply stand up and walk away or replace a string, or a reed or add some rosin.  We somehow have to take all those intangibles and discover how to make it tangible without getting so emotionally involved that we cannot function.

That's our job.

That's what we have to work out.

How do we discover this intangible/intangible and intertwine it with craft and mind and thought without it driving us insane?

I share with you how I speak about things:

The voice herself/himself (and I speak of the voice in 3rd person to not involve self ego/self sabotage) is FINE.  Where she/he chooses to RESIDE (your physicality) is not always optimal.

So what is our job?  Discover the FUNCTION of the physicality.  Allow for the tangibility of that physicality and why it works or what it needs to work optimally so the voice can move in, and feel like it can reside fully.

WHY isn't the voice working?  That's for YOU to discover and if the focus is physical first - your emotional energy doesn't have to get involved in the production.

The body is your instrument.  The sound and the resonance and the breath is shaped by how you use your body.  The focus then needs to be on discovering how to access that body,  intrinsically and extrinsically. 

I often ask singers,  not what they want to change or fix,  but rather,  what they love about their voice.  This is most often met with hesitation,  shyness,  and sometimes wariness and excuses.

Why?  Just like body image,  we often can great a litany of reasons and a list of things we dislike/want to change/don't understand,  but we are not often allowed to speak about what actually gives us joy when it feels good!

This does not give you license to be delusional!  However,  it does give you permission to slow down and discover when things are working,  what is actually happening!!

So,  don't blame your neurosis on "being a singer".  I don't buy it.

Yes,  the discovery of intangibles can be daunting.  Yes, it takes more work.  Yes, it takes time.  Yes, it takes commitment.

If you say you are a singer,  then I dare you to BE one.  Don't fall for the stereotype and let that define you.  Let YOU define you.  Dare yourself to discover your physical function and let the intangibles have a real place to reside and be discovered consistently.

Dare to fight the singer neurosis just by knowing what you are doing,  instead of making excuses for what you don't know, while pretending that you are.

SING because you MUST.

Another year...

It's just another New Year's Eve...

Another night like all the rest...

(if you know those lyrics,  I will fist bump you!!)

I still refuse to accept "resolutions" on New Year's Eve.  It is the Pathway to Fail.

The entire holiday season for me,  gives me a chance to reflect,  to make decisions,  and to begin to focus and and nurture where I am,  where I have been, where I want to be next.

Learning to leave what is where it is,  is crucial to us as artists.  We are never completely satisfied: always wanting to change, to tweak,  to adjust.  This is a wonderful and maddening trait.

I am learning to let go of language that gets stuck in a loop in my mind.  Language that does not serve me.

"If only..."

"If I could do that again, I would..."

"Why did I let..."

"What was I thinking..."

"I can't..."

"It won't..."

And that's just a few...you can add yours to that list! You know you have them!

Language we use on ourselves,  does not need to be black or white.  As you continue to live on this planet,  you begin to realize that much has to do with the hues of gray as people and experiences and decisions and choice are thrown into the mix! However, we tend to be 'all or nothing' and it doesn't serve us well.

What happens, happens.  We do not control that final outcome.  For those of us who have control freak issues (!!) in portions of our lives,  who are "fixers",  who are little bit Type A...we have a hard time with this.

HOWEVER...how we speak to ourselves,  how we attitude our language in that inner dialogue matters.  THAT we can control.  We have agency over that language.  How we RESPOND to that language is within the grasp of our control and our choice.

So, when you review your year,  as a way of closing that particular book,  acknowledge what you must, but don't dwell on those things you did not do;  did not book;  did not achieve;  We tend to fall into the negative more often than we realize.  Well,  I know I do!  That language can be debilitating and create more anxiety and more confusion.

So, review your year.  Rejoice is what you DID.  What you DISCOVERED.  What you UNCOVERED.  What the roadblocks,  energy blocks RE-CREATED for you.

If you can recognize a barrier,  you can change it.  HOW is up to you.

Then let your authenticity lead you to language that inhabits your NOW;  that gives you power,  that gives you purpose,  that gives you possibility.

Those are the words I am leading with for 2017 starting today:

Power, Purpose, Possibility.

Nobody, and nothing, can take that from you,  unless you relinquish it.

Choose to carry your power, your purpose and your possibility and breathe life into them.

YOUR life.

YOUR choice.

YOUR year.

Let that lead you into your next,  and mingle with the energy of like minds;  find empathy for those minds not like yours; discover how to live the authenticity you are claiming just by DOING LIFE.

You truly have what it takes to claim your authenticity and all that manifests.

It means action.

It means reflection.

It means discovery.

One beautiful resonant sound at a time.

Achievement & Focus

“Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.”  

― George Bernard Shaw 

Focus is a fascinating thing.  My husband tells me when I focus, I am formidable.  I would like to believe the 'formidable' in that sentence is the most important word, but in fact, the most revealing word in that sentence is "when".

WHEN I focus...

Sigh...

As artists,  we wear many hats,  have many tasks,  many attentions,  much that pulls us this way and that.  We have craft,  we have self,  we have family,  we have side hustles,  we have business,  we never stop.

What do we focus on?   How does achievement reveal itself through focus?

I learned very early on that it's not "all or nothing".   There are lots of things that demand our attention,  but what demands are truly our focus?   This is perhaps a clearer determination of what you spend your time, and more importantly, your ENERGY on.  

Achievement is in the eye of the beholder, and has more to do with what you choose to focus on that does not drain you of energy.

When you sit with your music and really begin to FOCUS on learning it, discovering it,  letting it begin to gestate and emerge through your voice, and your body - there is a great sense of achievement:  craft, artistic integrity,  musical embodiment,  and more.  It ENERGIZES us,  it doesn't deplete us.

How do we discover that in other "necessities" of our life in order to weave it all together?

One thing I am recognizing in my own life is how not to WASTE my energy versus GIVE my energy:  to a task,  a person,  a necessary focus I have to explore.

I used to go into a task or a "necessary evil" with a sense of dread and foreboding that would waste my energy and leave me exhausted and noncommittal to the things and the people I wanted to spend energy on.

This can happen with our artistic lives and our business lives.

As artists, our desire and focus to create is strong,  and often, the "necessary evil"  of wanting to make a career is exhausting.  We stop and start and re-start and re-start again and again.  

Why?  Because HOW we focus and connect the achievement just hasn't found a balance yet.  How we focus on our craft versus how we focus on the business of self has not yet discovered the difference between wasting energy and giving energy.

Focus does not have to be all or nothing.  Deciding & and discovering how you best work is paramount:  are you a "to do" list person?  Are you a person that needs open-ended time to achieve focus?  Are you somewhere in the middle?

I have tried to be an open-ended person - and my tendency is just to waste it.  If I have only one thing to accomplish in a day,  I tend not to really focus.  If I have 10 things I have to do and can "schedule" them into my structure,  I get them done,  or at least acknowledge them fully and give them my focus.

One is not better or easier than the other.  This has to do with how you function most authentically.  

One of my ongoing promises to myself to continue to determine tasks,   projects, schedule,  craft,  creative ideas,  business possibilities, by ENERGY.  Am I wasting or giving?  Even if the idea doesn't excite me - what kind of energy does it use,  and then how do I focus that energy to release it,  or put it into action?

Motivation and focus has everything to do with energy in action.  

Achievement has to do with that energy in action simply following through for that specific task,  in that specific time.  If you haven't wasted that energy,  you will have a sense of accomplishment.  If you have wasted it,  the focus wasn't true, and you are exhausted.  

So, what do you want to accomplish now?

What's on your big dream board?

What are you doing to move yourself closer and closer into that orbit?

When you realize you aren't as aligned,  how does it make you FEEL?

As artists,  our emotional and physical energy as so closely and tightly woven. How we feel is felt physically and viscerally.

So, what would change that feeling?  How could you focus that feeling into change for you to move forward and into your "next",  instead of moving in circles and getting dizzy and having to constantly re-start and re-peat and never quite anchoring enough to move forward?

Where are you wasting energy?

Where do you need to give energy?  How will that energy allow you to truly focus on that task or action to allow you to feel as if you have accomplished and therefore achieved?

Start with the little tasks.  Write them down.  Give yourself a schedule each day if it helps.  Don't over schedule yourself if it makes you anxious.  Anxiety is another waste of energy.

Your desire has an opportunity to manifest itself into a clearer focus.  

With focus, comes action.  With action, comes achievement.  With achievement, comes success.  Success of YOU.  

If you say you want it,  but you don't go get it,  who are you fooling?

If you say you must do it,  but you don't do it,  what provokes you to say it in the first place?

Every step,  every decision,  every choice gives you permission to focus.  Every action gives you energy.  It doesn't need to be gigantic.  In fact, the smaller, often so-called "insignificant" actions are the ones that can create the energy we need to wrap ourselves in,  to create the momentum to the next action.

May you find the focus you need to create action in your desires. May that focus reveal to you what those desires truly are,  and not what you think they SHOULD be.  May you follow through with energy and not dread.  May your first step in this awareness be one of focused determination and excitement!

Happy Eve of all things good and light and true.

The Story, The Process

Happy Sunday!

Fall is my favorite - and watching the wind blow the leaves and the sun peek through on a Sunday morning is my meditation and centering today.

My show happens in just under 3 weeks.  Three weeks today,  I will be sitting with my coffee, decompressing post show!

Thank you for all the support and emails and messages along this journey.  It means the world to me.

I have been asked during this process,  "so what's the story behind this show?"

What is this show, anyway?

It's cabaret-esque.  It's concert-esque.  It's intimate.  It's collaborative:  The energy of a show like this evolves from the energy in the room, which involves the audience as much as the performers.

The collaboration started with director,  Trent Armand Kendall.

 He is a magnificent "vision-ist" (is that a word? well it is now!)  who has the ability to stand back and see the big picture,   and then go into the work without disturbing that big overview and make a subtle and clean adjustment,  and allow something else to be seen vividly.  He is a a riveting performer himself,  as well as a writer and producer,  radio show host and more.  Ultimately,  I trust him,  and he respects and gets me.  The work and the process can flourish in that environment.

The collaboration continued with music director,  Steven Ray Watkins.

Steven simply sees honestly.   He is able to listen,  and then makes adjustments to discover what needs to be in highest relief within a song, within a musical moment, within an arrangement,  and do it immediately,  put it in his hands,  and offer it through the keyboard and then through his arrangements for the band.
He finds me in musical moments in ways that allows me to settle in,  be safe and supported,  and wraps me in magnificent musical energy.

I have my cornerstones in my work and journey and process with these two men.

For those of you who have followed the blog since the beginning, or caught up along the way,  you know a little bit about my story.

Without going into gory detail,  or in the upcoming show,  this is my return to the New York stage since before the 2011 near fatal car accident my husband, Thomas Young & I were in.

I have been on stage more recently,  but not in a concert/cabaret show that was mine to weave since that accident.

Cabaret has always been my space.   I love the intimacy of the space,  I love the permission to break the 4th wall and take in the energy of the audience and be with them.  I love the flexibility of using that 4th wall AS energy for the audience to simply have distance and observe, if need be.

In my family,  I have always been one of the story tellers:  Once upon a time...the reader of books...the lullabies to go to sleep by... whether it was to my siblings,  my daughter,  my cousins,  my nephews and nieces...

I am a believer in the story being told without value judgment.  I believe in a story that has the ability for the listener to take away whatever they can see and feel and experience.  I believe in making a journey visceral, and real.  I believe in the universality of the human experience.

My journey has just as many questions as yours.  My experiences may not have anything to do with your experiences,  but the ability to HAVE experiences brings us together.

Experiences make us question.

Questioning doesn't always reveal answers,  simply more questions.

Are we okay with that?  Do we need more answers?  Do we need answers at all?

And as my daughter, Erin Elizabeth Eichhorn,  reminds me, in her ancient wisdom: Sometimes we have to be okay to move on from the question that doesn't have an answer.

And so,  the show explores the asking,  and the choosing,  and the not choosing.  Which is choosing, isn't it?  The choice not to choose?  It explores decisions, and the decisions taken away;  it explores fear,  it explores being real with all those choices,  and with the voices that speak to those choices;

The show celebrates life;  Celebrates possibility;   Celebrates discovery;  Celebrates return,  re-discovery, re-entry, re-creation, re-lease, re-lief:  that you re-emerge into to a place you are creating NOW.

The collaboration continues, with YOU the audience.  We,  together, weave the energy of the evening!  We, together,  lean forward, and lean back,  and create the space between that allows the magic to stir..

The show is called  - Why?

because...Why the hell not!



Join us, and celebrate LIFE!

Saturday, November 12th 7 p.m.
Laurie Beechman Theatre,  West Bank Cafe
Tickets available online HERE
or by calling:  212-352-3101

What about YOU?

Saturday musings...

This audition season for music theatre and opera performers has been what many of you are referring to "the hunger games".

It has left so many of you exhausted, frustrated, angry, defeated, sad, and second-guessing what you are doing.

It breaks my heart.  I see your commitment,  your struggle,  your desire,  your drive...

Yes, there is much that is wrong with the system.  There are flaws in every aspect of the business.  We have little control over that, and must watch it hit critical mass before it changes,  IF it changes.

But, more importantly, what about YOU?

You the performer;  you the artist;  you the human being.

What have you done for YOU during this hunger games season?

When you feel depressed, sad, exhausted, wondering, what do you DO?

If you are a performer wanting a career,  that focus can be exhausting if you actually ignore YOU.  Now you might say,  but Susan, I am studying and taking lessons and classes and going to seminars and intensives and and and...

Okay...but I ask again,  what about YOU?

Does auditioning give you joy?  Does spending all that money on application fees make you warm and fuzzy?

These are the necessary evils to become viable in the business...this is NOT YOU.

Remember when just stretching your body and making sounds and singing gave you JOY?

What is your goal?  Yes, working and being paid for your work is a goal;  Having reliable craft is a goal;  Sustainability in your work is a goal.

What about nurturing yourself THROUGH your voice?

What made you love to sing in the first place?  Do you remember?

How did it make you FEEL?

Listen,  I am goal-oriented as the next type A personality! I get it.  However, pursuing, and working toward something, and focusing - all good things - can sometimes exhaust us.  It is outside of us, and we forget what brought us to this aspiration in the first place.

Who inspired you?

Who believed in you?

Who inspires you now?  Who believes in you now?

Do YOU inspire you?  Do YOU believe in you?

How does it FEEL to take a singing breath?  To just sing because,  oh I don't know...YOU LOVE IT.

What happens when you let all that pursuit release for a few minutes and just come to a song BECAUSE YOU WANT TO;  because you love it;  because you love how it makes you FEEL. 

Nothing more,  nothing less.  Just how it FEELS.

The depletion we feel during and after a hard audition season where we must focus on the DOING to get seen to be called back to have a chance to be hired,  can not just fatigue us;  it can get in the way of us remembering WHY we do the actual singing;  the actual acting;  the actual dancing.

If you can find the joy again and re-discover and re-commitment to the JOY we experience with no value judgement and no pressure, then perhaps there's a chance to be still enough to recuperate from the fatigue.

Maybe, just maybe,  we change our focus to ourselves in the truest form, and our artistry and commitment to the nurturing of self reveals more truths and allows us to TRUST again. 

Perhaps,  finding that space for self will allow for a still moment to release and discover why  it feels GOOD to sing;  why we wanted to in the first place!

Feeling, and letting all the real and positive and beautifully overwhelming feelings envelop us might be EXACTLY what each of us needs right now.

I dare you to nurture YOU.  Shift your focus just a little bit inward and trust it won't betray you.

I dare myself the same thing.

NO EXCUSES!

happy snow day on the east coast of the US!

Self-sabotage:  Such a loaded phrase, isn't it?

We all do it, or have done it,  or fall into it.  None of us are immune to this at some point or other.

So,  when are YOU going to release it and follow through?

How does it start?

A simple insecurity can trigger it.

A simple "yeah, but..." can paralyze you.

It's a reaction to something much, much deeper. 

I see self-sabotage regularly in the studio.  It's one of those things that is often more obvious to someone outside of it - especially if that someone has dealt with it personally as well (!!).  Takes one to know one.

I do not chastise you for the self-sabotage.  Sometimes it's simply a form of self-preservation,  or control, or something. 

However, I will challenge you about it.  Why?  Because if you say one thing and then go against that, why shouldn't I say something?

Many of us who work with singers and actors regularly are always amazed at the ability to self-sabotage on epic levels.  It can happen so easily,  and so gradually,  sometimes I don't even think you realize you've done it for yourself.

How do we challenge ourselves to not fall down this particular rabbit hole?

Here are some ideas:

Who holds you accountable?

Do you have that person in your world who will call you on your shit?  I mean, REALLY call you, not enable you?

We do not need people who tell us what we want to here:  we need those people who will tell us what we NEED to hear.  Find that person.  Demand the truth from them.  Prepare for it.

Are you willing to look at your language?

What you say in public,  what you say in a voice session,  what you complain about online, all reveals something about you and where you are and what you want, what you have and what are fearful of.

Check that language.  What are you hiding from?

Are you excuse ridden?  Are you deflecting?  Are you "fabulous" all the time?  Is everything "great"?

Any extreme reveals some sort of sabotage.  Check it.

Is there drama?

Is there "Kaflamma"?

This generally means distraction.  With distraction comes excuses.  With excuses comes sabotage.

Why are you doing something?

What AREN'T you doing something?

What's your first answer to these questions?  Now, sit and breathe, and REALLY answer it.

What protects you by using sabotage?

What does it actually protect you from?

Is it working?

But, Susan, you might be saying,  it's just HARD.  I am NOT sabotaging.  It's just HARD.

Okay...

What's hard exactly?

Are you in the same place as last year?  Why or why not?

What can YOU change to begin to move forward?  What have you NOT changed in order to stay EXACTLY IN THE SAME PLACE.

The great things about choices:  you can always TRY something,  and if it's not working, you can MAKE ANOTHER CHOICE.  That's action-oriented.

Self-sabotage makes no choice but to stay stuck.

You have choice.  No, you REALLY do!

Make a choice,  make a NEW choice,  find a new class, a different teacher or even a consultation to get a different perspective!  We can learn from EVERY situation.  If we start a possibility with "yeah but..." we lose the possibility before we even acknowledge.

Every possibility has a "maybe".  Don't shut it down before you start!

So, on a day that has made you stop - a day full of storm and snow - give yourself permission to say "I WANT TO...."

Dream a little...

What do you want to achieve?  What could you change or suggest or explore to perhaps explore a slightly different perspective in order to keep pursuing that achievement?

Say you are a scared.  That's the first step of releasing the self-sabotage.

Say you aren't sure.

Say you don't know.

Say you have no idea.


All these things are not failures, or flaws.  These things open the possibilities.

Possibilities are scary as hell.  Possibilities make you breathe differently.  Possibilities allow you to dream again.

So are you going to feel dragged down by PFO letters,  no audition or no call back,  or are you going to say, "NO".

Are you going to surrender to the self-sabotage?

Are you going to pretend?

Are you going to create another reality that only YOU live?

That takes a great deal of energy - more than you really can deal with.  Sadly the self-sabotage and delusion is yours, and yours alone. 

Or, are you going to say, "NO WAY."

Are you going to relinquish the chip on your shoulder,  the excuses, the jazz hands and pretend?  All coping mechanisms,  and needed in moments but not something you can rely on in the long run.

Are you going to build on that shallowness,  or get your hands dirty and dig into it all and say NO MORE SABOTAGE!

Decide to seek truth.

Decide to seek change.

Decide to claim what you have.

Decide to claim and develop what you do not yet own.

Be still,  feel it all,  mourn it,  and release it. 

The people that see you clearly,  will rejoice with you,  not blame you!

Dare to discover YOU and what YOU need.  You find that when it's time to find it.

However, it's you and ONLY you,  and nobody can claim it but you.  You have nobody to blame if you don't.  You have nobody to answer to, if you DO!

Releasing self-sabotage allows us a new day,  a clean slate,  and an opportunity to pursue and develop and claim ALL of what we are meant to do and be.

Take the time it takes to find it all,  release it all,  develop it all - and make excuses for NOTHING.

HAPPY "YOU"  YEAR!

I dare you...

A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing...

happy Labor/Labour Day weekend and the gateway to the fall season!

As we embark into a new semester,  a new audition season,  a new performance season,  there are always things to consider,  re-visit,  tweak,  and discover!

Fall is my favorite time of year.  This is really the "new" year for me,  and so I hope re-visiting old topics in new ways will be a way of ushering in that new year!

We've all heard that saying "a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing".

Last week,  I came across a social media post that was a singer's list of "audition to-dos" she has gathered from a masterclass with a director.  She was excited about what she learned,  and you cannot fault her for that.  She wanted to share her knowledge,  which was very generous.

However...

Much of what she wrote down was not accurate:  maybe accurate in certain circumstances,  maybe accurate pertaining to that particular director, or maybe not accurate at all.

Her instinct to share her new-found knowledge was lovely,  however,  that knowledge did not have a context,  and if someone were to take that "advice" literally,  it might have been a horrible mistake.

In this "instant" society we live in,  we literally have everything at our fingertips.  It doesn't make it correct;  just cause it's on the Internet doesn't make it true!

The same can be said for those we "meet" on Facebook or discuss things with on other forms of social media.   It doesn't mean a person is deliberately trying to be deceptive or give your wrong information!  In fact,  often that person is trying to be helpful. 

We must recognize the source:  who is offering this knowledge?  What authority do they have?  Is it first hand knowledge, or 2nd hand,  or a friend of a friend or interpreted from someone's account of something?

I challenged this young and enthusiastic singer to clarify her points and put them in context.  She began to see what I meant:  some of her points were specific to the master class she was involved in and wouldn't have a more universal "truth" the way she accounted it.

Some of her points might have relevance with the director who was offering the master class.

Some had no relevance at all.

And,  all points were HER interpretation,  not a prepared sheet of information from the director. She was making notes based on what said director was saying/or what she THOUGHT he was saying.

Context means EVERYTHING.

By all means, explore!  Ask questions,  read,  share your findings!  However,  when you DO share make it clear to your readers or the people you discuss things with that this is just YOUR interpretation of the events,  not a syllabus created for you by the person offering the information in the first place.

When you read - (including this blog!!!) - know who is offering you the information and what the purpose is.  Does this person have experience and information in which to partake?  Does it make sense to you to listen?  Does it make sense for you to simply observe and take it with a grain of salt, or does it hit you on a gut level and maybe you need to pay closer attention?  And if so,  why pay closer attention?

There is no black & white entirely in the business of show or in the pursuit of craft and artistic development.  Guidelines, perhaps;  a basis of structure,  perhaps;  motivation,  perhaps;  But not "always do this",  "never do this".  As soon as you see that,  there will be someone who says "I like just the opposite".

Perhaps this reveals the answers then.  To every "do this"  there is a "do that".

It is up to YOU the emerging and developing performer to discover and create what works for YOU within the parameters of the business you are pursuing a a career in.

You need to know what you bring into the room.

You need to know how to find your authenticity in voice, and presentation.

You need to know who you are in that moment.

You need to know how to be comfortable in your own skin.

You need to know how own your audition,  your rehearsal process,  being a colleague,  your callback,  your conversations with others in the business,  and more.

YOU need to figure that out.

Nobody can tell you that so-and-so said it so it must be true. 

Any of the knowledge we have is a dangerous thing if we don't open up the context and discover how we inhabit it.  How do we figure that out?  We learn to live it,  and live WITH it.

Knowledge,  gravitas,  presence,  true understanding,  all come from time,  experience and paying attention to small grains of information and discovering where it leads.

There are no tricks;

There are no lists;

There are no magic formulas;

There is work.  There is commitment.  There is time.  There is perseverance.  There is determination.  There is eagerness.  There is questioning.  There is seeking.

Then,  the knowledge deepens and you are able to begin to claim what you do not yet own.

Happy "NEW" year.  Relish the journey.  It is yours and yours alone to enjoy and discover!

The many kinds of "singer" and study!

So many kinds of "singer" out there - and I am not talking about genre.

How do we define a "natural" singer vs an "organic" singer vs a "musical" singer?

Again, I hate boxes and labels so this is always difficult for to make generalizations so let me just begin to shape ideas...

I believe truly and honestly that singing by a physical definition is an athletic activity.  Some singer simply have the physical athleticism to do this.  Some do not.

Just as there are "natural" athletes and "learned" athletes there are singers in the same vein.  They both must have the physicality.  The "natural" athlete also has easier access to that physicality,  whereas the "learned" athlete has the physicality but may have issues they need to develop or overcome in order to access that physicality.

So it could be said for singers.  Some have the physicality and nothing in the way to access it.  This, to me, is the natural singer. However, this does mean that the natural singer KNOWS what they are doing.  They just simply do it.  Until they cannot. 

The "learned" singer must discover how to access their physicality.  These are the singers that might have physical issues, tensions, imbalances etc that through ongoing technical behavior can access the athleticism they can develop.

The "organic" singer seems to find what they can do within the limit of the talent, or the excess of their talent and discover the voice and the place that voice is best suited.

The "musical" singer could be an organic singer, or a natural singer, or not as natural physically singer - but has incredible color and ability to exude musicality and style in their singing while overcoming some physical issues in technique.

Before anybody gets their panties in a wad, I am oversimplifying.

Even the most "natural" voice still has to develop it.  A "natural" voice doesn't mean it is musical.  A musical voice isn't necessary a natural physicality. 

What a natural voice can do without training earlier on in development can be astounding.

What a musical voice can achieve can be moving and remarkable.

Some singers have exceptional physical gifts;  some have exceptional musical gifts;  some have exceptional interpretive gifts;  Few have all three in equal measure.

Regardless - you as the singer - need to figure out what you have and how you DEVELOP IT.

Even if you are a "natural" singer - it means nothing if you can't access what the music demands of your instrument.  The music, the craft demands you hone and develop.

If you are a "natural" athlete you have to decide what you are going to develop with that physicality and what sport best exemplifies it.

If you are a musical singer, you must find a physicality that you can rely on in order to access that musicality fully through your developed and rebalanced athleticism.

Regardless of the "voice" - it is up to you to HONE THAT CRAFT: physically, athletically, musically, dramatically, spiritually, organically. 

This is just the beginning - so let's explore this in the following days and weeks ahead!

We can want but if we cannot DO it is fruitless.  We must recognize, and simply be honest enough to develop what we have, and who we are.  Even the most "natural" of us will not be able to sustain without knowledge and development and clarity of how we do what we do.

So let's delve in shall we?

Let's find YOUR voice and make it uniquely YOURS.

The Mentality of Professional vs Amateur

The title needs work.

Professional is not versus Amateur.  It is simply opposite.

There are lots of ways to define both words.  I tend to let those words evolve through behavior, and how you view your work,  how you hear what is being said to you and what you do with that information.

There was a time in my life where I would have spent TONS of time to try to "get through" to a singer/actor only to be completely ignored, or hear from them something that was absolutely not said nor implied.

The longer I work with singers, and am in the business, the more I realize how this truly divides the professional mentality from the amateur one.

I see more and more that what you take from a conversation really determines where you are in the process of becoming or maintaining your professionalism or leaving you simply in amateur-land.

Some people are hard-wired professional.  They simply have the ability to see a larger arc,  and know what they need and who they need to ask to get the information in order to develop a career, and a more importantly,  a way of preparing to create a career.  They grow,  they are willing to be accessible,  they listen and hear the full extent of a conversation and then are able to hone in how that affects them specifically and what they must do to grow and develop.

The amateur is probably hard-wired too.  The amateur isn't just about not knowing.  Their hearing is suspect;  their ability to translate is limited;  they find ways to hide, to make excuses and to fixate on one or two things to create a narrative that keeps them safe.

Again, there are many ways to define professionalism and amateurism.  I am speaking about mindset and what could be hard-wired,  versus what could be potential untapped but has the ability to grow and become.

If potential isn't realized,  it's amateur.  It's okay to be amateur as one is developing potential.  It's okay to be amateur even if you don't develop potential.  It is finding one's level that is crucial in all of this.   Amateurs can think they are ready for the deep water,  but the only ones they are kidding are themselves.  Professionals can be in an amateur environment and still find success with others who are like minded and grow.

I see the amateur mindset so often in the development of the vocal instrument.  That instrument is ALWAYS growing and changing.  It needs constant and CONSISTENT attention.  Hard-wired amateurs don't see that need or dismiss it,  and actually say it's good enough.  Professional mind-sets always find a way to keep studying and keep growing.

Professional mindsets ask questions.  They keep the options open and never tie it up with a bow.  They know there is more and they are constantly striving for more craft, more knowledge, more understanding.

Amateur mindsets set up small pockets of fixation.  They only hear what they are able to.  There is not an initiative to truly find more of what is needed, but rather, excuses of what they think is enough.

Professional mindsets often have more questions than answers.

Amateur mindsets find quick answers so they don't need to ask more questions.

Professional mindsets don't make excuses, or hide behind tired humor or excuses or look for sympathy.

Amateur mindsets find the excuses to keep them exactly where they are.  They can be told EXACTLY what is needed, and simply do not hear it,  or choose not to hear it. 

Professional mindsets require challenge and want to know what they need to do.

Amateur mindsets want no conflict and want to be told they are wonderful.

And guess what?  It's okay to be an amateur.  Just don't pretend it's okay to bring the amateur mindset into the professional arena and wonder why nobody is giving you the time of day.

Every singer that walks through my door will be made to feel safe.  They will also be challenged to find their best self.  They will be encouraged, and applauded when they leave better than their previous self.  The professional mindset will realize leaving better than their previous self means there is still work to do.  The amateur mindset will think they are "ready". 

The professional mindset will listen and HEAR.  The amateur mindset will only hear and translate what they are able to, and may even misunderstand.

These are the hard-wired mindsets.

If you really really want to move from amateur to professional in your mind-set you really really REALLY have to work to hear what you need,  by the people who know - and not interrupt.  There are no "yeah, but..."  in a professional mindset.  None.

Learn to ask the right questions, and if you don't know the questions to ask,  ask THAT question.  If you take the time ask,  expect an answer,  and then it is up to YOU,  to discover what the answer reveals for you.  Often, it's not comfortable.  There is nothing comfortable with self-examination.  We learn how to accept the reality and work with it,  or dodge it and remain in that amateur mindset.

Better is simply,  better.

Progress is simply,  progress.

Potential is simply,  potential.

Realizing,  developing and claiming gives us the opportunity to find the changes, makes the changes and live the changes.

Your mindset is up to you.  Claim it.

Finding Your Niche

Sunday musings...at the end of November...

Are you finding your niche?  Where you can inhabit?

There are so many factors in our lives as artists.

Some are artists.

Some have artistic temperaments.

Some are performers.

Some are artists who perform.

Some are craftspeople.

Some are process people.

Some are a quick bolt of lightening.

Some are a slow burn.

Finding out WHAT you are,  and then WHERE you are reveals even more,  and can be thoroughly exhausting and confusing.

We fight the constant "in the box" mentality to allow our artistic individuality to be allowed to breathe.  We need to do that if we want to find authenticity as an artist.

However, then there's the business of show.  If we want to work,  make a living or some semblance,  are we ready to go where our talent takes us?  And how do we know not just how we WISH to be seen, but how we ARE being seen?

I see the frustration.  I've experienced it.

As I get older,  I have decided not to succumb to the box,  but rather, enjoy the process of creating MY OWN.

And I don't want a box,  I want a niche.  It allows for my uniqueness to be displayed as opposed to being put away. 

As a performer,  you want your uniqueness remembered.  You want to be in the minds of someone who is casting who sees you clearly.

Here's the catch:  the only way they see you clearly is if YOU see you clearly.

If something doesn't add up,  it's too much time and effort to riddle it out,  and your head shot and resume are placed unceremoniously in THAT OTHER PILE.

You, the artist, You, the performer,  must discover what makes you unique, where your niche will be, and occupy that space!

Get creative with it.  Come on!  You say you are an artist,  so BE one!  Create!  Create yourself!

Don't get caught in the regular,  boring, non-descriptive adjectives.

Carve out a place for yourself!

How aware of yourself are you?

Time to ask the hard questions of yourself, and people you trust that can keep it real.  This doesn't need to hurt, but rather invigorate you to discover what space you can truly call yours!!

There are so many people trying to work in this business,  Music Theatre, Theatre, Film, TV, Opera - all of which have their own specificities and quirks.

There is always going to be someone better than you,  hungrier than you,  more determined than you.

So what makes YOU the best YOU, the most unique YOU,  the most qualified YOU?

The pieces of the puzzle don't have to fit in a "traditional" way - sometimes the "quirks" we find that don't seem to fit can end up becoming the recognized niche we need.

Are you ready for that?

So much of the time we are constantly trying to CHANGE something.  If only I had...If only I could do...If only...one day...

What about saying the square peg does belong in the round hole and this is how it works?

And claim it.  And demonstrate it.  Show us.  Create the niche.

What are your personality quirks? What makes you YOU?  Ask the people that love being around what they love about you.  Also ask them what drives them NUTS.

What are your physical attributes?  Don't value judge!  They are all real.  If you think perfect physical specimens are the only ones working,  (whatever THAT means) you are mistaken!!!  You are a perfect physical specimen for a role if you embody the niche you say you do and it works!

What can you emphasize about your energy?  Do you know what your energy reveals?  Are there differences in that energy when you are with your friends?  Your family?  Business people?  In an audition room?  In a class?   What happens?  What changes?  What can you use????

Does your voice match your body?  Do you have options?  What are they?

What can do you to still be true to your physical self and your vocal self at the same time?

You are only stuck if you decide to be.

If you feel stuck,  guess what?  That's what "they" get in the room:  This person doesn't know what they want us to see;  they don't know who they are;  next!

So often, we think we must de-emphasize something.  What if we were to really emphasize that quirk, so-called oddity,  interesting quality,  fascinating tic?   What niche could you occupy and thereby, inhabit, within the business?

Okay, I hear the question now:  but if I try to get too specific, doesn't that limit my ability to get hired?

And I answer:  Generic is generic.  There is tons of generic out there.  How does one differentiate? If you find your specificity,  then you focus on working in THAT niche.  The work could be constant frankly,  because you would be filling a niche that is uniquely you.


Type, Fach, Hit - whatever you use to "define" is there as a guideline.  The basic description is generic.  YOU define your niche by what you bring and how you hone and how you reveal.

Get creative with it! 

As an example:
We are all a little quirky.  What are your specific quirks?  Quirky how?  Describe your descriptives!!!

Find the roles that would fit YOU as you occupy and inhabit your niche.

Decide where in the business that takes you....you might be surprised as to how much possible work there is,  if you decide to focus in instead of get frustrated with a generality.

Happy discovery!

Gearing Up for a NEW SEASON!

I can't believe it's August.  Where is the summer going?

Things are slowing down a bit,  as they always do, in order to gear back up again in a couple of weeks, as far the audition season goes in NYC.

Many of you are heading to school or back to school.  Some of you are getting ready to take on new projects, new shows, go out on tour...

How are you gearing up?

Full steam ahead is great, if you have done the work to prepare for that.

The gear up can only be successful if you are having the right conversation with yourself. 

I was touched by this quote today:

“Life is not complex.  We are complex.  Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing.”
―Oscar Wilde
  
This is such an important distinction that I think we often confuse for ourselves. 

Gearing up,  often means, simplifying.  Simplifying is scary.  It means we have to come to terms with what we don't need:  stuff, excuses, what ifs, buts, yeah buts...you know what I am talking about. At least I hope you do.

We all do it: complicate things.  I hear it from others and I do it myself.  The excuses to keep the narrative alive in the show that stars us. 

Sadly those excuses keep the narrative alive, but don't allow us to fully gear up to DO anything that moves as forward and into a life that has meaning.

Whether you are auditioning, or going back to school, or trying to figure out what you are doing with your talent,  ask yourself what kind of narrative you are really having with yourself:  Is it NOW? Or are the excuses in the way so you don't have to think about it til later?

Is it about you are or are not doing?  Or is it about other people who don't support you enough?

Is it about what you are really capable of? Or is it about the people you think are more talented, getting the work,  booking the jobs?

Is it about your weight?  Or the fact that you haven't done anything about that?

Is it about not having new head shots? Or the fact that you haven't saved a few dollars a week to actually new ones taken?

Is it about how expensive taking a voice lesson or an acting class is?  Or the fact that you are scared to see what you actually have in front of a professional who can clearly assess your ability?

Gearing up means taking a hold of yourself and being real.

Where are you?

No excuses.

Figure out where you are,  why you are,  and then figure out where you want to be.  When you figure out where you THINK you want to be,  then ask why?  What does that represent to you?  Is it responsible?  Is it honest?  Is it attainable?  Says who?  Says what?

Gearing up, means pairing down.  Clearing the path.  Clearing the clutter.  Honing in on what is absolutely necessary and doing it.  Honing in on what is absolutely in the way,  and releasing it.

Big choices,  big changes.  Nobody said it was easy.

Finding your strengths,  your resilience,  your truths,  allows you to clear out, and gear up and actually  DO IT this season.

Are you ready?

Take a big breath, and ask yourself.  Get ready for the REAL ANSWERS.

Welcome 2014! Goals & Processes!

Happy New Year!

This is always a somewhat melancholy time for many of us...and an opportunity to allow clearing the clutter (literally and figuratively) and discover what we want to focus on at the beginning of this year.

I read a great article this week http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230333.

It looks at the difference between goals and systems.  It really spoke to me. 

We all have goals.  Yet, somehow, it's not always easy to reach them.  We aren't always in control of the goal.  But we ARE in control of the system we take on.

Committing to the process, not the goal makes complete sense to me.

I will use myself as an example.  I haven't written "this book" yet...you will fall over and hurt yourself when I have finally completed it and published it I know...

I realize now,  I was too focused on the "I will complete my book this year" instead of the process of creating "writing time" each week.

Daily schedule/weekly schedule of process takes the pressure of "deadline" off, and allows us to find the creativity to evolve.

Have you created some of your "dream big goals"?  Sometimes they seem daunting,  unattainable,  too good to be true.  However, if we work from a process,  we find the reality that supports the possibility of those dreams to come true.

Perhaps one of your dream goals is to perform on Broadway.  That is a very broad goal.  So if we start with process - dreaming doesn't get you there.  Do you study your craft regularly?  Are you auditioning regularly??? Are you getting regular call backs?  Are you trying to take classes with major casting directors to gradually become known?  What are you being recognized for?  What do you want to be recognized for?  Are you developing that skill?  that talent?  that possibility?  Have you done any professional performing?  Do you have an audition book that you can sing solidly?

The embracing of the process puts it in YOUR hands.  You have to be realistic.  Process takes time.  It takes practice.  It takes a realistic view of where you are and where you are going.

Goals are great - if you are willing to embrace the process.  I can't write a book and publish it, if I don't make time to write.  Well, DUH. 

You can't work as a professional artist if you don't work your process to become professional in craft, and in business.  Wanting it, setting the goal and not reaching it happens when the process is ignored.

Some people are big ideas people.  Some people see the detail.  As artists in the business of show,  we need to be both.  Or we need someone in our circle we trust to balance that which we do not see, and can point it out clearly.

This is why we study;  this is why we have coaches and teachers, and mentors and the like - to not tell us how great we are,  but to challenge us to think beyond what is comfortable.

What do you want????  That is the big picture, no matter the answer.

How do you get there??? Those are the details.  That reveals the process.

Sometimes the process reveals another goal.  Imagine! 

Choose to reveal the authenticity of you in every aspect of your process.  The more authentic you are,  the more your process develops,   and the clearer those goals appear.

It's your journey.  You are entitled to change your direction if your process takes you there.

Welcome to a new year to each of you!