I keep my back issues of O magazine around forever. I find sometimes I’m not really ready to “hear” what an article has to say. When I go back to reread them, certain things leap out at me.
Today’s leaper was an article written by playwright/author Suzan-Lori Parks, who wrote about her experience as an artist-in-residence for a theater years ago. (May 2003 issue) Unfortunately, the theater changes its mind about producing her plays, although they wanted her to continue the residency.
Every day, she showed up for work, but there was no “play work” to be done. Frustrated and angry, she considered her options.
She finally realized she was only as shut down and thwarted as she allowed herself to be. “I am a playwright; I will write a play,” she said. And she began. She ended up writing a play. The theater did not put on her play. She figured that was their choice, but HER choice was to continue writing plays. The play was eventually produced elsewhere, and was hugely successful.
What she had learned is there is no such thing as a “perfect opportunity”, only opportunities MADE perfect. To quote her, “When the people at the theater did not allow me a seat at the main table, I did not allow their actions to make me forget who I am....I learned that if we embrace what's happening, we are also embracing what is possible--and a road opens up for God to meet us halfway.”
Each opportunity has its own promise, its own moment, and that comes about because of how we choose to face it. Whether we let it stop us in our tracks or not.
We have choices about how we face every obstacle. Too many artists accept failure, rejection, jurying, as a judgment of who they are as and what they are. But it really just says something about that opportunity. It means the time is not right, or they are not a good fit, or the people involved have issues. It may mean a small-spirited person is temporarily standing in your way, or that the venue is not in any position to take you on right now. It could mean a jillion things. It may not even be about you.
When it comes to your art, do not let the judgment of other people tell you who you are. Do not let it STOP you from doing the work/artwork you are put on earth to do.
Look for ways to make the opportunity work for you. You can grow, dodge, create, evolve, adapt, confront, learn. You can decide to improve your work so it’s more competitive. You can look for different opportunities instead. You can use the time to create fabulous new work. You can find out what that venue is looking for, and tweak your work to fit, if that is what you want. It’s up to you. You are the one who decides what to do with the skills and passion you have.
Just like the book says (“He’s Just Not That Into You”), the longer you bang your head against a door that is not open to you, the longer it takes you to see the window that is.
