So as some of you may be wondering why 3 years? Why not give up already? Why spend thousands of pounds auditioning and trying to improve when you haven't got in after all this time? Why are you wasting your time with such a hopeless dream?
Well yes 3 years is a very long time and yes I ask these questions to myself on a daily basis. Over the last two auditioning years I have been rejected around 20 times. YES 20! But through every rejection I have become stronger as a person and as a performer.
What is important to realize is that generally rejections for drama schools are not an inflection on you as a person but actually a second chance to improve. ( I know strange isn't it?)
Drama schools look for so many different qualities in a person .They may think your too young, you need more experience or they already have someone who fits into a similar casting as you. You cant put yourself down after getting rejected a few times. If you feel passionate about it you need to GO FOR IT! Too often in life we settle for what we think we can get easily rather than dreaming bigger and aiming higher for things that we want. And what is wrong with getting what you want when you put all the hard work, blood, sweat and tears into fulfilling your dreams?!
Nothing that's what!
I came to realize that rejection is to be embraced and understood. It is really the nature of the game, virtually every performer has to go through some form of rejection, there is too many of us for very few jobs (paid jobs) in this industry. And actually it gives you a much better understanding of how hard you have to work to get those jobs and too stay on top.
I guess in a sense rejection is the breaking and making of you as a person and as an artist (gospel preach!)
Trust me I've spent thousands of pounds paying my auditions buying plays, watching as much theatre as my eyes can absorb, training as much as I can and travelling all over the country for that YES or NO. I've had some quite shockingly bad audition experiences. On my first ever audition I saw someone cross out my name as I was stood up performing at one particular drama school that I will not name. And YES I cried afterwards, and I was on the phone to my mum wailing like a baby talking to her about it all. And she simply said to me that the place wasn't for me and to keep working hard and accept the good and bad whenever they come. Those simple suggestions really sunk into me and helped me so much (thanks mummy dearest).
So how to do I deal with rejection?
Well after I get that No I allow it to sink in and don't fear or try to deny my feelings about it. I feel like it is important to release the emotional side of a rejection. Otherwise it just builds up inside and you start turning quite jaded and cynical about the experience. And then the first thing that pops into my mind is what!
What do I need to do to improve on my performance? What help can I get from others to improve? What do I think are the reasons I got rejected (be careful not to over think that one to much) What can I learn from that experience. What will I do better next time?
I feel like it is important to give myself these open ended questions not only does it allow me to start thinking back on track, but it also allows me to convert those negative thoughts and feelings about myself and to be honest the drama school. Into more positive constructive thoughts.
The second thing that pops into my head is how!
How can I achieve this? How can I do better? How can I prepare for my next audition? How can I find the help I need to get myself back on track? How can I learn from the previous rejection?
This allows me to accept and importantly move on from the past and push on into the next step.
Yes rejections are hard to deal with but the success that you can achieve is all up to you.
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