Saturday 19 October 2013

Little steps to create MOTIVATION

This is an idea I came up after a discussion I had with one of my flatmates.
Basically, a couple of days ago Alexiane came home feeling upset and frustrated because she didn't go through an audition for a play she really wanted to be part of. She started saying how she's tired of trying so hard and how she's thinking of quiting the acting profession soon.
I then thought; what does 'trying hard' really mean? and how do we know if we reached our limits?
So I came up with the following idea: I got three large pieces of paper and wrote each of our names down; then I put the papers on the wall at a place that they were visible to all the members of the flat even the guests.
The rule was to write down the date and under that, explain what you have done for your career that particular day in a small sentence. For example 'I applied for two castings on Casting Call Pro'.

Some of the benefits of this idea:
  • By seeing what your fellow performer has achieved that day, it keeps you motivated and wanting to do more for your OWN career.
  • Even if you write something as small as 'today I went to an audition' is still suggests that you tried and it fills you with positive energy to keep trying!
  • When you have achieved something that you are proud of why not let everyone else know? It will boost your confidence!
 We applied this method a couple of weeks ago and the results are very possitive! We've all been concentrating on 'doing instead of talking about what to achieve' and we always get so excited when we write down what we have done each day for our career, it keeps us going! We support and we feel proud of each other cause now we know exactly how hard we're trying in order to succeed!

 I suggest you try this method at home too and tell me what do you think of this idea :)

Module 3

So here I am, back in Module 3! Yesterday I had a skype session with Paula Nottingham who really helped me clear things up in my head about how to approach this Module and what to improve, in order to graduate with the feeling that I have achieved the most that I could throughout my study period!

Rule 1: Get messy!!

Looking back at my proposal, Paula spotted that I had a lot of great ideas but I didn't explain in detail what it was that I wanted people to understand from my enquiry. For example using
terms such as 'confidence' or 'motivation' is very general; one person's understanding about these terms might not be the same as someone else's. I have to explain and give a reason behind the
definition of each term.

Rule 2: Keep collecting,analysing and sharing

Paula mentioned that in order to develop my critical awareness and presentation skills for the end of this Module, I need to keep focusing towards collecting as many ideas that address my title of enquiry as possible.

  • Keep collecting data from people
Review and evaluate how my previous method of approach towards my enquiry worked, for example if I created a focus group of 5-6 young professionals, do I need to make any adjustments? Perhaps I need to alter my questions so they are more specific or I might need to add people with more experience in the group in order to collect a variety of answers for my enquiry.

  • Keep reading!
Reading books, articles and any other sources of information about my enquiry, will help me approach my subject in a professional and academic way. By collecting data from the 'experts', I stand a better chance of influencing my audience because they know that my references are coming from trustworthy and approved sources.

  • Write down your experiences!
Is very important to continue writing my journal and keep creating audiovisual ideas. Personal experiences can be very strong and stay in our memory for a long time. During my presentation at the end of  Module 3 I want to share some of my experiences with my fellow performers in order to show how they can influence our lives and help us continue our journey in the best possible way.

Rule 3: Define what it is that your looking for  

Asking the right questions will lead to the right answers. Paula mentioned that I need to revisit the questions that I formed to address my title of enquiry. I need to make my questions more specific and clear in order for the audience to understand, what it is exactly that I'm looking to address. Remember: 'Ask a question that goes back to your main title'.

Rule 4: Think outside the box

Don't be afraid to experiment! This is the perfect time to play around with new ideas. If you are not satisfied with the way you approached your enquiry, now is the time to make some changes. You might feel that interviewing an experienced performer in your field will open doors into feeling the gaps from the focus group you created.

Rule 5: Keep in touch!

Keep in touch with your tutor! This will prevent creating unnecessary confusion when it comes to sending your final submission. Find a way that works for you; for me I found out that if I keep sending drafts to my tutor for feedback throughout the study period, I don't have to worry and stress about sending my work for submission, because I know that my tutor has approved it already.

Make sure that you keep interacting, discussing and sharing ideas with your fellow colleagues in the BAPP course. Keep posting on the facebook page as well as your blogs as this will help each other progress and create a good Professional Artifact.