When you workshop a show (A play or musical.) you run it through a series of performances that run the gamut, from full fledged performances in front of a live audience to private viewings with an audience of critics and artists, script in hand. In a way, I find life to be like the workshopping of a show. Nothing's ever set in stone and there are constant revisions, adjustments, and re-runs to work towards the gratitude of your audience. As most will agree, I'm sure, art is hard. It's always a constant struggle to wedge your way into the tiny cone of acceptance. As artists, we strive for championship and excellence. Nothing less. Rarely do we achieve the perfection we hernia ourselves towards. Nonetheless, we trudge through the muck of criticism and sheer disappointment in hopes of finding our grail.
So why do you care? Good question. When you figure out the answer, let me know. In all honesty, this whole thing can go unnoticed. Maybe I'll give up. I can't predict the future, and neither can Madame Nonsense, so hang up the phone. I can't tell you what this will be a month from now, much less tomorrow. But, what I do know, is that people often fail to realize how much art floats through society and what we as a human race are capable of. Furthermore, society tends to completely overlook the difficulty of art and 'making it' as an artist. By making it I don't mean famous per say, I mean being a professional. Making a career out of your art is one of the hardest things anyone can ever try to achieve. You're faced with constant rejection. If I'm a starving actor trying to make it in NYC, I can attend hundreds of auditions over the course of several months and will still have less of a chance landing a gig, than you do being trampled by Mike Tyson in an excavator. No joke.
So why am I writing this? Even better question. Better because I have the answer. I want whoever comes across this, artist or not, to not only know what's going on in the world of performing arts, (Or at least my spectrum of it.) but believe that they have the ability to produce the same kind of pure inspiration and astonishment as Kristin Chenoweth's 'E' over soprano 'High C' or Anything Goes' mind-boggling, chest-rumbling, Act 1 Finale tap number. I want my readers to know that it's never easy, but it's always possible. I believe that probably 30% of people can belt it like the next Aretha, but have never tried. I'd be willing to bet that a mere 7% of people who sing on a regular basis, are decent, and successful. I'm saying, be that seven percent. You won't have perfect pitch. You won't get the money shot on the first try. You won't land the first gig. You won't perfectly proportion your model's marble tits to her marble tummy. But that doesn't mean it's not possible.
I'm not a counselor, this is not an inspirational blog. I just want my readers to know who they can be, and more importantly who they are, as artists. To quote a horrendously popular musical, we're all in this together. As much as it pains me say it, Disney hit the nail on the head. It's a scary world out there. Life is hell, and art is it's own special ring. We all need a little boost now and then. Kiss my ass and I'll kiss yours. Or something like that. Whatever the expression, let's applaud after curtain, no matter the outcome.
~Just Another Starving Artist
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