New Beginnings and New Mindset
The year has begun.
And what a crazy start it has been.
Let's talk about moving first. Where do I even begin with this topic? The past year I lived on Roy street in Seattle Center and I was a block and a half from the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Talk about convenience! I wanted to move away from ballet and closer to Seattle Pacific University where a lot my friends from church were and where a lot church events are held. Also, even though it was nice to be able to go home on my breaks, when I came home from ballet at night, I never felt like I was home. I felt like I was always at ballet and there was no separation in my life. I needed change and a break. So now I moved in with some pretty awesome guys from church close to Seattle Pacific University.
But moving in was kind of crazy for me because I had to be out of my old place by August 31st and I was only able to move in on September 1st. There was no overlap in my leases. When I moved here to Seattle, I just brought clothes and a few things and then bought all my furniture. I did not have to move furniture except for my couch... which, if you remember, was kind of a nightmare. Moving to Seattle was easy because I had nothing. Well after a year of living here in Seattle, I now have my clothes, furniture, and other stuff. I needed to figure out where to put my stuff for one night. Luckily, my friends let me store stuff at their apartments. For a few days, my belongings were in three separate apartments in Queen Anne and I was sleeping at my buddies' apartment.
After cleaning and closing my lease with my one apartment, I was ready to get into my new place. My new place is a sweet two bedroom/two baths apartment. I took a few trips with the help of my friends' jeep and minivan to get my stuff into the new place. After living in the place for about two weeks now, I am loving it. I have three other roommates. When I get home, people are at the house hanging out. We have people over to watch movies or play games. The apartment is active which I love.
Moving brings new beginnings, but that is not the only new beginning in my life right now. On August 31st, I started my second year at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. It has been a very busy start to my year to say the very least. I am learning three ballets including Nutcracker, have lots of class, and being choreographed on for an exhibit at a museum. That fills up the day pretty quickly. The productions that are being put on by the Pacific Northwest Ballet are a lot smaller this year, so my performance time will be a lot less than last year. Coming into the year, I expected that, but what I am working on is being ready at all times. Even if I do not get to perform something, I am staying alert in rehearsals and being ready if I need to be called on. Essentially, I am the practice squad of a NFL team. I practice with the team everyday except come game day, I don't suit up to play. Eventually, I will one day be called up from that practice squad and play in that game... well, in my case, perform.
Being on the practice squad can be hard mentally. Not knowing when or if I will ever play makes it difficult to keep pushing 100% everyday. I have been focusing on two things to keep me inspired everyday. The first thing is to look at the larger picture of my career (RULE 65). Five years from now, I am not going to remember that one bad pirouette that I did in men's technique class on September 21, 2015. During the moment, it is so easy to get down on myself if one little thing doesn't work. Now, am I saying don't try to fix the problem? HECK NO! Work your butt off and find the solutions for your problems, but don't lose heart or get depressed. It ain't worth the energy getting hurt over a small task in the grand scheme of my career (RULE 66). The second thing is to look for small victories in the day that keep me inspired (RULE). Not every rehearsal is inspiring and thought provoking but some rehearsals I love to discover movement and myself as an artist. I can either look to the bad ones and think, "wow this day sucks." OR I can look forward to the rehearsals that I love and try to bring some positivity from them to help me in the not so great rehearsals.
It is such an honor to learn what these ballets and I need to make the most of each opportunity! I cannot wait for the rest of the season and to see what other opportunities come my way!