STORING AWAY FOR A HARDER DAY & OTHER THINGS PERFORMERS OUGHT TO LEARN FROM SQUIRRELS

It can be hard to sort out which battle to choose  as a performer/artist. Do you remember the squirrel from the animation trilogy Ice Age? Oftentimes being an artist can feel a lot like an endless journey that is constantly slipping through your hands...or paws:) 

Should you be making connections within the industry, training your voice, producing more material, getting out and performing, working on your brand...Ugh! The list just goes on and on! Just like that acorn in Ice Age. art is constantly calling you. Yet if you are a creative type, it’s probably VERY easy for you to get pulled in a variety of directions because your mind is always generating new, creative ideas...  

But let’s assume that you have been starting to get out and share your art in a way that feels good to you. Be it with close friends in your home, at open mics, perhaps writing with a friend/collaborator, but you still have this very important thing to keep up with. Your instrument!

Your voice still isn’t where you want it to be. You are having trouble with high notes as well as your breath control not to mention that anxiety that keeps coming up when you decide to sing in front of other people! When you are at home singing alone, you sound fine...even amazing at times but in front of other people, your voice quivers and shakes. Well, no matter what you are working on you want to be regularly tending to and nurturing your instrument. It is the core of everything you are developing as an artist. If you are an aspiring or professional singer, rapper, spoken word artist or actor, your instrument is YOU!:)

TENDING TO YOUR INSTRUMENT 

You want to be tending to your vocal practice on a consistent basis. I like to think of this in the same way that squirrels and other animals pack away their hearty food of sustenance for the winter. In this example the winter is your performance and the nuts are your singing tools and technique. Winter may not come everyday...but as a performer...it is coming. So you want to be prepared to perform at your best.

HOW TO LOVE YOUR INSTRUMENT

If you are the instrument, that means you want to start identifying the things that help you to feel better, inspired and energized verses the things that make you feel depleted. This is why it is so vital to have a voice teacher and team. As a voice and movement teacher/mentor part of what I help students sort out is not only their vision but how to build a sturdy foundation for your artistic vision.

So this holiday season what steps can you take to store away for another day?