Make Your own D*** Yap part Toi
HEY Y’ALL!
It’s been a minute, but such is life. In any case, I told you I’d give you the tea on making your own YAP and I’m here to finish the job. In this last part of a three-part series, I wanted to speak to you about scheduling. If you’re anything like most of the Young Artist that I know, you don’t have the luxury of working completely in the Arts. Based on societal perspective, it is considered a “side hustle”. Sadly, one of the perils of being a Young Artist is trying to validate your work and your art, all the while giving Becky and Johnny their morning coffee or Baby Sitting Celine’s kids. It. Sucks.
However, when there’s a will, there is a way. Today, I present to you the schedule prototype that has served me quite frankly since undergrad. Quick story-time. While at my UG, I struggled a great deal with scheduling my life. My first semester was filled with embracing the freedoms that I’d never had and trying to balance my extremely difficult workload. I learned the hard way that scheduling needed to be a part of my life, specifically when it came to performance weeks, mid-terms and finals. And so, with Google as my companion, I found a nifty schedule planner (that I still use) for free, that allows me to write out my day, hourly. It also gives me a clearer picture of how much time I have, realistically. You can find the website HERE.
What I will say, as the first tip for planning out your life, and essentially your day is scheduling the things that aren’t likely to shift on your calendar. That means, if you work a 9-5, you should put that down first before anything else. We all know the likelihood of your boss saying “This week, work 10-6 and then on Friday work from 11-7”. It just…doesn’t happen. When I color-code my work, I usually use something closer to an “alarming” color. Something like red, orange, or even yellow. It shows me that this is a hard-no for change and that there is little to no wiggle room in that specific area. Let’s call this group of important things, non-negotiable’s. After I finish with these items on the list, I usually try to schedule things that aren’t necessarily urgent, but those things that are important to me: me time, catching up on family time, events where I can and should (you really should) support your friends and more. This is important too, ya’ll. While there is no layout for how you should do this, it is important to make sure you do it. It’s simple; it’s important to you.
Photo by the incomparable Whitney George
Next, I sit down and write out a sticky of the top five Artistic endeavors that I need to accomplish for the coming week. Whether that’s moving in my living room for at least 30 minutes, or learning that new aria that you’ve put off for weeks at a time (eek!). For some people, they must map out what it is that they need to do. To those folks who are reading that fit into that specific niche already, bravo to you. But for those who need a little extra help, please know you are not alone. I know I am guilty of sometimes putting my muggle work (meaning my day job) before my art. Money before…well, everything. It can be difficult to schedule that audition while on a lunch break, some of us, even choosing a half-day (that may take away some funding) or simply foregoing the opportunity because it just doesn’t work. It is difficult! But I find more often than not when setting that boundary for myself of “Artistic non-negotiable’s”, I tend to have more overall happiness.
That way, when walking into an audition, or even a voice lesson, I feel more at ease because although I have sacrificed in more areas than one, I ultimately know that those small increments of time that are carved for just me, matter.
The last but most important part of the process of scheduling is checking in with yourself. Of course, your practice time and a good workout are wonderful ways to gauge where you are. But checking in with yourself sometimes means forgoing a practice session, because you’re physically tired for a diction check-in. Or even studying the history of the aria or opera you’re working on. Sometimes it looks like studying those great artists who sang those roles, to better understand the style. This is not to imitate what they’ve done. However, it is important to grasp a better understanding of the music by seeing prime examples of what the composer’s intention was. It truly does help to transform the mind. And honestly, a reset is one of the best things we can do for ourselves as artists. A well-known quote of Jessye Norman is as followed “I want to keep learning, keep exploring, keep doing more”. I don’t think this is just meant for active singing, but other parts of the artistic journey as well. Remember that while you’re figuring out how to manage your 24 hours in a day.
Peace and love,
Victoria
