Frustration, Rejection, Re-direction

Sunday musings...

Look at this:

Yes that's a rejection letter.  Yes, it's Bono.

Yes it's audition season.
Yes there are more people auditioning than there are roles.
Yes, you are going to get frustrated.
Yes, you will be "rejected".

What do you do with that?  Is it really rejection?

I prefer to consider it another way.  It's not that you aren't good enough,  it's that you are needing to re-direct and find out where you will be seen.

"I must be doing something wrong."

I hear that a lot.  A LOT.   Perhaps you are not.  Perhaps you are just not in the right place.  Or not revealing what IS right about you.  Perhaps your desperation is showing,  and not your openness and freedom to take on the job you want.

Or, perhaps the person behind the table can't hear/see/respond.

Or, perhaps there are just so many to choose from and you just were not chosen.

Does it suck? Sure.  But YOU chose to be there.  No one is holding a gun to your head.

So if this is YOUR choice,  then  you must claim it fully:  the good, the bad AND the ugly.

You have chosen a profession where only 5% of us are working regularly at any given time.  It has the highest unemployment rate of any profession.

It is subjective.

So,  when you aren't getting work,  or feeling frustrated, or any of the other negatives,  what do you DO?

Sit down.  Take a breath.  Be still.  Have a good cry.

And RE-DIRECT yourself.

What do you want?

Why?

What are you doing regularly to achieve it?

What are you ignoring?

Perhaps,  that which you are seeing in your peripheral vision and ignoring is really what you need to consider,  and face it, head on.

Is something nagging you?

Is something re-appearing in theme or in conversation?

Perhaps,  that is what you need to face head on,  instead of feeling the glass is half empty.

Just because one person, or one season says "no",  doesn't mean you stop trying.  It might mean you are trying in ways you need to re-evaluate.

Frustration & rejection does not have to equal failure.

That is a choice.

Frustration & rejection should lead to focus and re-direction to discover your truth and where you SHOULD be,  not where you think you want to be.  It does not mean giving up.  It does mean walking away.  It means another possibility,  a different perspective,  a walking toward something.

Yes, there are too many people auditioning.
Yes,  you will submit for many projects and never get an audition.
Yes, you will get typed out.

Yes, you will get frustrated.

Yes, your responsibility is to find out the direction you need to face,  and start walking,  and gathering momentum,  and discovering what you need to DO in order to be where you will BE.

Saying you know and DOING what you know are not the same.

Talent.
Training.
Tenacity.

And an ongoing re-direction until you figure out where you are.

Rejection does not define you,  unless you allow it to.

Re-direction allows you to re-define yourself.

Choose well.

Actors and the VOICE

Sunday musings...


I have had several actors come to me recently who have major vocal problems.  They simply have not cared for,  nor do they seem to know how to use and look after their instruments.

It bespeaks a larger issue...I see so many so-called "actors" who take business classes to try to get work,  but have completely ignored the craft of simply caring and using their instrument.

An actor does not have to take singing lessons to use his/her voice.  However, an actor should be taking VOICE lessons in order to use his/her voice in a healthy way and to learn about support,  breath and resonance,  as well as building on endurance, power,  projection and more.

I have many actors who come in to work on their speaking voices THROUGH singing work.  The singing is more athletic simply because of duration,  and so they build a larger range,  a better understanding of support and movement of breath,  and their speaking voices become much more anchored and resonant almost immediately.

I am amazed at how many actors,  stage or screen,  do NOT work warm up their instrument prior to using it.  Many just haven't thought about it.

Unless you are working in silent film,  your instrument is your voice.  Your body is your instrument.  Why wouldn't you want it to be as athletic and strong as it could be?

This is in no way a chastisement!  This is a simple nudge to encourage you to view your training and your development as an actor a little further than what many have done.

You need to understand the function of your voice.  What are your possibilities?  How strong and tangible is your breath?  What kind of range do you have vocally?  (A grunt and a squeak do not count!)   What is your resonance like?  Where does your voice naturally sit?  Does it tire easily?  Do you project without restriction?  Are you gasping for air?  Is your throat sore after you have used your voice?

We aren't even talking about the craft of ACTING.  We are simply talking about the physical instrument and all of its possibilities.  The craft of acting should wrap itself around the physicality of the voice,  and sadly, often it is ass backwards and the voice itself is forgotten.

So what should you do?  Just like take a yoga class, or a pilates class or a spin class,  you warm up first.  You do not go into a full blown attack without letting the muscles get loose and lengthen and breathe.  Just like working out in ANY athletic activity,  so should you allow the voice!

Find yourself a voice class that is structured on the instrument as focus.  Find a teacher that understands the actor's voice and can help build a regime of development for you specifically.
 Take the time to really discover your voice.  Each actor has physicality,  has breath,  has tone,  has range,  has resonance,  has language.  Wouldn't you want to discover more about that and access all of what you are?  Wouldn't you want to know how to use all these factors in order to develop MORE breath, MORE support, MORE resonance,  MORE power, MORE dynamic. MORE range and never get vocally tired?

The more you focus on the athleticism of the voice and simply develop it,  the more possibilities exist.   If there are possibilities,  then anything can happen!

Treat your voice with the respect it deserves.  It IS your instrument.  YOU are an actor.  The two are entwined.  Now is the time to get conscious about it and do something to make it MORE.  Let it reveal itself to you,  develop it, nurture it,  and CLAIM IT.

happy discovery!

Consultations/Lessons and INFORMATION

Just some information for those of you who are coming into NYC or are in NYC and want to book consultations and/or lessons.

Please send me your head shot & resume with some info about YOU.  Email me directly at:

susaneichhornstudio@gmail.com


I will answer you promptly to let you know about availability.

Please DO NOT go to the online schedule and simply book if we have not been in touch first.

Thanks for your attention on this. 

See you in the studio!

Best,
Susan

Reading, Comprehension & Smart Questions

The musings continue...

My friend and colleague Cindy Sadler were discussing these things throughout the week.

Cindy is a brilliant artist,  who writes a great blog you need to add to your list HERE.

She also runs a marvelous opera summer program in Austin Texas called Spotlight on Opera.


As she receives applications in the hundreds,  as I receive emails and requests to study and consult,  as we comment on message boards for singers,  we have seen a trend that is pervasive in the business - be it in opera, theatre, film or TV.

There is a distinct divide between those who actually READ and COMPREHEND what they are reading before asking questions,  and those who simply are not doing this basic skill.  There is a huge difference between asking an informed question and asking a stupid question.
 

I know in my studio,  I tell my singers, when the door is closed, there is no stupid question.  What does that mean?  It means you are in a safe space to query about things that you might not ask anywhere else, so you have the answers you need to navigate the chaos we call the business of show (and the artistic pursuit of your craft!)

HOWEVER...

I am not sure how reading/comprehension has been lost.  It isn't all of you.  Trust me,  some of you are detail-oriented and are focused and clear.  We love hearing from you!

But, there are enough of you who do not read, comprehend nor follow directions well,  that it is putting you in jeopardy when you apply for programs,  scholarships,  submit for auditions,  etc etc.

Perhaps it is the era of "instant" that is the issue, but it does not give you a free pass.  If you want to be in ANY business you gotta read and COMPREHEND what you are reading so you are responding appropriately.

Read the application.  Thoroughly.  Make a check list if you have to, in order that you have all that is required.

Read the website.  Make sure you UNDERSTAND what is being asked of you.

You have SPELL CHECK.  USE IT.  There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for typos in this day and age.

If you have questions,  make a list and then double check for answers in the application and on the website.  Do not just start emailing questions that can be clearly answered by simply READING AND COMPREHENDING what is already there!

This does not hold you in high esteem.  Asking questions that are easily answered by reading what is there says 1. You are lazy  2.  You are not reading  3.  You are not comprehending what you read  4.  You don't want to do the basic work  5.  You want to be spoon fed  6.  You aren't ready for this application or this business.

Result: you are not taken seriously. AT ALL.  You are dismissed.

Is it in your control?  You bet it is!  If you want to be taken seriously,  earn it.  Just do the work.

The same goes for asking questions.  Ask SMART questions.  Looking "dumb"  does not make you more endearing.  It makes you look like you are not ready!  Time is valuable,  and questions that are asked inappropriately simply will be dismissed.

You either enhance or diminish your reputation with your questions.   What do you prefer?

I believe everything - including question asking - is often done so off-the-cuff,  that the person asking hasn't taken the time to see if the answer is right before him/her.  Not cool.  You MUST comprehend.

Even if the answer is NOT right in front of you - framing that question in a way that will get a proper response is crucial.

Example:

Asking a broad question like "How do I get a Broadway show?"  is going to be dismissed out of hand.  Too broad,  too general,  too green.  It reveals that you haven't done ANY research,  and wouldn't be ready for an answer.

 "Do cruise ships pay?"

  What does that reveal?  On the surface, someone who is truly clueless,  and simply hasn't done ANY research and certainly is not ready to even CONSIDER auditioning for anything in the professional world.

How could that question be re-worded?  It depends what the person answering the question is ready to READ AND COMPREHEND.

You have Google at your fingertips.  Do you homework.  Once you have done some preliminary research you might want to formulate the question as "I am looking into cruise line work and would love to know from any of you who have done it what I could expect in salary with little to no experience, should I get an audition."

That would show you have looking into the basics!  This would indicate you are respecting the time of those you are asking.  Anything less is beyond amateur,  beyond irritating, beyond...

You get the point.  I hope.

When you are applying for a program and your application is incomplete,  there is no excuse for that.  You did not read and comprehend.  If the application requires an mp3 of your work under 5 minutes, attached to the application, don't email the company and ask if you can send a YouTube clip link.

If you need THREE letters of recommendation, don't send TWO and wonder why you don't get in.  

You get the idea?

Just follow the bouncing ball.  It's not rocket science.

Read thoroughly.  Comprehend what you are reading.  Follow the instructions. 

As you are comprehending what you are reading,  make notes with any follow up questions.  As you keep reading, perhaps those follow up questions will be answered.

In this day of technology,  there is absolutely NO EXCUSE to not have basic information in hand before ANY question is asked.

This is YOUR decision and YOUR responsibility.  Do not get your back up if you are ignored for asking a question that is easily answered if you just READ and COMPREHEND, or answered curtly and told to do your research first.  That's on YOU.  Take responsibility for YOUR career development.

Being green is no excuse for being lazy.  No one is going to spoon feed you in this business.

Your reputation depends on your ability to BE smart and ACT smart.  The simple task of reading, comprehending, and putting that into action to then facilitate smart questions is the beginning of discovering where you can be!  If this simple task is not taken seriously,  you don't have a chance.

Where do you start?

READ.

COMPREHEND.

FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.

RESEARCH.

ASK QUESTIONS OUT OF YOUR RESEARCH,  NOT OUT OF  IGNORANCE.

THINK.

BE PRESENT.

PAY ATTENTION.

(did you read and comprehend all of these???? GOOD!)

If you want a career,  it's up to you,  not up to someone else.

There are people out there who are just as talented,  who will do the work.  It's a simple CHOICE.