THE PERPETUAL VISITOR: Sustainable Creative Living.
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Things I Teach
  • Things I Make
    • The Book: The Perpetual Visitor
    • Wild Unfolding: and other poems
    • New Bird
    • The Podcast
    • Theatre
    • Film
    • Poetry
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Things I Teach
  • Things I Make
    • The Book: The Perpetual Visitor
    • Wild Unfolding: and other poems
    • New Bird
    • The Podcast
    • Theatre
    • Film
    • Poetry
  • Contact

The Waiting Game

6/3/2014

0 Comments

 
How good are you at the waiting game? I'll admit it, my waiting skills are less than stellar.  As an artist, you are thrown into this game constantly: with an audition, with a query letter, with a grant proposal, with an application to teach a workshop or class, the list goes on and on. Everyone has to wait at some point, and even if you don't identify as an artist, you have likely had to wait for test results, a job offer, or simply in the long grocery store line. No one escapes. 

I've tried to cultivate more patience with this process, but am far from where I'd like to be in order to keep myself sane on a daily basis. Right now, for example, I'm waiting to hear back about a few potential projects for the fall and I'm starting to get very impatient. The last thing I want to do is become that pesky person who emails every day to “check in” or leave more voicemails than are welcome. I’m feeling kind of stuck at how to get better at waiting, so I tried seeking out some advice from the interwebs. Here are a few different takes on patience and waiting from different places around the web:


1. Bryan Cranston's advice to actors that applies to everyone: "Walk away, that's it...there's power in that...I can only do so much."


2. I love Jenna Fischer from The Office, and she has written some great blog articles, including this one, where she talks about having the patience to work as an "unknown" in L.A. for eight years (!) before landing the role of Pam:
http://www.actorsinfobooth.com/industry-news/hollywood/752-jenna-fischers-advice-to-actors
Picture

3. Tiny Buddha is one of my favorite positive psychology blogs online and this is a great little post about learning to cultivate patience while you wait for the next chapter, whatever that may be for you: 

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/power-patience-let-go-anxiety-let-things-happen/


4. A really interesting New Times article about the psychology of waiting that offers some scientific insights into why waiting for that callback or job offer is so tough. According to the article, "Investing upfront in realistic time frames — and learning to adjust those time frames as new information becomes available — may help us resist the pull of rewards that come too soon. Controlling our sense of the future, in other words, may help us control our behavior in the present."
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/opinion/sunday/youre-so-self-controlling.html 


5. I found this humorous but practical guide to taking care of yourself after submitting your work for publication, but it easily applies to waiting on a job interview, audition, or the like. It has some concrete, practical suggestions of things to do in that in between time: 
http://www.tinhouse.com/blog/16373/how-to-stay-sane-while-querying-literary-agents.html


Let me know if you have any go-to strategies for getting better at waiting--I'd love to add to my toolbox!

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    My name is Melissa and I'm an actor, playwright, author, filmmaker, and teaching artist who wants to help you discover, cultivate, and care for your creativity. 
     
    What does being creative mean to you?

    How do you play every day?

    This is a space for taking a break, a breath,  and finding ways to flex our imagination and find the joy where we can. 

    ​No one is going to present us with a ready made creative life--we have  to step up and gift it to ourselves. I'm so glad you're here.

    Categories

    All
    Artist Dates
    Creative Recharge
    Creative Risks
    Motivation Monday
    Persistence
    Play
    Success
    Theatre
    Tiny Tips For Creativity
    Whole Artist
    Writing

    Archives

    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    August 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    Want to get blog posts delivered right to your inbox? Sign up to receive The Perpetual Visitor below and never miss creative conversation!

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.