In this new way of living since Covid restricted so much of our lives, everything has suddenly moved online. This can be brilliant in some ways, as we are not longer having to travel, but it can pose huge problems. In this video I talk about how you can face the difficulties and make the most of the advantages of performing online.
Often as performers, and just as humans, we can spend a lot of time comparing ourselves to others. How do you know how good a performer you are? How much does it matter to you? Is this something that’s useful to work out, or does it cause more harm than good?
How much do your emotions affect how you perform?
Even when you realise that your emotions about yourself, your performance and your audience all impact how you perform, it can still feel impossible to change them.
So how can you change your emotions around performing?
How much do you want to be certain about your performance? How much do you want to know that you will get everything right?
Does this get in the way of you being creative? Can you be certain and creative?
Which part of you is the best part of you?
Have you ever considered the relationship between your conscious mind and your subconscious and body? A few years ago I read the book The Inner Game of Tennis by Tim Gallwey and I realised that I hadn’t considered it much. Then I realised that I have always identified myself as ‘being’ my conscious mind. Believing that it was the best part of me and the one that was truly ‘me’, and that that was the bit that was in charge.
Can you achieve high standards & happiness whilst doing it? What is the the link between high standards and the way we treat ourselves? Often we think to achieve high standards we have to be disciplined and self critical, but is this true? What can really help us sing well and sing with confidence?
Do you trust yourself as a performer? Do you trust that you will be good enough? Does it matter if you don’t?
Lack of trust in ourselves as performers can be behind a lot of the things that trip us up and get in the way of us performing the way we know we can. It’s that age old truth that the more we don’t trust we will remember the words, the more likely it is we will forget them.
My last blog was on Dealing with Anxiety, following that I did a series of live videos on Facebook for my group The Fearless Performer expanding on that topic.
I thought I would upload the videos here for you all to see. I cover each of the three tips covered in the blog, looking in detail at anxiety and singing, and how we can deal with it effectively.
The more you explore the concept of connecting with these three vital elements of performing, the more you will get from your performing, and the more you audience will get too. They are the fundamentals.
The other day I saw an article on essential tips for public speaking by someone whose posts I usually like and think very valuable. They listed about 15 different things to think about before performing, some of which I think are great – like enjoy what you are doing – others I question, but that’s not really my issue.
One of the things that comes up again and again for the singers I work with is the balance between confidence and arrogance. How can you be self-confident without veering into arrogance?
The answer for me is simple, once you understand that arrogance is a form of armour against vulnerability.