Put the cake down...

There are two distinct types of work when it comes to any activity you want to get involved in:

• FOCUS: What pieces need to be in place specifically in order to accomplish your task
  
• GENERAL APPLICATION: Taking that focus and applying it to the activity as a whole
  

These are the two ways we, as performers, have to be taking persistent and consistent action towards our goals.


So what do I mean by this exactly?

Let’s put it in terms of food (because, ya know… health coach… and I mean really who doesn’t love food amiright?)

Think of your FAVORITE dessert. For me, personally, it’s most kinds of cake smothered in chocolate Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker frosting. You know… the cheap stuff. SO GOOD!

Cake is one of those things that, if it’s around, I will eat it all. I mean, I’m an adult, so I do have some sort of ability to control myself. But if I was allowed to without consequences? All cake all the time. Happily.

In reality, here's what happens when I have cake all the time:

• I get a beautifully calming sugar rush
• My anxiety over potentially NOT having the cake is calmed and that feels good as well
• I finish my piece, I have no other food and am still hungry, so I eat more cake
• Meaning more sugar
• Meaning eventually I start to have a sugar crash
• Meaning I’m left feeling anxious and jittery and wondering when I’ll get cake again
• So I go find more cake
• And I start gaining weight because of all the cake
• And I start breaking out, getting canker sores, always tired, and having other health problems because ALL I’m eating is cake which has zero nutritional value BUT I’m still feeling full after the cake which is confusing my natural bodily rhythms because how is it that I’m getting MORE than the number of calories I need but still getting no nutrition so I’m gaining weight but my body is breaking down at the same time…
• And now we’re stuck in a cycle…

Numbers 1-10 there is what I see SO. MANY. ACTORS. Do. Only it’s not with cake… it’s with shows.

Being in a show is the general application bit I was talking about in the beginning. Cake is, in reality, just calories. Calories are the way our body gets energy and life, but that’s not ALL it needs to keep running efficiently.

And shows are NOT the way to improve specific skills!

For the body to keep running in an efficient and energized manner, we need vegetables, and protein, and whole grain carbs (maybe depending on the person). We need SPECIFIC and FOCUSED types of energy to stay healthy.

And, in order for our performance to improve, we need SPECIFIC and FOCUSED work in the areas that make up our performance.

I’m talking:

• Voice Lessons
• Dance Classes
• Acting Coachings
• Other instruments you might be able to use
• Exercise so your body can keep up on stage
• Energizing and fresh foods that allow us to keep out focus up during long rehearsals
• Getting enough sleep
  

All of these are specific areas that probably have a big ol’ “NEEDS IMPROVEMENT” grade on them.

"But whenever I feel like I do really good work in a lesson, I never feel like I can do it again on stage!"

YES! THAT’S OFTEN TRUE!

And it’s kinda the point...


In my studio specifically, you’re in a very specific environment, learning a very specific thing. Often, I have taken away as many variables as possible. Leaving you with the ability to really DEEP DIVE into a super specific feeling or skill. As you get better and better and identifying sensations and recreating specific vocal environments, the muscles slowly start to learn what they should be doing (instead of going on auto-pilot with old habits).

Stepping into a rehearsal adds WAAAAY more variables. Enough that it can often feel like you’ve lost EVERYTHING you worked on.

But behind the scenes those muscles are learning how to adjust. When you keep a bit of focus on your voice, they are able to slowly, over time, actually accomplish what we want them to…

Efficient and Sustainable Singing!

But that TIME and FOCUS and SPECIFICITY cannot be skipped. Otherwise you’re only ever working on auto-pilot BUT YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW IT.

You don't need to be in three shows at a time to succeed in this business...

You DO need to be in 3 lessons, or classes, or any of those areas of FOCUS. You DO need time and space to hone in on what is working and what is not. You DO need to think of these areas of focus as long term investments.

So put down the cake. Pick up a piece of broccoli. And allow your body the work it needs in order to be the best performer you can be.


You will never be “done”. But you will ALWAYS get better (and better and better and better and…)