CollaboGREAT!

Us mere mortals are forever in life trying to 'make the team'. As a kid on day one of primary school scanning the playground for a buddy, to being a twenty-something newbie at the local gym's spinning class, hoping a friendly face will look your way-we all want to be part of the gang! It's human nature to gravitate towards other like-minded individuals who you feel bring out the best in you. Those folks who just 'get you' and allow you to express yourself, experiment and explore without judgement. 

As a freelance dance artist & choreographer,  I'm often working & creating alone. Yeah, I may be teaching up to 250 people in just one day and meeting heaps of new folks every week but I'll be out there, most of the time, delivering sessions on my own with only my ideas, knowledge and experience in the mix. Of course the freedom is very liberating, with no one to question or quash your decisions but in the same light, when creativity grinds to a halt, you're left feeling like you've asked me, myself and I one too many times to expect to get any pearls of wisdom in reply! The light-bulb moments at times will dwindle, where you've spent the last hour staring a blank piece of paper hating every single idea that has floated to the surface of your muddy pond water of a brain. The struggle is real and sometimes you wish could just go fishing some place else! 

This is where collaborating with others saves the day. Teaming up with fellow Creatives will inspire and motivate you to beyond what you thought was possible. Their input can conjure up ideas and offer moments of clarity that would have never come to fruition on a solo mission. I can safely say that in every collaborative project I have worked on, there has always been that stroke of genius moment, a new lesson learned or validation of my work that I needed. That's not to say that plain sailing is guaranteed- too many cooks may not spoil the broth entirely but it sure can throw the odd spanner in the works along the way as creative differences become apparent. However, hurdles aside, the pros of working collaboratively arguably out way any potential pitfalls in my opinion. 

 Like a chain reaction, someone else's decisions or actions help you steer your own plans for a project, with that common interest in making something tick beautifully at the heart of everyone's agenda. A Director's specific vision for a scene in a production, a designer's urge to use a glitter ball or a choreographer's signature style is bound to assist your own creative process. Peering out of your comfort zone and opening yourself up to the unknown feels a lot less scary when you're in the company of others who are willing to do the same. Venturing into a new project can be like the first day at university-it all seems a little less daunting when you take a mate along who is in the exact same boat as you are. When there's someone to say 'yes, that works!' Or 'yeah, me too!', the doubting Thomas in your head is less likely to be heard or adhered to! 

Recently I've had the privilege and pleasure of working more and more collaboratively which actually helped inspire the creation of this blog! I'm sure I'm not alone when I admit that I often feel the initial pang of inferiority when presented with the opportunity to team up with others. My self-doubts of 'not being good enough' or 'being found out as an imposter' are a given- it seems near impossible for me to approach any new venture (solo or collaborative) without a hint of self doubt and that's something I have come to expect but realise I can overcome. Being on a team is exciting and inspiring but it's blooming terrifying too! 'What if they don't like my ideas?' 'What if mine clash with theirs?'. These are quickly dashed when you get to work and discover that your counterparts are scarily similar to you- they too have their own self doubts and creative demons to deal with and they don't have all the answers that you thought they would! You soon realise you're in a gang of peeps just like you and all your strengths and weaknesses compliment and support each other's. Questions and answers are often met with considerable ease when there's more than one brain in the mix and you all provide a safety net for everyone to try stuff out without fear of failing miserably and having no where to go but down in to the black hole of 'No Ideas-ville'. 

Collaborating with others is a real highlight for me! It makes me feel that I'm not out there on my lonesome. That this freelance malarkey has achievable squad goals and I'm safe in the knowledge that I'll be saved from running out of inspiration, as long as I make an effort to team up with others to create things. You're bound to learn and grow with each new encounter and your own input will have undoubtedly inspired others! 

My advice to any Creative is to take a leap of faith when it comes to working with others. Don't go in there with pre-conceived ideas of how it will all go down. Be open to new things, be confident in your own abilities and ideas and be ready to be inspired by others. Like any self respecting superhero alliance, individually the members are pretty darn great but together....they are KICK-ASS GREAT! 

What’s LOVE got to do with it?

Arguably what every songwriter, poet and on-line dating applicant is motivated and inspired by, love and the pursuit of it can be no mean feat, yet it drives so many of us through life as we receive it, give it away and sometimes fend it off when we should embrace it. If loving yourself is the key to eternal happiness and the loving of another is best served when that love is reciprocated, then when do you find the time to love what you do? Isn't that also important and life fulfilling? 'You're a long time dead' they say but you're also a while living, so it's vital we all reap some pleasure from this journey called life that we are all on.   

Earning the big bucks and owning everything your heart desires may sound nice but in the long slog to achieving success, if you dread, loathe and positively fear the pang of the impending Monday morning blues, are you really ‘making it’? Clock watching longing for home time, finding yourself mumbling obscenities and expletives at your co-workers, your boss and the printer may feel like part and parcel of the working world, but does it need to be that way? Could you be doing more of something you love? Could you even earn a living doing it?

My parents always encouraged me to pursue what I loved to do. I was given boundless opportunity to experience the things I enjoyed and ultimately htis led me down the path to where I am now. Teaching dance and choreographing for a living was never something I considered to be a career option for me and not that anyone had told me otherwise, I just didn't put the thought out into the ether to allow it to develop into some form of a reality. I promptly quashed the idea and opted for what I thought was my destiny-studying something sciency! I dabbled with the notion of doing prosthetics, optometry and psychology applying for a variety of courses.  I was academic at high school and so was encouraged to aim for university which I happily did- got in, got the degree (of the English Studies variety (not science!) and then realised I still wanted to dance! So I did and several years down the line I'm doing what I love but NOT regretting that path I went down one bit. 

Sounds simple but it hasn't all been a walk in the park. Working in the Arts can often bring uncertainty as postilions are often not permanent and as freelancer it's a constant search for the next job.   'Find something you love and you'll never work a day in your life' is a  load of cack-a-lacka! Excuse me but just because it makes getting out of bed in the morning a little more bearable, does not mean that it cannot be called work! The hard work is real and the long (sometimes unsociable) hours a given. The  lengthy commutes and the inability to switch off (EVER!!) will always be a factor but any negatives are outweighed immeasurably by the positives and that's what makes me go on. Love, since the beginning of time, has always presented the good with the bad; the highs and the lows and every contradiction in the book but the joys of love always prevail. I'm willing to go the extra mile for what I love to do. 

All the cliches and mantras aside, finding love is for everyone-you just need to be open to it. A little bold and brave at times and ready for the prospect of rejection, you must not settle and you must never give up. The work-life balance can be a battle won, as both merge and each one compliments the other. 

Approaching it like an on-line dating application (which I actually have no prior knowledge of. Just surmising!), you: 

1. Have to be open to suggestion but always go with your gut instinct. 

2. Be yourself and confident in what you have to offer.

3. Seek the help of others in your search. Those around you will know you well and want the best for you. 

4. Don't panic when it seems to be going right!!!! It probably is all good and you should be happy with that!!!

Love takes guts and grit-it even hurts (according to Nazareth) but we're told with every love song that it's all we need. It's something you can't hurry, it's a battlefield and it's all around (Sorry, enough of the song lyrics!) but it's always worth aiming for. It may seem unrealistic to consider the notion of pursuing 'the dream' but a little of something you fancy can go along way, so why not start with doing more of what you love every day?! I'm not suggesting you quit the 9-5 tomorrow-my freelance dance tutor/choreographer's ass has got to pay the bills each month so I totally get it! You have commitments and obligations to uphold but ask yourself, "Could I do a bit more of what I love?". Dance around the house more, join an art group, start that blog....whatever it is, inject your life with that creative edge that's always been there but has been afraid to come out to play. If it never turns in to more than a hobby, is all lost? God no! Immersing yourself in creativity softens all of life's blows-that Monday morning alarm won't grate just as much if you know by 6pm you'll be shakin' your thang at dance class or losing yourself in writing a new song , guitar in hand!

I am fully aware that I may not always get to do what I love for a living-that's why I cherish it so dearly and never take anything for granted. I am extremely lucky to be doing what I love and building my career, but in the same breath, I've worked bloomin' hard and made many sacrifices to make it a reality. Low paid jobs, long commutes, redundancy due to lack of funding have all played a factor along the way but I guess that's what has made the journey more of an adventure. I'll always dance...that love affair will never fizzle out, even if it is no longer part of my work-life. 

What has LOVE got to do with it? 

Everything and I'm delighted with my love story thus far! Now, go start yours! 

Peace out x

Love

'I'm a Loser!....Now What?!'

Like a bad smell it punches you in the face when you least expect it, then annoyingly lingers far longer than you thought it could or that you think you can handle, gnawing away at any glimmer of confidence trying desperately to save your poor defenceless mind. Thankfully, 9 times out of 10, I find myself getting out of the funk that is self doubt,  as quick as I got in to it, seeking ways to distract my over-active brain from the overwhelming sense of doom and gloom. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to when self doubt rears it's ugly head. I can be doing perfectly fine, producing work that I and those whom I'm employed by are more than happy with, then BAM!, it knocks me sideways and the mist sets in. Then there I am, curling up in to a ball, letting the fog consume me in seconds.  Sometimes you wallow in it a while and other times, you go into total 'block-it-out denial' mode,  springing in to action, peeing on the bonfires of those demons determined to rain on your parade. Ain't no body got time for that! I guess it's enviable that from time to time, Creatives feel a pang of self doubt when so much of what they produce is of themselves-their babies, if you like! Sending your offspring in to the world is fraught with danger and the promise of potential criticism. All it takes is this threat to spark your inner doubts. 

Am I good enough?

 Is what I produce of a high standard? 

Should I quit now? 

When will 'they' find me out? 

That last one is a favourite of mine. Like a broken record, I regularly play that old classic, 'Lisa, you're fraudster, you're an imposter!'. The verses are long and weary.....the chorus, even longer! It's on repeat and getting louder and louder! Avoiding it becoming the soundtrack to my day takes one, two or ALL FOUR of the following tactics....

1.If You Can't Beat Them.....

In finding ways to combat self doubt, I guess the first thing to remember is that indeed, EVERY creative goes through it. For me it feels a tad selfish to rejoice in the idea that your counterparts are out there suffering but there has to be comfort in the knowledge that it's totally normal. Strength in numbers and all that! The consolation of being part of a collective of like-minded individuals who are equally giving themselves a hard time without reason to, will help to ease your fears of being a loser and an alone one at that.  If you need further reassurance, speak to friends who are also Creatives-they'll not be long in telling you about their faithful old friend self-doubt, who shows up unannounced and unapologetically, starts to insult you the second they arrive and disappears in to the abyss with no warning of when they'll be back.   

2. Be A Detective

With every negative statement or argument against you trying to zap that creative energy, seek out the evidence to contradict them. And yes, the evidence will be there! You will have already proven, time and time again, to yourself (and others!) that you can do it, that you have the ability to do great things and create amazing work. You just have to remind yourself of all the times you totally smashed it!  Look through your diary, old photos, video clips, your portfolio...wherever there's a record of what you've done up to this point, go there and take note! 

3. Squirrel!

As kids, we are told that letting yourself get distracted is a 'bad thing' but sometimes that's EXACTLY what you need to do when you can't seem to shake off those blues. Force your mind on to a new topic that is sure to lift your spirits and help you get back on track. Plan an outing, think of that routine you love at your fitness class (why not even get up and  actually do it?!), pick up a magazine and read an article, put the wheels in motion to do something fun that you've been putting off. Send your mind wondering elsewhere...far far away from the realms of questioning your worth and the value of what you produce. That head space is way too valuable to be clogging it up with thoughts which are not conducive to your plan for world domination. 

4. Phone A Friend

Sometimes all it takes is to voice our feelings of self doubt to those who know and love us, only to be told that we are completely wrong and that it's literally 'all in your head'. We can all be our own worst enemies, flushing our own heads down that toilet bowl of 'I'm crap! This idea is rubbish! No one will ever hire me! and when you're head's down there sometimes all it will take is a friend to grab you by the hair, lift you up and dry you off with compliments and  reassurance that you're doing just fine! On this occasion they become the detective presenting the evidence that you could have looked for yourself but was nicer to hear coming from someone else. 

At least one, if not all of the above, is sure to help clear the haze enough for you to move forward and eventually rid yourself of the uncertainty that is slowing things down to a imminent halt and stopping you from doing what you do best...being creative! Like a rain cloud threatening to pour down right on top of you, self doubt will pass on by with time, but putting up an umbrella to shelter you won't do any harm in the meantime. You must remember that YOU are in control of your own thoughts and YOU have the power to bury the ones that don't work for you...just  reach for that shove! 

A pupil in my class last week when struggling with a pirouette reminded her fellow classmates (who were also finding it difficult) that it's not I can't but in fact, I can't YET. And it's that hope of a bright future, the endless possibilities just around the corner and remembering that which hasn't worked out is indeed making way for what is meant, is sure to help you realise that self doubt kills dreams......and that's bad business for us Creatives. After all, aren't we all about making them come true?!