The effects rejection from an audition can have on your practice.
The Coronavirus pandemic tested us all in different ways but most importantly it tested our mental health and how we were able to control it at such a difficult time. It lead me to question what services are in place for a dancer and while there are many charities/hotlines for mental health in general I struggled to find one aimed specifically for people with/wanting to pursue a career in the ARTS. I have felt lost with what I wanted to do as I know dancing is a passion of mine but performing hasn't worked out for me due to various reasons. This new spark of interest has pointed me towards a career goal I desperately want to achieve and somewhere I can really see my practice going. I would love to be a councillor in a Performing Arts college or a Therapist (eventually) aimed specifically at people within this industry as I feel like it is something we are really lacking. I haven't felt passion like this in so long and as my practice has shifted into another direction I am excited for my journey to start.
During the pandemic, like many I took up a new career path in social media and marketing. With the knowledge I have gained from this role I am able to transfer my skills to advertise and target people in need of help. This is an example of having a Portfolio career. This is defined as having multiple careers at the same time and using your skillset to transfer to each job. I eventually would like to set up an online platform aimed at students/professionals in the ARTS to reach out and hopefully get the help they need.
Although the reason I want to research this isn't based on auditions as such I feel it where a series of mental health issues can start. Rejection (from an audition for example) might often contribute to pre-existing conditions such as stress and anxiety or lead to their development. Similarly, these and other mental health conditions can exacerbate feelings of rejection.
It was interesting to find MRI studies comparing the brain activity in people who had experienced rejection with brain activity of people who had experienced physical pain. They found that many of the same regions of the brain lit up. Subsequent research shows that taking acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) after experiencing rejection actually reduced how much pain people reported feeling and the brain scans showed neural pain signalling was lessened. It raised the question - Do we treat mental and physical pain the same in day to day life?
Most of the research I have done surrounding this topic has shed a negative light on this inquiry but I am interested in looking at the positive psychology of rejection and how it can build a stronger resilience. I touched base on this in my Module 1 essay with Martin Seligmans idea of the 3 P's. which is something that I have taken with me into my practice today. I would also like to dissect the casting process and look at audition culture.
Below are questions I have surrounding this inquiry. Some of which I would really like to reword and use in my survey. As this can be a sensitive topic to discuss I am going to make my interviews anonymous this should allow the interviewee to really feel comfortable opening up around such serious topics of discussion. I have also thought about interviewing a casting director for their thoughts on the topic as it would give a different perspective however I think it would be less beneficial to what I want to find out from the inquiry.
- Do casting directors have a duty of care for your mental health during and after an audition process?
- What aftercare is given after an audition?
- What resources are available for a dancer/performers mental health?
- Does the fear of rejection stop us from putting ourselves out there?
- Has being rejected from an audition affected your mental health? If so was that feeling there before or was it developed through an audition experience?
- What can we do to make auditions a safer environment?
- Do you think feedback from an audition would be beneficial?
A x
Wow, this is an amazing area to study. Mental Health first aiders are beginning to be introduced in the workplace, and they had one at my drama training, but having specific skills and support for those in the arts would be so valuable. I think this is a really interesting area for your inquiry and will hopefully give you lots of knowledge and tools to pursue this area further in your career.
ReplyDeleteHi Sally, I feel like it would be really valuable for people in the ARTS especially as the industry is sometimes cutthroat and demanding not only on the body but the mind also! Hope your inquiry is going well x
DeleteHi Abigail! It was so amazing to read your post, especially as I'd just signed off from our sports pyschology bi-weekly zoom meeting with my ballet company! I totally agree that more support is needed in the industry as it helps SO much and having a healthy mind is equally important to having a healthy body in my opinion. I do see changes being made step by step and it being more accessible, especially compared to when I graduated from ballet school 10 years ago but still there's a lot more to be done so I'm really happy to hear that you're drawn in that direction! I think your questions are really great but I do see you're more targeting professionals and maybe these issues first arise at school and maybe if more performers were taught the mental skills to be able to handle rejection and other issues it might already be better. Do you think schools should also invest in more mental support? And do you think all students would respond the same and need the same attention? We had an issue in our meeting just now that one girl said that she didn't feel like it benefited her when we spoke about issues that didn't concern her but I thought it was necessary to hear those problems as when you're dancing together as a team in the same space then it perhaps can help to understand dancers around you. This might tip into ethical considerations that not everyone will want to share their own issues. Lots to say on this chat... my topic of inquiry kind of tips into yours but still not sure how to approach mine. I want to include embodiment and mindfulness in it. That's all I know. I think some of my post may be useful to you. Feel free to check them out and sorry for this super long comment :D
ReplyDeleteHi Emily,
DeleteWow, thank you so much for your comment! This is something that i hadn't thought of so its great to add that depth to my inquiry. I do think it would be beneficial if more time was spent on mental support in schools. Definitely interested in reading your blogs so look forward to connecting again. Hope your inquiry is going well! X
This sounds like an amazing topic to look into and is something I think is so important. it sounds so amazing to hear that you are seeing a path for the future and I couldn't agree more with thinking that it is something that there is a lack of within the industry. I look forward to hearing how you get on!
ReplyDeleteH x
Thank you Hannah! Hope your inquiry is going well X
DeleteOhhh I love this idea Abi! Such an interesting topic! I think this will get a lot worse to as colleges are accepting so many more students these days, but are jobs actually increasing? I remember this affected me a lot at college, when many classmates had already received work and I was still attending auditions. But during all this stress and disappointment, I found a group of people who were all so supportive to each other and somehow we made every audition feel worth it #auditionsquad. It's all about receiving support I think, but like you've said, theres not much professional support out there. I am so excited to hear more about your research journey. xx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Alice! I definitely agree. I don't think there is enough support for students at college and am interested to see other people's views on this topic too. I think you find support in those around you for sure and this is so important! But i can imagine it can be hard for some people to really open up about how they are feeling to their peers having an external source could help. I am so glad you found support in #auditionsquad. Hope module 3 is going well xx
DeleteHi Abigail!
ReplyDeleteI love that you're taking a positive spin on this topic, it's a very interesting take. Also brilliant that you're feeling passionate about counselling in performing arts colleges, such a great way to bring all your skills together! I just wondered if you'd heard of the charity Applause for Thought (applauseforthought.com)? They help specifically with mental health within the performing arts. Might be interesting to look into what they do or even chat to them directly.
Lizzie x
Hi Lizzie,
DeleteI hadn't heard of this charity before but am really keen to do some research and speak to them. Thanks for pointing me in this direction, can't wait to find out more.
Hope your inquiry is going okay
Abi x
I love this idea Abigail! I definitely agree that it's extremely important to develop performing arts specific mental health advice as quite often the generic advice given is either unattainable in the environments we work in or can just miss the mark completely. As Alice mentioned often we develop our own little support systems through friends however ultimately that can only go so far without professional advice.
ReplyDeleteBecca x
Hi Becca,
DeleteYes! Developing relationships to create support systems is so important it can really help. I would have struggled without some of the people i have met on contracts. Mental health is such a broad subject so like you say sometimes friends can only help so much before needing to seek a professional.
Hope your inquiry is going ok!
Abi xx
Hi Abi,
ReplyDeleteI think that this is such an important topic to explore! You have definitely done the research and have multiple ideas and questions surrounding it. I think after care after an audition would be so beneficial. In relation to physical movement, after a workout/ dance class we do a cool down to calm our heart rate and muscles and mentally finish the class. After the adrenaline of an audition, abruptly leaving and jumping straight onto a tube and commuting back to your town might not give your mind closure.