Don't Wait for Permission

In regards to pursuing your craft, if you don’t make time for your passion, you cannot expect anyone else to. It’s that simple. As a singer or actor or any type of creative, people will constantly ask you what your “real” job is (more on that in another blog), expecting you to reprioritize your love of your craft for a more “normal” job. Basically, they are wondering who gave you permission to follow your dreams. The answer is: no one. You don’t need it. All you need is drive, perseverance, and love for what you do.

When working with directors, I have found that they don’t want to have to tell you every single thing to do or to try. It is much more organic for them to allow you to explore and make choices and take risks. When you ask permission to try something, it loses a little magic - just go for it! The director will tell you if it’s too much or telling the wrong story. Rehearsal is the time to do as Nike does and just do it!

When in voice lessons, the louder your make a mistake, the easier it is for your teacher to hear it and fix it! Why wait for permission from your teacher (unless it is a matter of health and safety) to try something new and exciting? Just try it out and see what happens! If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you. Not everything you try will work, but some things you try could turn out to be the most thrilling, beautiful art you’ve ever created, you never know!

Moral of today’s TED Talk: don’t ask for permission from anyone. Just do it. The worst that happens is it doesn’t work, the best is that you grow as a singer (or actor or painter, etc.) and create something new and fabulous. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain! Go out and take some risks my friends!