How to Overcome Discouragement in the Performing Arts
Part 1: Taking Care of Your Body Temple to Overcome Discouragement
As a performing artist and writer with many years of experience, not only of tactical know-how but mental and spiritual “dues paid” over years of abounding in success and feeling like my spirit has been dragged through the mud, one thing I would have loved was an article on how to overcome discouragement in the performing arts!
That’s not to say that there haven’t been loads of groups, coaches and classes that helped me overcome that discouragement in the performing arts, whether as an actor, dancer, singer… or whatever wonderful talent you, Dear Artist, bring to the footlights, canvas, or camera lens. (And let me not disregard the page as well, even though the focus is performance. For many writers the page is the performance.) But as one grows in age and maturity, it’s nice to give back based on what I’ve learned.
Navigating the Business of Show When it All Comes Down to Personal Preference
Face it, mentally navigating the “Business of Show” when it all comes down to personal preference is a cat chasing a laser. The Performing Arts is a subjective one, with it’s fair-weather likes and dislikes; it’s changeable pedagogy when it comes to what is considered “good” or “bad” in performance. One minute you’re “it” and the next nano-second you peaked too soon – nothing to do with age, mind you (or it could be), but perhaps the day (month, year) or your “style” isn’t the flavor, color, sound, visual, thought…fill in your own right here….
And, needless to say, for otherwise this article would not have caught your eye, Dear Artist, this can be very discouraging for one born as you were, anointed, to make art alive. real, and transformative – for the enormously fortunate enough to experience your brilliant light.
These suggestions won’t be exhaustive for how do you exhaust the possibilities of encouragement when to encourage a creative spirit is dependent upon context as unique as the individuals themselves?
But I’ll do what I always do, try to get to the heart of the matter – right in there where perhaps it broke. So take a breath and be restored in hope. There are things, deeper things, you can do and remember to overcome discouragement in the performing arts.
Be you. You will set the world on fire! - Catherine of Sienna
When you feel discouraged with the performing arts do these things – you don’t have to do them all the same time but pick one that calls to you. At the very least it will give you something to do or contemplate instead of succumbing to your discouragement – and we don’t want that! We want you doing what you were created to do. (Psst – and yes you can do that even in those moments when you aren’t “hired” to do so.)
The Tactical Approach: Your body never lies, so take care of it first!
Prioritize the needs of your physical body before any other stressors in your life. For instance, when you get home with a load of groceries and you’ve had to go to the bathroom for an hour – you don’t unload the groceries first. Your body never lies, so take care of it first! The same applies to your discouraged heart. Your spirit is as unique as the stars in the heavens so I won’t tell you what your body needs – you know that deep down. But I’ll give you some suggestions:
- Go gently and quietly. Walk softly with great self care.
- Curl up and take a nap with your favorite music, nature sounds, or complete silence. In essence, allow for a soft reset.
- Find beauty for your eyes. Don’t look at worthless things. Put the phone down. Turn the screens off. This is not a time to obsess.
- Take gentle, cleansing breaths. Are you breathing deeply at all?
On The Other Hand….
- For you who might have too much pent up anxiety, perhaps you need to move.
- Go to the gym with no goal in mind but to burn off that excess energy from the top ranking negative emotion you feel right now.
- Take a nature walk or hike.
- Get out of The City.
- Get a massage – a chair massage for a dollar a minute can work wonders and is low on the pocketbook. (Notice I didn’t say get your nails done – nothing against it – but timing is everything and taking care of your body on a deeper level – digging into the muscle and releasing pent up emotion is what we’re after… in a word: healing. Healing that is not merely on the surface level.
Your Body is a Temple – Handle with Care, Grace, and Holiness
Renewal of the Mind, Emotional Well Being, and Spirit
Overcoming discouragement as a performing artist is possible. In the following articles I will talk about the renewal of your mind, your emotional well-being, and your spirit. All this with the intention of helping you feel encouraged and inspired to continue to do what you were born to do: create beautiful things in the unique way you were created to do; to share and shine your light with great love for the benefit of those on the receiving end.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? – 1 Corinthians 6:19
If you enjoyed this article. you might like my writing on Substack. Read Little Yellow Bird or The Dreamer.
What healthy methods have you relied upon to assist you in those moments of discouragement as a performer? Share them in the comments!