I get emailed frequently from artists grappling with IMPOSTER SYNDROME and how to overcome it so they move into the careers and lives they desire.
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Let's talk about how depressing this time of year is. Good grief.
I've been reflecting on what I know I can do to keep my spirits up.
If you're struggling with malaise or glumness these days, here's a grab bag of tools that work for me.
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My Mum, Donna Penrose, is a scientist. Between her early twenties through her fifties, she worked in all sorts of labs, and earned a PhD in Molecular Biology.
Not long ago she was talking about scientific work and what makes a scientist. It struck me that the key ingredient to a successful career in science, is applicable to those of us in the arts.
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Today I want to talk about that moment in the life cycle of creative work when, after wanting and yearning and WORKING for it – we get what we want (the money, the studio time, programmed in a venue) – whatever it might be.
And after the briefest moment of celebration, a new shitty feeling sets in.
I want to share my fool-proof, pain-free method of building new habits that actually STICK.
First, let’s define what a “habit” is.
For me, a habit is a behaviour pattern or practice, acquired by repetition, that has become nearly or entirely involuntary. In other words, it’s something you do EVERYDAY without thinking about it.
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Are you fatigued? The experts are saying, the collective adrenaline has worn off and now we’re all just wiped. I feel it myself.
There is grief happening in the arts community; we are grieving our industry as we knew it. If you’re feeling really sad, you’re not crazy.
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I hope you’re doing alright, adjusting to our “new normal”. I’ve been dreaming scenes of wartime efforts – I think it’s my psyche trying to tell my conscious mind why I’ve found it all so destabilising.
Today I wanted to write about a new principle I’m trying to embrace.
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Monica Gaga is a London-based, British-born black African queer improviser, facilitator, host and scripted actor and performer.
She’s been seen, heard and staged on BBC Three, ITVBe, London Live, BBC History, BBC Radio London, Global Pillage, The Comedy Store, Hoopla Impro, Boulevard Theatre and more.
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I often hear theatre artists say that they hate theatre. They don’t feel like going. They’re sick of it. They don’t like anything they see.
Full disclosure: I have 110% been there and said those things. And I still struggle with those feelings.
Sometimes when you’re hard at it, grinding it out, going to the theatre is a royal pain in the ass.
That being said, I believe firmly that regularly getting yourself to the theatre will transform your artistic practice and your business savvy for the better.
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Since I started teaching artists in my Solo Show Lab about 2 years ago, I've been meditating on what is essential in order for artists to be able to make headway with their work in a way that feels good.
I’ve been working on a theory: The Creative Power Triad. I believe that there are three symbiotic elements necessary for artists to have a healthy and productive creative practice.
This week I’m doing my first ever Workshop via ZOOM.
My long-time collaborator, Mitchell Cushman, and I are working on my solo show about my hometown, Kitchener-Waterloo.
It’s is a storytelling show created through loads of research and interviews. In the show about 8-10 stories (from 1 min - 20 min) are told to the audience, but there are 5 options for each story ’slot’.