Today, I continue to explore/explain the theory behind a new practice I’ve adopted and the inspiration behind my newest blog series While this is mostly about professionalism for preprofessional and/or fledgling theatre artists, the basic philosophies and practices can probably be adapted to suit just about anyone.
The idea is simple. The logic behind it seems like it should be intuitive. Afterall, It is, with rare exception, given that in order to grow skillful and successful in any field one must work towards that end.
Enter the artist’s Office Hour.
One would think that artists wishing to make a trade out of their craft, would realize that they must combine the practices of artistic development with the practices of professional development. Strangely the practice, as far as I can tell, is not common.
- The growing artist is expected to explore and experiment and reflect, if he truly wants to have skill enough to stand out from the crowd.
- The professional must know her industry, who to schmooze, how to be appealing to prospective employers, so on and so forth if she has any hope of standing apart from the ever increasing competition.
It’s about changing image and expectation.
- Every artist needs to learn to be his or her own biggest advocate when it comes to building a successful career.
- The artist who struggles to view themselves as truly professional, is more likely to be his or her own biggest obstacle.
In my next entry, I will look at some possible activities and ideas for creating Office Hours. Until then, I’ll say that, while an Office Hour should somehow advance, enrich or support professional artistry, it isn’t really clearly defined in my book. Get creative with it and remember; regularly taking time to plan the road from community theatre to the Academy Awards, should be a no brainer!
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