I love this so much! Years after graduating, I wrote letters to the dean of the communication school at my university, advocating on behalf of the dance department for a dance minor. It was only an extracurricular activity for years and years and years. I wrote about how much a background in performance enabled so many skills. Like you say: teamwork, participation, commitment, showing up prepared and on time, taking responsibility — all traditionally associated with sports. Also, there were aspects of production that ended up factoring into a career in advertising in really tangible ways. It took the school 20 years, but they finally have a dance minor available and I think it’s wonderful!
It is an intriguing thing to learn how much power there can be leaning into the uniqueness that make you, you. I feel like I've been learning that as well, now that I am retired from a long career of illustrating and creating other people's ideas. Now that I have the freedom to follow my muses I can see how one's eccentricities can be integral to one's brand. Embrace those odd urges of exploration. Strive to be more myself every day. And yes... my theater training gave me a whole spectrum of skills that I would not have otherwise acquired. But its taken a lot of years to truly grasp the things I learned then. There are some truly marvelous things about getting older.
This just gave me yet one more insight into how Elisa became Elisa. I always connected your performing background with your ability to speak and connect on stage, whether it was interviewing someone or even announcing the dang schedule. But you teased out a few more threads here that really ring true.
Oh Elisa, SO JUICY! I. too come from a performing arts background, as you know, doing commercials, TV, and radio as a child in NY, being a theatre geek in HS, and then reconnecting with that love as an adult in indie film and theatre. I also have performed in church choirs to get my creative fix from time to time!
I started at age 6, so learned early on how to "act professional"and speak well. I learned how to depersonalize rejection and that it's simply part of the process - that if I wasn't cast, I just wasn't right for the part. I too learned teamwork, and how there truly are no small parts and that you can turn a small part into an amazing performance that adds to the audience's delight - I try to pass this on to my son when he gets upset he's not the star or has only a few lines! Diversity was also huge - I was working with people sometimes very different from me to create a shared vision together.
And I learned empathy in trying to embody a character without judgment.
I loved playing pretend, Partly to fuel my overactive imagination, partly to try on different personas and engage in escapism. Plus, I learned how much I enjoy performing and telling stories., which led to my career as an author, speaker, strategist, and podcaster today!
But there can be a dark side. It may have made me really good at hiding behind a facade, "acting" the part in other areas of my life. It fed my sometimes desperate desire to be loved, because when you perform well and people love you and applaud (whether a live audience or a TV ad director saying, "Perfect Maria! Great job!"), it's incredibly gratifying. I'm not sure if that is good or bad, but I was extremely insecure in HS despite my gregarious personality and I always felt like getting the part I wanted was a form of validation of my worth.
I try to ground myself and ask if I enjoy the work I do on stages and in front of groups now truly for the value I bring to them, or to feed something in my own soul. The latter seems less generous and I often judge myself for that feeling. I've come to realize it can be both and that if I have a talent for something, it's okay to delight in using it!
So the arts definitely shaped me. They taught me some very early lessons about creativity, expression, storytelling, confidence, resilience, public speaking, and not being afraid to take a risk. I also learned through some of my rejections that when I hold back, it can cost me the part! It did in a HS musical and it did in a professional feature film role.
Most importantly, I learned the worst thing that will ever happen when you pursue a creative dream or aim high and make an ask is that someone will simply say no. No one will die. The sky won't fall down, even if I'm heartbroken. All that means if I have to find the right person to say yes!
Thanks so much xo
Love this. Best description of working in the theater I’ve seen. And how it can affect all aspects of life.
I love this so much! Years after graduating, I wrote letters to the dean of the communication school at my university, advocating on behalf of the dance department for a dance minor. It was only an extracurricular activity for years and years and years. I wrote about how much a background in performance enabled so many skills. Like you say: teamwork, participation, commitment, showing up prepared and on time, taking responsibility — all traditionally associated with sports. Also, there were aspects of production that ended up factoring into a career in advertising in really tangible ways. It took the school 20 years, but they finally have a dance minor available and I think it’s wonderful!
What a cool story, and a cool thing to have played your part in!
It is an intriguing thing to learn how much power there can be leaning into the uniqueness that make you, you. I feel like I've been learning that as well, now that I am retired from a long career of illustrating and creating other people's ideas. Now that I have the freedom to follow my muses I can see how one's eccentricities can be integral to one's brand. Embrace those odd urges of exploration. Strive to be more myself every day. And yes... my theater training gave me a whole spectrum of skills that I would not have otherwise acquired. But its taken a lot of years to truly grasp the things I learned then. There are some truly marvelous things about getting older.
That's a great way to put it...it is indeed pretty great to learn you can still learn...about yourself and the world.
This just gave me yet one more insight into how Elisa became Elisa. I always connected your performing background with your ability to speak and connect on stage, whether it was interviewing someone or even announcing the dang schedule. But you teased out a few more threads here that really ring true.
Thanks jory :)
Oh Elisa, SO JUICY! I. too come from a performing arts background, as you know, doing commercials, TV, and radio as a child in NY, being a theatre geek in HS, and then reconnecting with that love as an adult in indie film and theatre. I also have performed in church choirs to get my creative fix from time to time!
I started at age 6, so learned early on how to "act professional"and speak well. I learned how to depersonalize rejection and that it's simply part of the process - that if I wasn't cast, I just wasn't right for the part. I too learned teamwork, and how there truly are no small parts and that you can turn a small part into an amazing performance that adds to the audience's delight - I try to pass this on to my son when he gets upset he's not the star or has only a few lines! Diversity was also huge - I was working with people sometimes very different from me to create a shared vision together.
And I learned empathy in trying to embody a character without judgment.
I loved playing pretend, Partly to fuel my overactive imagination, partly to try on different personas and engage in escapism. Plus, I learned how much I enjoy performing and telling stories., which led to my career as an author, speaker, strategist, and podcaster today!
But there can be a dark side. It may have made me really good at hiding behind a facade, "acting" the part in other areas of my life. It fed my sometimes desperate desire to be loved, because when you perform well and people love you and applaud (whether a live audience or a TV ad director saying, "Perfect Maria! Great job!"), it's incredibly gratifying. I'm not sure if that is good or bad, but I was extremely insecure in HS despite my gregarious personality and I always felt like getting the part I wanted was a form of validation of my worth.
I try to ground myself and ask if I enjoy the work I do on stages and in front of groups now truly for the value I bring to them, or to feed something in my own soul. The latter seems less generous and I often judge myself for that feeling. I've come to realize it can be both and that if I have a talent for something, it's okay to delight in using it!
So the arts definitely shaped me. They taught me some very early lessons about creativity, expression, storytelling, confidence, resilience, public speaking, and not being afraid to take a risk. I also learned through some of my rejections that when I hold back, it can cost me the part! It did in a HS musical and it did in a professional feature film role.
Most importantly, I learned the worst thing that will ever happen when you pursue a creative dream or aim high and make an ask is that someone will simply say no. No one will die. The sky won't fall down, even if I'm heartbroken. All that means if I have to find the right person to say yes!
Preach, Maria, obviously so much of this (oh, probably ALL of it) resonates with me!