Loud and Proud: How to Have Something To Say
There's a lot of talk this week in the performing arts world regarding 'messages' and 'what artists are trying to say'.
Forums have been blowing up regarding the Tulsa Opera's casting of a transgender artist to play the title role in 'Don Giovanni'. What does this mean for the classical singing world--will traditionally gendered roles cease to exist? Will casting practices be forced to change (pretty please, say it's true)? What does this mean for artists? Will we no longer 'gender-appropriate' roles on our resumes? If so, what about 'age-appropriate' roles? Will this change fach as a whole? Companies and individual artists have been handed a new and exciting new palette of music and roles to play with--what will we use it to say and to share?
These questions echo some of the thoughts I've been having lately regarding my own career: What is my niche? What are my unique qualities that I, and only I, can provide to the world? And--most importantly--what do I stand for as an artist? What messages am I attempting to say and share?
The answers, of course, are complex. To be completely honest, not all of the questions truly HAVE answers at this point. The last ten years in the music industry have been increasingly tumultuous and exciting. There have been changes in casting practices, changes in technique, changes in the 'preferred operatic sound', changes in traditionally gendered roles, changes in management, changes in Equity and AEA and AGMA rules and regulations. We have seen producers take a larger role in the production process as a whole, and we have seen entire ensembles push towards equality in terms of pay and representation. Artists are discovering new ways to speak up, to connect across genres, and to be heard. Operas are now being written that address modern socio-polical issues, such as Holocaust deniers, transgender rights, and immigration issues. Musicals are incorporating more and more classically-trained singers --if you had told me ten years ago that a musical on Broadway would feature an internationally-acclaimed diva such as Renee Fleming, I would have eaten my bra (which likely would have made Renee laugh--she is known to have a fantastic sense of humor). Artists are no longer waiting for works to be written that are 'perfect for them' or that share a message they relate to--they are now able to directly reach out to composers and commission works via Facebook, or LinkedIn.
We’ve built platforms for exposure and are updating them constantly. We are tasked everyday with handling our 'brand', which entails juggling our various social media accounts, our email accounts, creating new recordings and videos regularly, posting daily updates to our coaches, chatting and holding lessons via Skype...
The ability to market and expose yourself and your work has never been faster, more efficient, or easier.
...but what if you don’t have anything to say?
Like I said, I've been thinking about this a LOT lately. But it came as a bit of a surprise to have my own thoughts directed at me in an unlikely way. This past week, I had a student voice aloud my own unspoken question in the middle of a lesson. This particular student has a bad habit of going 'blank' while performing. I had asked them to use their body (in this case, their face) to 'share what they were feeling' during a passage of a song. I wanted my student to practice expressive singing. So it was a bit surprising when my student turned to me, wide-eyed with fear, and asked, "But...what if I don't feel anything when I'm singing that part? Is that wrong? What if I don't HAVE anything to share?!"
It's a fair question.
It’s difficult to find a pedagogical solution for this problem. There isn't any vocal exercise you can assign someone to assure them that yes, they do indeed have a message to share with the world. There isn't any kind of workshop that can promote inner-worth, and no worksheet will assure you that yours is 'an authentic' artistic expression.
So ....how the hell does one go about finding their 'purpose', then?? How does an artist find their own unique voice and message to the world?
Well...to be honest, many of us DON'T. Think of the famous artists from the past: most of them stumbled, fell into or discovered their niche/purpose out of sheer dumb luck. In 1907, Picasso was a painting short for his first big gallery exhibition, so he painted “Demoiselles d’Avignon”....the painting that arguably changed Western art history forever. Charles Ives used to use the local newspaper's contents to select what lyrics he would set in his daily compositions; many of these went on to solidify his place as an unsung genius of modern art song.
It might be that instead of spending more time in a practice room or a library, artists could profit from spending a little time outside, digging in and doing some 'inner work'.