Creative outlets

What are some of the media you use to express yourself? Obviously, you're all theatre artists. But what are your other creative outlets? 

Of course, there are lots of creative skills that fall under the umbrella of theatre skills. You could say, "My main thing is singing, but I also like to dance." Or, "I'm primarily an actor, but I also really enjoy scenography." That's great—the more knowledge you have about how all elements of theatre work, the more informed theatre performer and consumer of theatre you will be. But that's not what I'm asking about here. 

What else do you do as a creative outlet? Do you draw? Are you interested in photography? Do you play an instrument? Do you keep a journal? Write poetry? Knit? 

I suspect that most of us have some hobbies that are just hobbies. We enjoy them but are quick to walk away once they stop being fun. But I would imagine most of us also have other interests we are more committed to. These are activities we make time for, learn more about, and pursue more seriously. 

For instance, I am a casual home brewer. Once or twice a year, we buy a kit of pre-selected ingredients and then brew and bottle a five-gallon batch of beer. Lots of our beer turns out pretty well. Some of it is just so-so. Other batches have been pretty bad. But even when the product isn't great, it's still OK because we just enjoy the time spent hanging out with our friends making beer (and usually drinking some of our previous product while we're making the next one). 

I have some friends, however, who are much more serious brewers. Instead of buying pre-made kits, they select their own ingredients and make their own recipes. They take notes on what goes well with each batch and what they plan to do differently the next time they brew. They enjoy the creative process and take pride in doing a good job. 

Besides singing and teaching singing (and other activities peripheral to singing), my other most serious creative outlet is writing. As many of you know, I write regularly for two different publications and I frequently submit articles to various voice-related journals. Sometimes I write formal academic research papers, sometimes I write book reviews, sometimes I interview people for feature articles, and other times I just write essays on things that fascinate me. Merging two of my interests, I even spent five years as a columnist for the Rocky Mountain Brewing News. Oh, and I keep a blog that I force all of my students to read. I enjoy the challenge of looking for just the right way to state something. I like being able to adjust my tone depending on who my target audience is. And I appreciate the opportunity to deeply explore a subject and to share that with others. 

Regardless of what your non-theatre-related creative outlet is (or will become if you aren't sure you have one yet), I believe these outlets have theatre-related value. First of all, even though we all love theatre, success in this art form requires discipline, which can sometimes make our practice of theatre (and theatre-related skills) more tedious than enjoyable. When it does become tedious, you have nowhere else to turn for creative expression if theatre is the only creative outlet you have. 

Second, I believe that discipline begets discipline. I'm convinced that if you can be disciplined enough to, for example, learn to play the guitar, or experiment with different styles of cooking, or stick with a knitting project long enough to finish a sweater, you can use that experience of discipline to reignite the discipline you need for your theatre skills. 

Third, creative people need to practice creativity, and the more ways we can do this, the better. By engaging in multiple creative practices, you learn how to be creative in new and different ways. This exercising of the "creativity muscles" can boost all of your creative applications. 

So what do you do to practice creativity in non-theatre areas? What would you like to do that is creative that you haven't been able to pursue yet? 

How has your singing been this week?

Now go practice.