Whaddup. I'm a performer (currently in Fawlty Towers in the West End). AND I run a business. Because art and commerce can exist together. Quite successfully, in fact. If you're an audience-facing professional, and you want the tips, tricks and techniques used by theatre performers all over the world, then this is the place for you. This is where you get confident, you get charisma, and you start owning the room in a whole new way. This is Showing Up 2.0. It's a vibe.
New year, new voice
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You ever wish you could sit your younger self down and give yourself a pep talk? Because SAME. If I could zap back to my 20s, I'd pull myself towards myself and say... 'Self, why are you letting these colleagues belittle and bully you in front of other people?' 'Self, don't marry that guy - it is going to end in utter effing disaster and you are better than that.' 'Self, THROW THAT OUTFIT AWAY - It is not serving you.' And my younger me would roll her eyes and say, 'Urgh, you don't know me, get away, I can look after myself.' To which I'd reply... 'You can look after yourself? How's that working out for you? You're crippled with anxiety, making bad choices, and you have no confidence. You need to stand up for YOU.' I'm 42 now. I love being in my 40s. I've (almost) stopped taking shit from people. Now, since it's the beginning of a new year - and we're all out here trying to be intentional and make better decisions - let me say this: Your writing isn't just some random exercise you undertake to grow your business. Your writing is an extension of who you are. Your writing should be infused with your voice. Your beliefs. A sense of confidence. And when that happens - your writing morphs into new experiences. You land speaking opportunities. You attract leads in your DMs. You start stepping into a bigger version of yourself. Writing as an extension of who you are = pure, glorious freedom. I know, it sounds like witchcraft. But it’s not—it’s science. Put out into the world who you are, what you believe and what you stand for - tell your story - and you draw in the people who want more of who you are. That's bold branding. So, whether you're using ChatGPT or your own brain... Whether you're writing proposals for speaking gigs or new work... Whether you're creating content for LinkedIn... ...stop writing for the sake of writing... And start writing for the sake of connecting. Growing. Learning. Start writing for the sake of being one of the real ones. Scary right? I know. It's so bloody exciting. Ash. |
Behind the Curtain
Whaddup. I'm a performer (currently in Fawlty Towers in the West End). AND I run a business. Because art and commerce can exist together. Quite successfully, in fact. If you're an audience-facing professional, and you want the tips, tricks and techniques used by theatre performers all over the world, then this is the place for you. This is where you get confident, you get charisma, and you start owning the room in a whole new way. This is Showing Up 2.0. It's a vibe.
You can listen to this email here: We Must Have Art Apartheid.mp3 I don't have a specific piece of art for you today, Reader. I'm sorry. Rather, I have some musings on why it's so important that we HAVE art. So, I'm going to try and share that with you coherently, on a day, and at a time when I don't feel very coherent at all. I feel quite sad and overwhelmed and helpless. Here we go... I grew up during Apartheid in South Africa. It was a very dark time, the '80s. We really were on the brink...
👂👂👂 You can listen to this email here: We Must Have Art Jack Nicholson.mp3 --- There are three major moments in film history that I LOVE. They are POWER. The first is Gandalf in The Fellowship of the Ring. He turns to face the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm in Moria. And he commands, from deep within his soul..."You shall not pass!" It's probably the most iconic moment from all three of the films. The second is a simple, polysyllabic utterance from Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman, but...
I'm the adult child of an alcoholic. I posted about this on LinkedIn this morning, because something interesting is happening on that platform which I find a little worrying and bizarre. It seems everyone is a coach now - everyone can coach you out of burnout, to be more confident, to stop being a perfectionist, etc, etc. I'm seeing it a lot, and I'm kind of confounded by it. As an adult child of an alcoholic, this is what I've had to work through: Fear Anxiety Abandonment issues Compulsive...