The last main theme I have encountered on my journey through my inquiry so far is Passion for the field of work you are in. With many jobs there are certain passions that make you successful.
If you didn't enjoy dancing why be a dancer? If you don't like cooking, why be a chef?
There are many jobs out there that people don't have a passion to do, and some jobs are stereotyped to be a 'bog standard, couldn't get anything else' job. But how I feel is that no matter what the job no-one should be penalised for doing what they do if they love it and have a passion. Surely a passion for your job makes you good at it.
Certainly as a performer it is clear to see who is passionate and who isn't, for example on stage, a person that is beaming out looking like they are having a good time- probably is, and the person with a fake smile is probably hating every minute of it, Who is more passionate? It may be wrong of me to stereotype this passion to how an individual performs but for me if I didn't enjoy doing something I wouldn't do it.
When speaking to individuals in my interviews, passion and dedication for their job is noticeable in the way people respond to how much they enjoy it. Again when doing observations around the workplace it was easy for me to see who really loved doing what they were doing and who was just doing it for the money because they need a job.
For all performers I think passion comes naturally. The amount of money we spend on our training goes to show how much we love to do it, I can be bias when saying this but I know passion isn't something you can teach, I am doubtful to suggest passion is a transferable skill. I think passion is something that develops the more you do something, and something that does change as you advance through your career. Using myself as an example, I had a passion to dance, which became a passion to entertain and I have a passion to want to teach, as I move through my career each of these passions changes and develops.
Do you performers feel your passion was taught to you just by performing arts training?
Saturday, 4 November 2017
Artefact Thoughts/ Ideas
I can't believe how fast this module is speeding through and already I am halfway through planning the final critical review and beginning to think about the professional artefact.
Having looked at some completed module 3 blogs and got some inspiration from our previous leader Paula's slide shares and Adesola's handbook I have come up with a few ideas that I would like to explore.
Firstly I have to ask myself what am I trying to portray in my artefact? Who is my target audience?
In my artefact I want to be able to appeal mostly to those performers who are worried about transitioning to other careers but also to people in other careers wanting to move to a different job as well. Basically I want my artefact to be able to be understood and viewed by all people. I want to explain who I am and the process I have gone through in my inquiry but also want to try and include my experiences in BAPP and what I have learnt.
A brief idea I had was to make a CV presented in an interesting way but then I thought it best to stick to the plan and avoid the paper and pen and think of something more creative.
I thought of an idea of using mannequins as an idea to represent the themes that came up but then I thought this wouldn't be easily accessible by all my target audience.
Working on cruise ships make me think that I want to think of something that is accessible via social media (youtube or Facebook etc) Digital Video/ Film would be a good way to do this however all I worry about is the producing of this, technically I do not know if I am able to produce a video, if I did manage to do this it would show a huge transition of my use of Web 2.0 from starting the course and I would feel a great sense of achievement. It would also help me develop skills to make a show reel etc. I just don't know if I want to risk being able to to make something of this standard for something that makes a big contribution to my final grade.
Other ideas I have thought of is posters and leaflets made via a computer programme so people can access this via a dropbox facility or something. Although easier to do I don't know if it really represents my professional practice, I would have to think of how to advance on this if I chose this option
Finally the last thing I thought of is to create an interactive image of a cruise ship (my practice currently) and use the decks as a way of representing stages of my inquiry and even my journey on BAPP, and perhaps using places and cabins on the deck as sub headers of the stages (for example themes from analysis stage) I believe this can be done on powerpoint programme, I have used this before in my job by creating gameshows using this programme so I would be intrigued to use something like this in my final artefact.
I think summarising I definitely need to think of an artefact that is accessible online via drop box or any Web 2.0 platform, this is the best way to appeal to my target audience.
Apologies for exceeding the word limit in this blog but would love to know if any of my ideas stand out to any of you performers out there and which of my ideas for an artefact would have the most interest to you, what would make you want to view it or access it?!
Having looked at some completed module 3 blogs and got some inspiration from our previous leader Paula's slide shares and Adesola's handbook I have come up with a few ideas that I would like to explore.
Firstly I have to ask myself what am I trying to portray in my artefact? Who is my target audience?
In my artefact I want to be able to appeal mostly to those performers who are worried about transitioning to other careers but also to people in other careers wanting to move to a different job as well. Basically I want my artefact to be able to be understood and viewed by all people. I want to explain who I am and the process I have gone through in my inquiry but also want to try and include my experiences in BAPP and what I have learnt.
A brief idea I had was to make a CV presented in an interesting way but then I thought it best to stick to the plan and avoid the paper and pen and think of something more creative.
I thought of an idea of using mannequins as an idea to represent the themes that came up but then I thought this wouldn't be easily accessible by all my target audience.
Working on cruise ships make me think that I want to think of something that is accessible via social media (youtube or Facebook etc) Digital Video/ Film would be a good way to do this however all I worry about is the producing of this, technically I do not know if I am able to produce a video, if I did manage to do this it would show a huge transition of my use of Web 2.0 from starting the course and I would feel a great sense of achievement. It would also help me develop skills to make a show reel etc. I just don't know if I want to risk being able to to make something of this standard for something that makes a big contribution to my final grade.
Other ideas I have thought of is posters and leaflets made via a computer programme so people can access this via a dropbox facility or something. Although easier to do I don't know if it really represents my professional practice, I would have to think of how to advance on this if I chose this option
Finally the last thing I thought of is to create an interactive image of a cruise ship (my practice currently) and use the decks as a way of representing stages of my inquiry and even my journey on BAPP, and perhaps using places and cabins on the deck as sub headers of the stages (for example themes from analysis stage) I believe this can be done on powerpoint programme, I have used this before in my job by creating gameshows using this programme so I would be intrigued to use something like this in my final artefact.
I think summarising I definitely need to think of an artefact that is accessible online via drop box or any Web 2.0 platform, this is the best way to appeal to my target audience.
Apologies for exceeding the word limit in this blog but would love to know if any of my ideas stand out to any of you performers out there and which of my ideas for an artefact would have the most interest to you, what would make you want to view it or access it?!
Performer Career Transitioning
Going from being a performer myself into other careers I have first hand experienced what my own skills as a dancer are and how I can convert them into another very successful and promising career.
There are plenty of books out there where individuals in performing arts have done the same.
Last Year I purchased ' Exit Stage Right' a book written about performers and actors etc transitioning into the next stage of their career. This was a great read and although not directly focused on my inquiry as I am not directly looking at the career transfer it really helped me distinguish some more themes and I will be using this in my final critical review.
There is also an interesting read on http://www.cpanda.org/data/a00191/changes.pdf and although written for Americans advising them of how to go about this career change there are quotes in there I have found really useful to my inquiry.
When thinking about transitioning to other careers its a scary prospect and I'm sure not just performers go through it but it all comes down to the transferable skills we have and thats why I wanted to focus my inquiry on what skills we gain really do benefit us elsewhere.
There are plenty of books out there where individuals in performing arts have done the same.
Last Year I purchased ' Exit Stage Right' a book written about performers and actors etc transitioning into the next stage of their career. This was a great read and although not directly focused on my inquiry as I am not directly looking at the career transfer it really helped me distinguish some more themes and I will be using this in my final critical review.
There is also an interesting read on http://www.cpanda.org/data/a00191/changes.pdf and although written for Americans advising them of how to go about this career change there are quotes in there I have found really useful to my inquiry.
When thinking about transitioning to other careers its a scary prospect and I'm sure not just performers go through it but it all comes down to the transferable skills we have and thats why I wanted to focus my inquiry on what skills we gain really do benefit us elsewhere.
Some great blogs out there!
Now that I am getting through module 3 after a complete mental block, I wanted some more inspiration and I have had a bit of time this week to really sit down and have a browse on the internet to try and find some blogs I can interact with outside of BAPP. I wanted to try and find people blogging on similar subjects to me.
I came across one blog that really put into perspective how others outside of our performing arts industry really stereotype us as performers. I have attached some link below for anyone wanting to have a read.
Kathryn Nailes Blog
What I found really positive from reading Kathryns blog is that I feel exactly the same as her and my own experiences really reflect her own. I think blogs like this really add to my inquiry as they are another source of evidence to compare my own data with. My favourite quote from her blog that really puts into light what I am focused on in my inquiry is ' So, training in dance makes one more disciplined, creative, effective at leadership, collaborative, and business-savvy, among other benefits. And, of course, there’s the joy in the art!'
Another blog -Sarah Jukes Ballet Dancers really captured her feelings for why ballet dancers make good employees.
I also encountered an article about someone who transitioned from ballet dancer to CEO an interesting read about her transferable skills.
Other blogs I encountered really captured the use of transferable skills. One blogger was a scientist and wanted to say that he wasn't just that, although not a performer and not in my industry, some of his transferable skills really linked to themes I have been finding. Scientist Blog.
So for anyone feeling a bit of a mental block on module 3, try and seek some blogs outside of BAPP and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
I came across one blog that really put into perspective how others outside of our performing arts industry really stereotype us as performers. I have attached some link below for anyone wanting to have a read.
Kathryn Nailes Blog
What I found really positive from reading Kathryns blog is that I feel exactly the same as her and my own experiences really reflect her own. I think blogs like this really add to my inquiry as they are another source of evidence to compare my own data with. My favourite quote from her blog that really puts into light what I am focused on in my inquiry is ' So, training in dance makes one more disciplined, creative, effective at leadership, collaborative, and business-savvy, among other benefits. And, of course, there’s the joy in the art!'
Another blog -Sarah Jukes Ballet Dancers really captured her feelings for why ballet dancers make good employees.
I also encountered an article about someone who transitioned from ballet dancer to CEO an interesting read about her transferable skills.
Other blogs I encountered really captured the use of transferable skills. One blogger was a scientist and wanted to say that he wasn't just that, although not a performer and not in my industry, some of his transferable skills really linked to themes I have been finding. Scientist Blog.
So for anyone feeling a bit of a mental block on module 3, try and seek some blogs outside of BAPP and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
Themes- TEAMWORK / INDEPENDANCE
Team work vs Independence. In the performing arts industry there are both of these skills required. My own experience faces challenges of being independent and going to auditions alone and fighting for the job against others, being self employed and completing tax returns, the independence of working for yourself, yet still every job is different and I have experienced having to work in a team just as much as I have independently. Dancing a solo vs Dancing in a team, when you dance alone you just consider the space to yourself- its all yours, whilst dancing in a team there is so much more to consider. Working at Warners really gave me a sense of working in a team, similar to what I will be working on the cruise and although I think performing arts training focuses more on preparing you for that independence alone there are still aspects of your training that you have to work with others.
Being able to work as a team is a skill that every individual I spoke to said they felt that this was a high skill for them, having said this, all of whom I spoke to worked at the hotel meaning they were forced to work as a team anyway, what I really wanted to find out was if they preferred working alone or in a team, personal traits like confidence and knowledge of the field came into this decision and those more confident people I spoke to earlier suggested they preferred working alone whereas those less confident people stated they prefer being in a team.
Being able to work as a team is a skill that every individual I spoke to said they felt that this was a high skill for them, having said this, all of whom I spoke to worked at the hotel meaning they were forced to work as a team anyway, what I really wanted to find out was if they preferred working alone or in a team, personal traits like confidence and knowledge of the field came into this decision and those more confident people I spoke to earlier suggested they preferred working alone whereas those less confident people stated they prefer being in a team.
Themes- ORGANISATION
In my industry organisation is key, whether it comes to being on time for a class at college or on time for an audition or on time for an interview. Across all the literature I have been focusing on the theme of organisation categorises as a transferable skill across all careers and of course organisation is key for daily life.
Gaining the skill of being organised has been an interesting one to talk about with my respondents. There was an even split between the participants I spoke to who had performance background, some saying they were very organised, to others saying they were the complete opposite. As a performer myself I automatically stereotyped all performers to be like me and thought of them as super organised people, HOW WRONG I WAS! I think it is safe to say that although organisation is key for some jobs there is a scale to how organised someone can be and this slides more into a personal trait dependent on the person not dependent on what they do. Again an even split on some people I spoke to who had never taken any performing arts training, some saying they were organised and others saying the opposite.
What I found particularly interesting was the further up in status the people I spoke to were in a job role, the more organised they perceived themselves to be, from interviewing certain individuals this became clear that the amount of responsibility a job entails is the outcome of how organised you have to be.
Literature out there does again stereotype performers as being organised people, and does suggest that this comes from the training they have received, it was interesting to see those in my industry didn't feel they had a skill what I thought was already second nature to my training.
Gaining the skill of being organised has been an interesting one to talk about with my respondents. There was an even split between the participants I spoke to who had performance background, some saying they were very organised, to others saying they were the complete opposite. As a performer myself I automatically stereotyped all performers to be like me and thought of them as super organised people, HOW WRONG I WAS! I think it is safe to say that although organisation is key for some jobs there is a scale to how organised someone can be and this slides more into a personal trait dependent on the person not dependent on what they do. Again an even split on some people I spoke to who had never taken any performing arts training, some saying they were organised and others saying the opposite.
What I found particularly interesting was the further up in status the people I spoke to were in a job role, the more organised they perceived themselves to be, from interviewing certain individuals this became clear that the amount of responsibility a job entails is the outcome of how organised you have to be.
Literature out there does again stereotype performers as being organised people, and does suggest that this comes from the training they have received, it was interesting to see those in my industry didn't feel they had a skill what I thought was already second nature to my training.
Thursday, 2 November 2017
Themes - PRESENTABLE
Although when looking at my literature this skill wasn't a large topic that came up, I wanted to blog about my experiences and others close around me. I feel a lot of people on BAPP will be able to relate to this skill. As a performer the way we present ourselves is just as important as our talent. It is the first thing someone will see in an audition. I believe that presentation of the way we dress and look links massively to professionalism. Would you hire somebody who turned up to a job interview in tracksuit bottoms, again this does depend on the job role but most likely not. Unfortunately in careers and everyday life we are a book judged by a cover.
Speaking of my own experience at college we were taught how to correctly do our hair and makeup and this transferred to my professional career as a dancer ensuring costumes were always well presented and I always turned up to work with clean and ironed uniform, a face of make up and I know I always looked presentable. It is in my nature and part of my daily routine to automatically wake up on a morning and look good. As vain as this sounds I wouldn't have achieved half of what I have without having a good appearance.
In interviews when respondents were asked to rank certain skills out of 10, presentation and image for all performers came at a strong 9 and 10, ranking the same level as the importance of their talent. Of Course before I even began the inquiry I knew that presentation would be classed as a transferable skill that would of course benefit in other careers. However not all careers need the focus on how we present ourselves at work so this skill again is career specific.
It is also strange how the way someone presents themselves can sometimes make it very apparent what they do and what status they have within a company. For example we always see managers wearing suits and beauticians always having a full face of make up.
Image could be an inquiry of its own so I am not going to think too hard into evaluating how it can be transferable across other careers but I like to consider it as a personal quality important to performers and a skill that performers get plenty of hands on experience on.
Speaking of my own experience at college we were taught how to correctly do our hair and makeup and this transferred to my professional career as a dancer ensuring costumes were always well presented and I always turned up to work with clean and ironed uniform, a face of make up and I know I always looked presentable. It is in my nature and part of my daily routine to automatically wake up on a morning and look good. As vain as this sounds I wouldn't have achieved half of what I have without having a good appearance.
In interviews when respondents were asked to rank certain skills out of 10, presentation and image for all performers came at a strong 9 and 10, ranking the same level as the importance of their talent. Of Course before I even began the inquiry I knew that presentation would be classed as a transferable skill that would of course benefit in other careers. However not all careers need the focus on how we present ourselves at work so this skill again is career specific.
It is also strange how the way someone presents themselves can sometimes make it very apparent what they do and what status they have within a company. For example we always see managers wearing suits and beauticians always having a full face of make up.
Image could be an inquiry of its own so I am not going to think too hard into evaluating how it can be transferable across other careers but I like to consider it as a personal quality important to performers and a skill that performers get plenty of hands on experience on.
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