When you’ve been practicing your art form for some time it can be hard to keep it fresh. When you are doing the same things over and over again, it’s easy for it all to start feeling a bit…. well like a dayjob.
And let’s face it, you never pursued an artistic path expecting it to feel like a dayjob.
So what do you do?
There’s a certain amount of foundation work which remains consistent no matter what. As a singer, it’s always about my breath, my posture, my alignment. No matter what else I’m working on, these things are always there. For my writing, it’s always about considering who the audience is and what action I want them to take.
In your art form there are always going to be those fundamental activities which remain consistent. They are always going to be that way, so let them be. It’s everything else which sometimes needs a shakeup.
What can you learn that’s new which will give you a fresh perspective on your work?
What teacher/coach/book/mentor can give you a fresh point of view?
How can you try out new material(s) which might open up new doors?
Today I got out my music books and picked some new songs to work on. That shouldn’t be ground breaking, but life is busy and much of my time is looking after other people or trying to produce work for money. There isn’t a lot of time these days to just do stuff on spec.
And yet it’s crucial.
That creative work, with any end goal, is hugely important to keep you fresh.
Whether that’s writing about something that you really want to write about. Singing music because it challenges you and it’s new. Learning new monologues of characters you think you might never play. Trying out watercolours if you always use oils, etc.
You’ve got to try something new. Challenge yourself. You can’t get different results by always doing the same thing.
I dare you to try something new this week.
Even if you don’t have time, make 30 minutes to experiment and PLAY with something new. Then use the comments below to let me know how it felt.
Goodbye, I’m off to PLAY.
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