What is my practice?
What struck me most from this morning's Skype discussion were the different ideas about defining your 'practice'. What is a practice? What specifically is my professional practice? So far I feel like I have barely scratched the surface with this question. When I sit down and try to define my own practice, I end up with lots of things that I do. I act, I sing, I dance, I teach, I do voice over. So that's what I do. I could try to define it by qualification. I trained in musical theatre. However, I find that when people ask me what I do for a living I simplify and say that I'm an actor. This is probably due to the fact that since graduating I have mostly done straight acting roles. I also like the idea from this morning that your job that you happen to be in is different from your practice. I suppose this is particularly true when you are not working in a job in your field. But even when you are, it doesn't fit neatly into a definition of your practice. At the moment I'm starting a new drama teaching job. However, I wouldn't say my practice is teaching. Furthermore, in lockdown when I had no job in the arts or otherwise, I didn't suddenly feel like I was no longer a performer. I just couldn't physically be in a performance space.
So where does this leave me? I believe it leaves me with another good point from this morning's conversation. I have to start questioning things. I have to begin to look beyond my assumptions and look more closely at what a professional practice is. I am going to start trying to get comfortable with sitting down to study in the week and not necessarily come up with an answer straight away.
Great post.. Being in the arts or even freelance in this climate is very difficult, so I don't envy you. I feel like my practice is obvious... but then I believe that our practice must evolve as we and the world turns! I think the outside world has a massive influence on how were deliver our practice. Do you think when you take on the role each week of a Drama Teacher, you are SOLEY a teacher? Or do you believe that all you past influences and tribulations make a big part of this? x
ReplyDeleteThanks Clare! It's funny, I really never feel like a teacher. Maybe it's because it's not my goal or maybe it's because I still feel like a student really, still always learning and improving so in my head I'm just a more experienced student passing basic things on.
DeleteEnjoyed reading your post Shelly and good luck on your new teaching job! I feel working in The Arts is so subjective. We can be so many different things and therefore defining exactly what we do can be so difficult.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jen! I agree with you totally! I notice that people outside of the arts ask what I do and are expecting a concrete answer but between all my different interests and projects, and the questions raised in this module, I tend to lean more towards the word 'performer' as well as actor because it feels like too big a question at the moment.
Delete