So...What is my Practice?

I have been putting off this post for a week now and enough is enough. I'm so scared of writing the wrong thing but, as we keep being told in this course, there are no right answers, only questions.

Following some of the other Module 1 blogs, I made a start by doing the recommended 'my practice' spider-diagram, using my CV, training and experiences to guide me. It actually really helped to see how much I've learnt and how much everything links together. This small bit of prep was very helpful when it came to the first Module 1 discussion group on Monday.



So...what is my practice?

This was the first thing Helen asked us in the discussion group, and I really didn't have a clue. Then she said something that made a little part of my brain flicker with understanding. Dancing, acting, singing are all disciplines. Your practice is something specific to you and your learning.

In typical me fashion, I jumped in to have a go at describing my practice very quickly, as I know the more time I have to think about something, the more I question myself and worry. The problem with this is I didn't take the time to formulate an answer and so I have no idea what I actually said in the moment. 

I think I may have said something like this:

My discipline is acting and sometimes singing (and maybe more specifically children's theatre, if that counts as a discipline).

But my practice is sharing important stories and messages to children through performance.

Helen pointed out more succinctly that maybe my practice is communication. 

This is just a start but it was a definite weight off my chest to feel that I was actually understanding something! I'm sure over the course my definition will change and evolve, maybe incorporating some of the other practices mentioned by the group on the call. 

Other ideas of practice included:

- transitioning between roles
- networking
- transferrable skills
- story-telling
- mental-wellbeing

It was really useful to hear other people's thoughts and it got me thinking that my practice might be a mixture of all of these things. 

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