This was a post which I was initially reluctant to make public, for fear of sounding negative or accusatory. So, Ive given some good and genuine thought about the way in which Ive decided to present this post. And the only way I was able to give these thoughts a positive spin, was by including the lessons learned and the proper way to approach said problems in the future. I do hope you see these words for which they are intended because they are meant as is and without further analysis. These thoughts are my opinions based on trends Ive noticed within our own community, as well as that of others. And we can either have a thoughtful discussion or you can just remove yourself from my friends list...either way, all the best to you, and I thank you all for taking the time to read this post. That being said... Id like to address a couple things: Competition and Idea Ownership First, competition. Whether or not you are a hobbyist or performance is your career, one should not try to compete with someone to be the best in the business. The definition of competition is the act or process of trying to get or win something (such as a prize or a higher level of success) that someone else is also trying to get or win. But, with modern burlesque encompassing so many different forms, talents and experience, it is difficult to compete with someone else. You can hold yourself to a standard of success and push yourself to achieve the best you due to the grace youre inspired by in someone else...key words inspired by, because that comes from a place of purity. One does not need to compete if you are truly confident at what you do, and excel in pushing yourself to the best your unique self can be. If our business would start offering confidence building, as well as classes teaching each person the way to practice and to present their own unique skills to the forefront, we would not only do away with homogeneity, but we would also instill confidence in our future generation of performers. Again, more positivity. Second, idea ownership. What I tire of seeing are people hearing of someones ideas, and trying to rush to bringing those ideas to fruition before another. This is a bit tied into competition. These things come from a negative place. An idea comes from a place of intimacy within the self. A fire which burns within, and nags the self until it is brought to life. For those of you who do not understand the creative process, it not only involves tireless hours of emotional and physical work, but also time, finances and personal experience. When you steal someone elses idea, you are directly hurting another. If someone elses idea inspires you that much, rather than trying to take ownership of that idea, reach out and ask to collaborate rather than take it on yourself. And if you do not want a collaboration, than grow some brass ovaries or balls, and take a minute to have a discussion with the person. This comes from a place of positivity and maturity. Act ideas, show ideas, format of shows, people used in a cast and archetypes have been copied, used, and used again ad nauseam. So challenge yourself to find a way to make an act unique to you in order to make it vastly different from someone elses. Or politely bow out of an idea if this cannot be done. And learn to stand up for your fellow performers when you hear or see this happening, regardless of their experience or status. We all need to learn performer etiquette. Again, the above is just my opinion and I welcome constructive feedback or discussion. Thank you from my heart to yours.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 04:26:44 +0000
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