I don’t cook. That’s actually an understatement. I burn water. But I often use an analogy that was caught on camera during the November 5th Ms. in the Biz panel.
You can watch the vid highlights from the panel here (note: hit the 12m mark to get to the place where I talk about this master chef business).
See, we often feel as if we’re spinning plates in our creative pursuit, and that sometimes feels frustrating and exhausting and tedious and counterproductive. I like to reframe the “plate-spinning” analogy into one in which we’re all master chefs.
Whether we’re hyphenates who are juggling acting, writing, producing, directing, survival jobs, and parenting all at once or we’re “just actors” who are dealing with all the work of marketing, brand-building, craft coaching, networking, and targeting, we’ve definitely got a lot going on. No doubt.
When you watch a cooking show, you see these chefs running throughout the kitchen, prepping one thing while moving another thing into its final stages, chopping one ingredient while bringing something else to a boil. They’re frantic but in control, most of the time. They’re preheating the oven but they don’t take their focus away from the sautéing that will go awry if they let it sit, unattended.
They’re creating a MEAL. A delicious meal filled with several dishes made of many ingredients — and the sophistication of an orchestra conductor who knows exactly when to bring each element into the foreground for its solo.
As creatives, that’s what we’re doing. We’re crafting a LIFE that’s filled with daily practices, marketing strategies, self-produced content to show the buyers what we do best, and of course the delicious craft and love for storytelling that brings the whole experience together.
The next time you feel like you’re spinning plates, remember that you’re actually crafting a feast for everyone to enjoy. Take a breath. Take a step back. See what needs your immediate attention next. And keep on cookin’!
For an excellent column from someone who knows a lot about kitchen artistry, please visit the latest The Actors Voice: POV for a lovely contribution from actor Matthew Jay. If you’d like to contribute a POV for future consideration, please hit me up via email (my address is below) and lemme hear your pitch! We love celebrating all points of view as we strive to make this creative journey more fulfilling and fun for everyone. Share your toys! It’s good for you.
Bonnie Gillespie is living her dreams by helping others figure out how to live theirs. Wanna work with Bon? Start here. Thanks!
Originally published by Actors Access at http://more.showfax.com/columns/avoice/archives/001741.html. Please support the many wonderful resources provided by the Breakdown Services family. This posting is the author’s personal archive.