How ‘Bout Some Good News?

This past week I got a couple of messages that really boosted my spirits. Since I’m trying to get better celebrating along the way I wanted to share those highlights in this week’s post.

I submitted an audition for a book earlier in the week, which in itself is nothing unusual. On any given week I can submit multiple auditions for various projects. Rarely do you ever hear anything back after sending your audition, unless of course you land the gig.

Without any feedback provided, it’s very easy to make up a story about why a particular project didn’t come your way. You can second guess the choices you made in your audition. You can start to wonder if your skills are not as sharp as they need to be. You can start to question if maybe you actually suck but no one wants to tell you. (Yes, once I get going I can go dark pretty quickly.)

In reality, there are many factors involved in how projects are cast and you will rarely ever know the full story. So the best thing you can do is release yourself from thinking about the outcome. Do what you feel is best with the audition, but then let it go and like a good Chicagoan, fugget about it.

However, while a good dose of healthy detachment will serve you well, it doesn’t mean you don’t appreciate hearing how the process is going, which brings me back to one of my highlights.

As I had mentioned, I auditioned for a project and a couple of days later got a message from the producer. He said that he got so many auditions within the first 48-hours it made his head spin and he decided to stop accepting new auditions.

He went through all of the submissions and narrowed it down to four “finalists” and he wanted to let me know that I was one of them. #woohoo

He forwarded the four auditions to the author and said: “I’ve left her with a tough choice of outstanding reads that differ mainly in accent, timbre, and the minutia of interpretation.”

While it would be lovely to get this project, I already feel like I’ve won. I got recognized for doing quality work and the decision that is left is more a matter of preference.

It’s like when I choose to have a Dairy Queen Oreo Cookie Blizzard, it doesn’t mean that Baskin & Robbin’s World Class Chocolate ice cream has done anything wrong or is any less delicious, it just means that I have a taste for a blizzard. #sweettooth

The very next day I got my second boost for the week with an unexpected email about my lettering work.

There is a global community of lettering artists and every year they create The Typism Book which “showcases the best type and lettering from around the world”. #bigdeal

I submitted some artwork for consideration and was told that I made it through to the panel of judges. To give some perspective, there were 4,128 pieces submitted and only 190 will make it into the book.

Now, of course, I still may not make it into the book, BUT like the audiobook, it’s OK either way because regardless, I am making progress.

There are narrators who worked on their audition and didn’t make the final 4.

There are other artists who worked hard on their submission and DIDN’T make it to the judges.

At various times I have been the narrator or artist who didn’t make the cut. And the same way that I didn’t let those moments change what I’m doing, these little encouragements and the brief boost they give me, don’t change anything either.

If I just keep showing up, doing the work and don’t let the positive things distract me or the negative things derail me, then I believe it’s just a matter of time to reach my goals.

Thanks for listening. If you enjoy these posts, please reply with any thoughts you have or post a comment. And consider sharing this post with a friend.

Remember, everyone is born creative, it’s just a matter of how intentionally we want to use it.