To counter my slightly stress-inducing title, I'll open with an anecdote.
I once was at an audition. It was a new company I hadn't performed with before. It was also an audition for a musical- one I loved. There was no dance audition, simply singing and acting portions. To that end, I thought I had this one in the bag. I felt prepared, I could sing a lot of the roles, and the script was a fun one to work with. Nonetheless, I went into the theater as nervous as ever; as nervous as I am at any audition. But I left that night thinking I had done the best I could've done. I was proud.
The next morning passed. Then a day, and another day. A week. Two weeks.
Finally, I got a call from the number I had saved in my phone weeks prior.
"Miss Arden Dickson?"
"Yes, this is she."
"Hi there, this is so-and-so from such-and-such and I would like to let you know that we are unfortunately unable to offer you a role in..."
I didn't need to hear the rest. Once they had finished, I thanked them for the opportunity and they hung up. I sat in my room for a while. I felt pretty awful. I thought I had really given it my best shot.
With this, I think it's time we change how we talk about that word: Rejection.
Rejection is not always a "No". Rejection could be an injury, a toxic mindset, or even unhealthy standards. It takes a stronger mentality to overcome such obstacles. It takes that re-affirmation that you are not your resume or your bad audition. You are the work that you've put in. You are the story behind every single booking and the journey to wherever you are. And, wherever you are is merely a moment in time. You will always continue to grow. I, along with many others, would argue that rejection is by far the most powerful catalyst for change and further development.
Something I've been struggling with is the truth that our lives are not linear. I've been reminding myself that our paths, specifically our career paths, are anything but orderly. There is going to be constant change and closed doors and opportunities and triumphs. We have to learn to love the beautiful mess of it all. Our feelings of defeat will be outshone by moments of victory, love, and gratitude. We are stronger.
Rejection in every aspect of life is unavoidable. In the performing arts, particularly, it is inevitable. You're going to hear "No" far more than you'd like. I challenge both myself and you to take every closed door as a sign that one has opened somewhere else. It's not easy, I get it. It's something that I will probably work my entire life to get used to. But we can take this time of refreshment and growth to tell ourselves that where we are is okay.
Here are some fast, fun ideas to start your year off right!
- Change your phone backgrounds!
- Pick up a new hobby (I just started yoga, super fun and good for phrasing work)
- Create something!
Anyways, I wish you all a very happy new year and I hope your 2020 is truly the start of something greater. These next few days I am off to a state theater conference where I'll be playing Stella in Tenessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire". I'll be writing a post about my journey with that character very soon! I'm very excited!
This weeks' #songforthesoul is Crush Culture by Conan Gray! He is by far one of my favorite artists.
Thanks,
Arden