http://youtu.be/siu6JYqOZ0g
Looking at things from a different angle. Watch this and let it open your mind...
Alan watts' lectures are so inspirational to me and helps me look at things that would normally get me down, differently. I hope it does the same to you, search hint on YouTube and have a listen!
Monday, 11 March 2013
Monday, 7 January 2013
Sunday, 6 January 2013
Task 3a: current networks
Almost everybody networks every single day in one way or another. from a simple chat with a friend, to news broadcasts, to Twitter posts. We are a networking generation. I know in my chosen profession that professional networking is vital and can have a major impact towards having a successful career or not. Previous teachers at college have made it clear to me that networking is important for us as performers to get known.
Here are a few of my existing networks that I use
Social Network sites
I believe that tools like Facebook and Twitter are the best way to network currently. Facebook currently has nearly a billion active users and with 7 billion people living on this planet, i think its safe to say that with so many active users online it is more than possible to access and share information about myself to the people i wouldn't necessarily gain contact with. I teach Zumba fitness as an extra job on the side and to advertise with flyers, posters and business cards would cost me an arm and a leg to have continual advertisement for my classes, not to mention the distributing of flyers etc. So i set up my own Zumba Facebook page which is open to users to find if they search for 'Zumba'. There you can find all information about the classes and a contact number and email address to me. I have gained so many clients and still continue to, thanks to the accessibility of Facebook.
Friends
The majority of my friends are all in the same circle as me. We're all performers, either dancers, actors or singers and most of us a combination of all three, which is really good for all of us to stay in the know. Although this industry is a competitive one and competition can turn the best of us ugly, i'm lucky to have an amazing close group of friends. We all fill each other in on auditions we have heard about and talk about new information the might come about in the industry. Its important to stay updated with one another because all of us have different experiences and sometimes each of our experiences could help one another. for example one of my friends was in a panto last year that i was auditioning for this year, so she filled me in with the audition process and gave me advice on how i should perform in there.
Class & Auditioning
Going to dance classes are a great way to network. I always seem to get chatting to other girls there who i may or may not know already and we talk about our previous training, previous work or future work and auditions coming up. Places like the Pineapple have notice boards up to promote all different kinds of things that could benefit us performers, like photographers, auditions and other classes. Also building up a good relationship with teachers in class could lead to bigger things. Usually they have either worked in the business themselvs or know someone who could get you work. Auditions are also a great place to get chatting to other girls in the same circles. I have once been chatting to a group of girls at one audition and they told me they were going to another bigger audition after that i had no idea was going on, so ended up at that audition too.
Agent
i am lucky to have a good relationship with my agent and i feel i can talk to her openly with my veiws about what direction i want my career to go in. I think this is important for her to understand my personal goals on my level so she can work for me in the way i want to go. I always fill her in with what i have been doing, theatre i have seen and my views on it, who i like on tv etc. She is a great agent and has given me great advice to boost my career.
They say in this industry that its not what you know, its who you know. I agree with that statement entirely as i have been in many situations in the past where i have witnessed somebody actually bag a job just by being in the room and having worked with that choreographer before. This isn't fair at all, seeing as everybody else in the room, including myself, had to spend the next 2 hours trying our hardest to be seen, pick up choreography and using every bit of energy we have to try and bag that same job. The industry is fickle, unfair and biased and sometimes feels completely impossible, but this only drives the hunger in our belly's even more. It is important that we network and stay in the know, so that we build a name for ourself and others can begin to recognise us. it is also even more important that the name we create for ourselves is a good one and we let others know that we are reliable professionals.
Here are a few of my existing networks that I use
Social Network sites
I believe that tools like Facebook and Twitter are the best way to network currently. Facebook currently has nearly a billion active users and with 7 billion people living on this planet, i think its safe to say that with so many active users online it is more than possible to access and share information about myself to the people i wouldn't necessarily gain contact with. I teach Zumba fitness as an extra job on the side and to advertise with flyers, posters and business cards would cost me an arm and a leg to have continual advertisement for my classes, not to mention the distributing of flyers etc. So i set up my own Zumba Facebook page which is open to users to find if they search for 'Zumba'. There you can find all information about the classes and a contact number and email address to me. I have gained so many clients and still continue to, thanks to the accessibility of Facebook.
Friends
The majority of my friends are all in the same circle as me. We're all performers, either dancers, actors or singers and most of us a combination of all three, which is really good for all of us to stay in the know. Although this industry is a competitive one and competition can turn the best of us ugly, i'm lucky to have an amazing close group of friends. We all fill each other in on auditions we have heard about and talk about new information the might come about in the industry. Its important to stay updated with one another because all of us have different experiences and sometimes each of our experiences could help one another. for example one of my friends was in a panto last year that i was auditioning for this year, so she filled me in with the audition process and gave me advice on how i should perform in there.
Class & Auditioning
Going to dance classes are a great way to network. I always seem to get chatting to other girls there who i may or may not know already and we talk about our previous training, previous work or future work and auditions coming up. Places like the Pineapple have notice boards up to promote all different kinds of things that could benefit us performers, like photographers, auditions and other classes. Also building up a good relationship with teachers in class could lead to bigger things. Usually they have either worked in the business themselvs or know someone who could get you work. Auditions are also a great place to get chatting to other girls in the same circles. I have once been chatting to a group of girls at one audition and they told me they were going to another bigger audition after that i had no idea was going on, so ended up at that audition too.
Agent
i am lucky to have a good relationship with my agent and i feel i can talk to her openly with my veiws about what direction i want my career to go in. I think this is important for her to understand my personal goals on my level so she can work for me in the way i want to go. I always fill her in with what i have been doing, theatre i have seen and my views on it, who i like on tv etc. She is a great agent and has given me great advice to boost my career.
They say in this industry that its not what you know, its who you know. I agree with that statement entirely as i have been in many situations in the past where i have witnessed somebody actually bag a job just by being in the room and having worked with that choreographer before. This isn't fair at all, seeing as everybody else in the room, including myself, had to spend the next 2 hours trying our hardest to be seen, pick up choreography and using every bit of energy we have to try and bag that same job. The industry is fickle, unfair and biased and sometimes feels completely impossible, but this only drives the hunger in our belly's even more. It is important that we network and stay in the know, so that we build a name for ourself and others can begin to recognise us. it is also even more important that the name we create for ourselves is a good one and we let others know that we are reliable professionals.
Friday, 4 January 2013
Task 2c: Reflective Theory
Click link to view my Critical reflection essay.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LU1JPdxc1GpV1sb9xwG07_084Iykc1-vgU9GErZGXoo/mobilebasic
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LU1JPdxc1GpV1sb9xwG07_084Iykc1-vgU9GErZGXoo/mobilebasic
X
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Task 2d: Inquiry
What in your daily practice gets you really enthusiastic to find out more about? Who do you admire who also works with what makes you enthusiastic?
The thing that gets me most enthusiastic is actually doing what I love to do! If I learn a dance routine and I get it by the end of class, well that's cool But i want a routine to keep inside my head, I want to show it off! I want to stand up and give out, I want everyone to see it!! That's why when getting a job is such an amazing feeling because you know you can show off what you've got! Getting my next job is what makes me enthusiastic, knowing that I can do something and there could be an opportunity for me is What gives me the biggest buzz. Even when I get sent a script over for an audition then I am head down in the page getting to grips with the character, becoming that character to ensure that job is mine. it's THE best feeling knowing that all the hard work and struggle has finally paid off. It's also really overwhelming sometimes thinking about how many people they must have seen before choosing you and that also makes you feel a little bit special! One woman that I truly admire and adore was one of my dance teachers at Italia Conti, Pat D. She specialised in contemporary jazz, which was like no other type of dance I had ever seen before. She had created her own acquired style over the years I began to fall in love with it. She only used a few selected dancers in her numbers and luckily she picked me when I first got the chance. We started working closely together, even on weekends and over time she used me as a prodigy to her movements and together we grew as one. That lady taught me so much about dance, myself and the industry I was about to go into and all of it will never be forgotten. An inspiration.
Pats work, my solo- The new Wimbledon theatre.
What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness or anger?
As all performers might agree, the most frustrating thing for all of us Is the rejection. We all go into auditions after having trained at the most amazing performing arts schools, feeling like we're the new 'thing' with soooooooooo much hope in our hearts and quickly that hope is shattered. I was one of these hopefulls and I too learnt very quickly to not be too hopefull about any audition. I have been out of college for over a year now which doesn't sound like very long but the amount I have learnt in that time is epic. For anyone, It is really hard to handle rejection of any kind but it's something I have found most difficult. There are still times now where I think 'yes this is it! Down to the last round, that means I'll get this!!' and then Im out the door quicker that you can say boo! And I can't lie it frustrates me and I do get upset, especially when I ask 'why her? Why not me?'. But that's the thing isn't it, we are all so brilliant! And there are so many of us! And there are so little jobs!!! But
that's the way this industry is and I feel that's what makes you want it more. It drives the hunger in your belly and if you can hold it out then you can last the fight. I admire all performers out there, and all of my closest loveliest friends that go through exactly the same rejection all the time. We are all in this together and if it wasn't for my friends to pick me back up then I'd still be down there, so thanks guys!!!
What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?
The thing I love most about being a performer is the fact we can do what we love to do everyday. We're not stuck behind a computer, bored to death! We can feel good, be fit, makeother people feel good, network with various different people, travel to some amazing places, feel the buzz of adrenalin run through your body, we can be creative, add strings to our bows in various different areas and have the freedom to be seen as whoever we want to be. It's the freedom and creativity that I love. Theres a lot more to performing than just being a dancer, actress or singer and i sometimes feel other areas of the performing world are forgotten. With the massive amount of competition out there to be the next dancer, actress or singer, it's nice to know there are other routes we could take. Directing, producing, stage crew, voice overs, tv extras, playwriting, stunt work and managing a theatre school are some to say the least. My boyfriend is someone who I admire for their drive towards this industry. He trained as a straight actor for four years at a well known drama school and since leaving has done some good, credible work, but is nowhere near where he thought he'd be at his age. So due to the lack of work/ auditions, he decided to add more strings to his bow and is now the producer of Lonesome Schoolboy Productions, the theatre company he set up a few years ago. He puts on new writing nights in theatres in london, using unknown directors, writers and actors giving the, opportunities they wouldn't nescesserily have. This is great because they can invite along agents and casting directors to help further their careers. He also writes and directs and has given me a great opportunity in one of his nights and this is in fact where my agent spotted me.
Lonesome Schoolboy Productions are always looking for new talent in writing, directing and acting and could offer you some great opportunities so get following on twitter and Facebook for more info on their next new writing nights.
Twitter: @lonesomeschoolb
Facebook: lonesome schoolboy
Web: www.lonesomeschoolboy.co.uk
What do you feel you don't understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?
Sometimes I feel like I don't understand how decisions are made within the industry. I wrote in a previous question about rejection and handling it and that is frustrating for us, but what is sometimes hard to understand or harder to believe is how they can make a decision between who casting directors cast for something and who they don't. It could be down to anything - hair colour, too short, too tall, blue eyes, too big, too skinny. Quite recently I went for a panto audition. 700 girls were seen that day, all amazing, all pretty much in ratio to me looks wise. I got down to the last 40 girls after round after round of the same routine and freestyle, giving it 150% every time! I was at the audition for almost 5 hours and when all the boys were paired up with the girls who were left and there were no boys left, the rest of us were told to leave and thank you very much for your time. WHAT?!?!! Why didnt they do that in the first place?! It really is hard to believe how they can determine who gets it and who doesn't, but that's the way it is! My mum is the one who understands when I fall down and get frustrated. I'm lucky to have parents to support me the way mine do. She tells me my time will come, which I'm pretty sure it will and helps me to understand that it is a fickle business and I should be aware and stronger. She gives me great hope.
The thing that gets me most enthusiastic is actually doing what I love to do! If I learn a dance routine and I get it by the end of class, well that's cool But i want a routine to keep inside my head, I want to show it off! I want to stand up and give out, I want everyone to see it!! That's why when getting a job is such an amazing feeling because you know you can show off what you've got! Getting my next job is what makes me enthusiastic, knowing that I can do something and there could be an opportunity for me is What gives me the biggest buzz. Even when I get sent a script over for an audition then I am head down in the page getting to grips with the character, becoming that character to ensure that job is mine. it's THE best feeling knowing that all the hard work and struggle has finally paid off. It's also really overwhelming sometimes thinking about how many people they must have seen before choosing you and that also makes you feel a little bit special! One woman that I truly admire and adore was one of my dance teachers at Italia Conti, Pat D. She specialised in contemporary jazz, which was like no other type of dance I had ever seen before. She had created her own acquired style over the years I began to fall in love with it. She only used a few selected dancers in her numbers and luckily she picked me when I first got the chance. We started working closely together, even on weekends and over time she used me as a prodigy to her movements and together we grew as one. That lady taught me so much about dance, myself and the industry I was about to go into and all of it will never be forgotten. An inspiration.
Pats work, my solo- The new Wimbledon theatre.
What gets you angry or makes you sad? Who do you admire who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness or anger?
As all performers might agree, the most frustrating thing for all of us Is the rejection. We all go into auditions after having trained at the most amazing performing arts schools, feeling like we're the new 'thing' with soooooooooo much hope in our hearts and quickly that hope is shattered. I was one of these hopefulls and I too learnt very quickly to not be too hopefull about any audition. I have been out of college for over a year now which doesn't sound like very long but the amount I have learnt in that time is epic. For anyone, It is really hard to handle rejection of any kind but it's something I have found most difficult. There are still times now where I think 'yes this is it! Down to the last round, that means I'll get this!!' and then Im out the door quicker that you can say boo! And I can't lie it frustrates me and I do get upset, especially when I ask 'why her? Why not me?'. But that's the thing isn't it, we are all so brilliant! And there are so many of us! And there are so little jobs!!! But
that's the way this industry is and I feel that's what makes you want it more. It drives the hunger in your belly and if you can hold it out then you can last the fight. I admire all performers out there, and all of my closest loveliest friends that go through exactly the same rejection all the time. We are all in this together and if it wasn't for my friends to pick me back up then I'd still be down there, so thanks guys!!!
What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?
The thing I love most about being a performer is the fact we can do what we love to do everyday. We're not stuck behind a computer, bored to death! We can feel good, be fit, makeother people feel good, network with various different people, travel to some amazing places, feel the buzz of adrenalin run through your body, we can be creative, add strings to our bows in various different areas and have the freedom to be seen as whoever we want to be. It's the freedom and creativity that I love. Theres a lot more to performing than just being a dancer, actress or singer and i sometimes feel other areas of the performing world are forgotten. With the massive amount of competition out there to be the next dancer, actress or singer, it's nice to know there are other routes we could take. Directing, producing, stage crew, voice overs, tv extras, playwriting, stunt work and managing a theatre school are some to say the least. My boyfriend is someone who I admire for their drive towards this industry. He trained as a straight actor for four years at a well known drama school and since leaving has done some good, credible work, but is nowhere near where he thought he'd be at his age. So due to the lack of work/ auditions, he decided to add more strings to his bow and is now the producer of Lonesome Schoolboy Productions, the theatre company he set up a few years ago. He puts on new writing nights in theatres in london, using unknown directors, writers and actors giving the, opportunities they wouldn't nescesserily have. This is great because they can invite along agents and casting directors to help further their careers. He also writes and directs and has given me a great opportunity in one of his nights and this is in fact where my agent spotted me.
Lonesome Schoolboy Productions are always looking for new talent in writing, directing and acting and could offer you some great opportunities so get following on twitter and Facebook for more info on their next new writing nights.
Twitter: @lonesomeschoolb
Facebook: lonesome schoolboy
Web: www.lonesomeschoolboy.co.uk
What do you feel you don't understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?
Sometimes I feel like I don't understand how decisions are made within the industry. I wrote in a previous question about rejection and handling it and that is frustrating for us, but what is sometimes hard to understand or harder to believe is how they can make a decision between who casting directors cast for something and who they don't. It could be down to anything - hair colour, too short, too tall, blue eyes, too big, too skinny. Quite recently I went for a panto audition. 700 girls were seen that day, all amazing, all pretty much in ratio to me looks wise. I got down to the last 40 girls after round after round of the same routine and freestyle, giving it 150% every time! I was at the audition for almost 5 hours and when all the boys were paired up with the girls who were left and there were no boys left, the rest of us were told to leave and thank you very much for your time. WHAT?!?!! Why didnt they do that in the first place?! It really is hard to believe how they can determine who gets it and who doesn't, but that's the way it is! My mum is the one who understands when I fall down and get frustrated. I'm lucky to have parents to support me the way mine do. She tells me my time will come, which I'm pretty sure it will and helps me to understand that it is a fickle business and I should be aware and stronger. She gives me great hope.
Task 2b: Reflective Writing
Journal writing experience.
In this task we had to try out different ways of writing our journals. I got inspiration from the list of ways to write given in the handbook and I found this exciting and interesting. I chose 7 of the different ways to write and used them in my journal for a week. Here's how I got on...
Description
I think this would be the normal way I would write a diary anyway. I wrote about my day in chronological order expressing my inner thoughts and feelings With detail, much like how I would talk to someone personally. I like writing in this format because it makes me feel at ease when I write my feelings and see how I actually feel and sometimes I surprise myself with the outcome of why I may have felt this way initially.
List
This was a quick and efficient way to keep a personal log of my day. It didn't take me long at all and listed what happened and briefly how I may have felt. This way of writing is good for when time is minimal and I need to keep a quick log of happenings throughout the day. I could use this way of writing to record my day and then come back to it in the evening and extend it into a descriptive format. One thing I don't like about this style of writing was the lack of emotion I added to it. This didn't help me reflect very well later, but was just a log of my day.
Initial reflection
The initial reflection day was easy in some way because I was meeting someone on the day for the first time and so could make an initial reflection but then the rest of my day was pretty basic and boring so there wasn't much for me to go on. What I did take into account whilst looking back on this day was how I may have come across on first impressions. This is important and can relate to my professional practise too, like in an audition situation.
Evaluation
I thought this way of writing was great. Not only did I use the descriptive technique, which comes naturally to me, I also used evaluation techniques to come to a conclusion or to weigh up the day in pros and cons. I also found out why I think my actions are correct and why I think my co-workers might react the way they do and why I don't think their way of handling things is necessarily always correct. This is a great way for me to openly reflect and weigh up situations. I learned that I'm not always as confident in certain situations as I sometimes think I am.
Chart
Like the list, this was brief and efficient, but I thought it allowed me to be openly emotive. I created a chart made up of my morning, afternoon and evening of one day and wrote down 9 feelings I may have on a regular day. Throughout the day I scored each feeling with a number of stars from 1-5 (poor-good) and this helped me to really see not only how I felt but how much of it I felt. I could look back and reflect on what I felt most by weighing up the different emotions. Could definitely use this technique again if I have a lack of time.
What if?
This technique was different but I liked it. I could log my day yet put an imaginary, creative twist on it. I found this really allowed me to let out my true desires and also my worst fears. Truely allowed me to open up to myself which is sometimes harder than youd think. Great to look back reflect from.
Another view
This was the only way of writing I didn't necessarily agree with. I understand how it could be good to look back on your own day through someone or something else's perspective but honestly I found it too tricky and could get inside the mind of someone else! Maybe I'm just not very good at this one but I didn't take to it very well and felt like I was just guessing, seeing as I don't really know the person very well who I decided to write from.
Trying out all of these ways of wroting is really helpful and useful to see how i could reflect upon myself and I think for the rest of the course I will continue to use the description and evaluation techniques combined together so that I can fully emote and describe by day then come to a conclusion at the end to measure up those feelings, to move on to better,
In this task we had to try out different ways of writing our journals. I got inspiration from the list of ways to write given in the handbook and I found this exciting and interesting. I chose 7 of the different ways to write and used them in my journal for a week. Here's how I got on...
Description
I think this would be the normal way I would write a diary anyway. I wrote about my day in chronological order expressing my inner thoughts and feelings With detail, much like how I would talk to someone personally. I like writing in this format because it makes me feel at ease when I write my feelings and see how I actually feel and sometimes I surprise myself with the outcome of why I may have felt this way initially.
List
This was a quick and efficient way to keep a personal log of my day. It didn't take me long at all and listed what happened and briefly how I may have felt. This way of writing is good for when time is minimal and I need to keep a quick log of happenings throughout the day. I could use this way of writing to record my day and then come back to it in the evening and extend it into a descriptive format. One thing I don't like about this style of writing was the lack of emotion I added to it. This didn't help me reflect very well later, but was just a log of my day.
Initial reflection
The initial reflection day was easy in some way because I was meeting someone on the day for the first time and so could make an initial reflection but then the rest of my day was pretty basic and boring so there wasn't much for me to go on. What I did take into account whilst looking back on this day was how I may have come across on first impressions. This is important and can relate to my professional practise too, like in an audition situation.
Evaluation
I thought this way of writing was great. Not only did I use the descriptive technique, which comes naturally to me, I also used evaluation techniques to come to a conclusion or to weigh up the day in pros and cons. I also found out why I think my actions are correct and why I think my co-workers might react the way they do and why I don't think their way of handling things is necessarily always correct. This is a great way for me to openly reflect and weigh up situations. I learned that I'm not always as confident in certain situations as I sometimes think I am.
Chart
Like the list, this was brief and efficient, but I thought it allowed me to be openly emotive. I created a chart made up of my morning, afternoon and evening of one day and wrote down 9 feelings I may have on a regular day. Throughout the day I scored each feeling with a number of stars from 1-5 (poor-good) and this helped me to really see not only how I felt but how much of it I felt. I could look back and reflect on what I felt most by weighing up the different emotions. Could definitely use this technique again if I have a lack of time.
What if?
This technique was different but I liked it. I could log my day yet put an imaginary, creative twist on it. I found this really allowed me to let out my true desires and also my worst fears. Truely allowed me to open up to myself which is sometimes harder than youd think. Great to look back reflect from.
Another view
This was the only way of writing I didn't necessarily agree with. I understand how it could be good to look back on your own day through someone or something else's perspective but honestly I found it too tricky and could get inside the mind of someone else! Maybe I'm just not very good at this one but I didn't take to it very well and felt like I was just guessing, seeing as I don't really know the person very well who I decided to write from.
Trying out all of these ways of wroting is really helpful and useful to see how i could reflect upon myself and I think for the rest of the course I will continue to use the description and evaluation techniques combined together so that I can fully emote and describe by day then come to a conclusion at the end to measure up those feelings, to move on to better,
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