Growth Mindset Midway

W. Churchhill
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I definitely wanted to be doing far better in this course; I feel like it sets you up for ultimate success!
I was really overwhelmed at the beginning of the semester because I was in rehearsals for a challenging show that was really giving me trouble. I'm also in our actor's professional prep class, which is so time consuming. And I'm taking a playwriting course which demands a 10 minute play every week. I resolved with myself that I would do my best here, and then once I was free(er) I would jump in with extra credit and really hit the ground running.

Then I was offered an assistant directing position for a show I'm crazy passionate about, and I was offered a principal role in a film.

I want to think that I can do it all. But I over committed myself, and since everything else is performance based I absolutely had to pour everything I had into those areas.

I'm really proud of all the work I'm doing right now, but I shouldn't have allowed myself to fall behind here. It's kind of embarrassing; I would miss important notes because I wasn't paying enough attention.

On the other hand, I'm proud of the work I have done in here. I've written on topics completely foreign, learned really great techniques for giving feedback, and have also read really great works and stories. I really enjoy this class!

So, if I've learned anything in these last 8 weeks it's definitely about time management, knowing my own limits, and learning to say no.

Besides all that----

Doing the checklist was really beneficial for me. I learned that I tend to fall into the right hand category, and that's definitely good. I've also learned that I am the queen of questions. We'll have guest speakers come into our pro prep class and it's like I never shut up. At first I was really self-conscious because I thought everyone was judging me, but my peers started to thank me because I was asking exactly what they were thinking. Guests, and I mean some pretty important people, have all commented that I ask really good questions. I stand out in that way, and I'm memorable to people in my industry who could offer me jobs someday.

I had mentioned that I over committed myself, but it was all because I began saying "yes" to projects I would normally say "no". And I've grown from that! I've learned that I love assisting and I'm growing a skill set that could help me find jobs in the entertainment industry besides acting. I have much more confidence in my abilities outside of being a performer, which is really important to me, because that's been something I've been insecure about for the last three years.

Overall, I think my main issue was that I gave myself the option to come back to this class and catch up. Maybe for some people that works, but I've learned that it doesn't for me. So if I'm giving the opportunity of "catch up later" in the future, I'm going to disregard that option and treat it as if completion is only possible in the now.