As I’m sure you’ve noticed, over the last few months I’ve posted less and less frequently.  Part of this has been my distance from theatrical endeavors, part of it has been a lack of inspiration, and part has been that I’ve simply been busy with other things.  I’ve been focusing on my new job in Chicago, getting settled in, and some personal drama (not the stage kind!) that’s been going on lately in my life.  As a result, I’ve spent the last few days questioning whether I should even continue with my theatre goals.

The conclusion that I’ve come to is that I shouldn’t quit theatre.  I guess that’s obvious, but it took me awhile to realize that.  I love theatre.  It’s one of the few things I can count on to make me happy, content and fulfilled no matter what.

So in an effort to revitalize my blog, re-energize myself, and put the focus back on theatre, I’m beginning Project: Introspection.  This will be a series of about 25 blog posts that will focus on different things that I’ve learned about myself, about theatre, and about life that specifically correspond to skills that I’ve learned by participating in theatre.  What follows is a list of the qualities that I will write about over the next month.  And yes, this will correspond with NaNoWriMo.  Not sure if I’ll reach their 50,000 word requirement, but we’ll see how that goes.  I’m treating NaNoWriMo as a challenge to write every day, at any rate.  Wish me luck.

Note: I will be writing about each of the following items, but not necessarily in order.

The List (updated as posts become published)

1. Oral Communication Skills
2. Creative Problem Solving Abilities
3. More than “Get it done” attitude
4. Motivation and Commitment
5. Willingness to Work Cooperatively
6. Ability to Work Independently
7. Time-budgeting skills
8. Initiative
9. Promptness and Respect for Deadlines
10. Acceptance of Rules
11. The Ability to Learn Quickly AND Correctly
12. Respect for Colleagues
13. Respect for Authority
14. Adaptability and Flexibility
15. The Ability to Work Under Pressure
16. A Healthy Self-Image
17. Acceptance of Disappointment — and the Ability to Bounce Back
18. Self-Discipline
19. A Goal-Oriented Approach to Work
20. Concentration
21. Dedication
22. Willingness to Accept Responsibility
23. Leadership Skills
24. Self-Confidence
25. Enjoyment

Some of these are pretty obvious survival skills that any theatre person would recognize.  Some are a little vague.  I will explain the skills in further detail in each post.

My hope is that this project will encourage me to get back into writing regularly, evaluate myself and get some perspective on my theatre skills and history, and encourage others to continue pursuing theatre and implementing these skills to the best of their ability.

I encourage all of my readers to embark upon similar challenges.  Set a goal, make it a project, and post every day on your chosen niche/topic.  Teach us and show us how to be better at our chosen field.

Tags: introspection, nanowrimo, project, theatre

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 1st, 2008 at 10:04 am and is filed under Project Introspection. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.