It might not feel like there is much to celebrate at this moment, and we must all keep doing our part to listen, learn, grow, and fight for equality. This blog should not distract or detract from the progress we are working towards as a society, but rather serve as a gentle reminder of potential shifts in perspective in our daily lives, and how celebration can help with that.
Celebration is inherently active. It is not a natural reaction to something or even a feeling, but a responsive action that one can choose to partake in. Birthday parties don’t just plan themselves. Weddings don’t just happen without at least a couple of people making a plan. We have the power to choose to celebrate what we celebrate. How fantastic is THAT?
Think about it, we can choose to celebrate the small victories. We can choose to celebrate what makes us unique. We can alter our perspective and celebrate our growth rather than place our energy in inevitable situations that seem in the moment like hurdles. Now financially we may not want to throw ourselves a party for each of these feats (and who has the time, really?) but what we can do is celebrate by being kind to ourselves in these moments. We can take the time to acknowledge our successes as well as implement self-care in response to challenging situations, in part, by treating them as learning experiences.
Small Victories
It is easy to get disheartened in this industry, either through lack of work, lack of auditions, feelings of inadequacy, etc. but the one thing that all of these mood assassins have in common is that they are both immediate and changeable. None of these are permanent conditions, even feelings of inadequacy. If we choose celebration, small victories such as getting an audition, feeling more confident in an audition setting, creating a new character, or even memorizing some lines for a piece – our whole sense of being will be uplifted.
Not only do humans thrive on these positive feelings and can even become healthier and more energized by them but they are much easier to self-induce than one might think. Just by making the choice to buy yourself that lunch out today because your Yorkshire accent you’ve been studying with the IDEA website has improved a bit, you may actually be lengthening and significantly improving your whole life.
Celebrate Differences
A lot of new actors wonder if they have “the look” or “the voice” for acting. They seek validation from some outside source whose opinion is beyond their control. Here’s the thing, if it’s really what you want to do (which I will assume it is if you are asking these questions) then you should not only go for it but figure out what sets you apart (and I can guarantee that you can find a multitude of examples). Celebrate these differences! Respect your uniqueness!
Perspective
When the negative feelings do come, that is when the real work comes in. It is in these moments that we should analyze the situation further and look for the opportunities within the challenges. This is not to say we should avoid feeling sad or taking things to heart- these are distinctly human emotions that should be treated with individualized self-care rituals. That being said, the perception of many situations can ultimately be reframed in our minds and make us more well rounded beings.
Celebration Is A Choice
We can choose to celebrate events that would on the surface appear disappointing. Didn’t book the gig you were excited about, even though you felt really good about that audition? Celebrate the opportunity you had to present something to that casting agent who may not have picked you for this role or project but will possibly remember you fondly for the future!
Celebrate the things you learned from doing that audition and the addition of that new voice you created to your repertoire! That good feeling you had about that audition? Hold on to that bit of confidence so you can insert that into your next audition! There are so, so many things we can be celebrating in any situation if we only remind ourselves to look for them.
Eat that ice cream. Take a little time to relax. Meditate (Steve has a great guided meditation if you need help with that one). Take a celebratory nature hike. You deserve it!
Celebrate what makes you you. Celebrate your achievements, however small. Love yourself and celebrate the time you have on this beautiful planet!
-Brandon
I really feel this way. I’ve had so many failures that, in order to appear less upset, I’ll have a sarcastic edge to the acceptance of it, when I’m actually really upset. I fear that this may make me appear as though I don’t actually care, and that I’m a pessimist. That’s actually not how I am, but I find it hard to celebrate achievements I get, because of the imposter syndrome. However, with Blumvox’s help I’ve come a little bit more out of my shell, and I’m not as scared to celebrate achievements, especially this year. So, as much as I can, I’ll try to celebrate and seize the day!
That’s great, Saffron. One step at a time is the only way. The fact that you’re able to notice this about yourself and that you are open to looking at your achievements is incredible. Keep celebrating every day!
This is actually a well written blog. Even though this year has been tough, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the death of idols and role models. I find that there is still some good moments even if events and conventions are being cancelled. I have been trying to outline my plans for my post-secondary education and future jobs. Its a mess because there have been obstacles and it alters my study and career plans. Its tough because I wanted to apply for a gardening job in the school board but it got cancelled because of the pandemic. I was upset at first but then released that it can help me to plan out for other jobs. Sometimes I may think that I have no talent and skills but with encouragement from peers, that I can use those talents to help hone my interview skills. I know that the job market is tough but I know that one day I’ll get the job that I would enjoy doing.
Absolutely, Aswan. Thank you for opening up about this. It’s an incredibly difficult time for everyone and even more difficult to focus on the silver linings. That’s fantastic that you’re finding ways to celebrate your wins!
I got 75 paragraphs into my comment and it disappeared because i had to answer the phone… lol, i will attempt to recreate it. Brandon, this was exactly what i needed to read in this moment, very well thought out and beautifully articulated.
As artists we never think that our art is good enough and it becomes hard to celebrate, even the small victories. Thank you for this reminder.
Yesterday i was auditiining for a commercial spot and i kept getting mouth noises and it was driving me nuts (i dont have any green apples on standby) also my annunciation and articulation wasnt where I wanted it to be. All my life i have spoken differently, more urban, for lack of a better term and because of that, i tend to slurr or speak lazily at times. At a point during the audition, i hated my own voice and that doesnt happen very often. The fact is that ive put some time in and created relationships to be in a position to recieve audition referrals from my peers and my agency, that in itself is a victory to be celebrated. I guess I can still be a bit gunshy coming from the world of an RnB singer, songwriter and performing/recording artist. A world where i am judged on everything and mostly in a nefative way, the emotiinal rollercoaster that i was on for decades has really hurt my self image if im being totally honest. Maybe its the expectatiin we put on ourselves, or the need to be successful on a grand scale but today i will stop and celebrate where I am in this moment and learn to stop judging myself too harshly. Thanks for this!
Thank you for sharing this, Heath! I think we all need constant reminding (from both ourselves and outside voices) to celebrate our wins. It’s so easy to focus on the negative but ultimately more productive to incorporate the positives into our daily “thought journals”.