Enjoying the Process

One of my friends was laid-off from his regular job right before Christmas, and he's just been starting to get job interviews lately. He's been nervous, but has been gathering his courage, putting himself out there, and I've been encouraging him to take pride in himself and his skillset.

It made me think about how much auditions are like job interviews. Instead of talking "qualifications" (and you may end up doing that if you get to talking about your resume with the director or casting director), I perform with a song, monologue, or read from the "sides" (the script for the show). And the thing I've been discovering lately - thanks to 3 really amazing teachers (VP Boyle, Karen Kohlhaas, and Deloss Brown) - is that I now really love auditioning. It's my two minutes to do what I really love to do. And yes, I'd love to get the job, but if I go into an audition with only that at the forefront of my mind, I'd be like a lot of people out there in the job market, besieged with the anxieties that come with the "get the job" mentality.

Learning to love auditioning is like learning to love your job interview. Why not enjoy that? Why not take pride in yourself and what you have to offer? Why not enjoy the growth process that comes from every interview? Why not boost that growth rate by taking classes to nurture yourself along your path?

My friend Tina would definitely say, "Look back and applaud yourself for what you have accomplished."

It's not about "them," those people across the table, conducting the job interview/audition. I mean, they're people too, and we're all in this together. Who knows what's on their plate or what they're dealing with as they try to fill this position? We don't. All we can do is put ourselves out there and support ourselves in this brave move to "show up."



But you know what else? We can enjoy it! We can learn from it! We can let it delight us!

Each audition lately has been an absolute gift, giving me the chance to perform and connect with others in unexpected ways and giving me the chance to love and appreciate myself and my process and what I have to give!

Karen Kohlhaas taught me this amazing thing called the "Big and Slow" entrance and exit. The minute we walk into a room (and I really believe this is for any interview, artistic or otherwise), we're on display. No wonder everyone feels absolutely nerve-wracked walking into an interview room! But there is a way to deal with it, to go into the room and to exit the room "big and slow" and to create that sense that you are amongst friends. It'd be unfair to detail it here since it's part of Karen's teaching process, so I highly suggest getting Karen's book, The Monologue Audition to get the details of how to do this. Needless to say, it's a mindset. It's how we talk to ourselves before, after and during an interview.

There's also a really helpful list at the beginning of Karen's book that defines everything within your control and everything not in your control (about auditioning). It really is absolutely brilliant and I believe can be of help to people who are simply in the job interview process. Realize what's in your control and what's not and forget about what isn't. :)

There's also a really great checklist at the end of the book that allows you to give yourself healthy feedback on what you've done in the audition/interview. It helps to assess where and how we're growing and how we want to grow. It's a delicious journey!

The more I work to my satisfaction, the more I challenge myself to really bring what I have to bring to the table, and to get out of my own way, the more I am having an absolute BLAST!

I hope you are enjoying your process and find great satisfaction and success in your work.