Thawing to Blooming; March to April

March is a month spent getting out of the cold and working out of the frozen world that we live in for months. The month is felt with this slow moving hope-- an aching kind of hope. I know I have a gorgeous month ahead of me with a beautiful show coming up at the end of the month, Disney's The Little Mermaid. With that being said I also know that I am going to be stressed beyond my wildest dreams.

March was a month filled with the stress of competitions and multitasking. I was traveling every other weekend to get to a different speech competition, which ended in us traveling four hours for All-State for two of my students. The weekends that I was not at competitions I spent my time at the high school working on set or costumes for the show. Meaning that there was no break, not during the week where I would be at the high school for my day job 7 am to 3 pm, but I was there most nights at different times, often not leaving until 9 pm. Now if it sounds like I am complaining, its because I kinda am. But in all honesty I think most creatives love this kind of martyrdom. It sucks at the time, really sucks, but to get to spend so much time creating and having the ultimate excuse to be creative is intoxicating. I'm sure that there is some kind of explanation for this, maybe an addiction to stress and exhaustion,

One amazingly unexpected thing that has happened this month is that... I got accepted to grad school! They say that there is a 1.8% chance of being accepted to creative writing MFA's and you shouldn't expect to be accepted your first year, but here I am! It feels unreal to say that I got accepted into one of my top choices and that I will be moving soon for school. I am weirdly excited to be a student again, but I will miss my home town and all of my amazing students.

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April

With this month being as busy as it is supposed to be, it is so important for me to maintain my goals and balance throughout the month. Does that mean I am going to create high goals? Absolutely not. I am going to create attainable goals that I can implement in the storm that is a show.

Collage made on Pinterest. Follow Payton at https://pin.it/1VaTzS01i

April Goals

1. Physical: Make sure that I am making time to do some small relaxing movements to slow myself down. I know that I will be running around like crazy to get everything ready for the show. I also want to make sure that I am taking some time to treat my body with respect and not over work it.

2. Emotional: Doing check in’s throughout the day. I need to make sure that I am being kind and realistic with my expectations of what I can and cannot complete. Biggest thing I ca do is delegate and learn to let go of things that just can not be completed.

3. Intellectual: I think I have enough intellectual pursuits happening with the work that I am doing on this show. The problem solving alone should be enough. With that being said, I do want to work on a couple of my technical skills, I want to create a costume piece with a technique I haven't tried, I want to build a set piece I have never been taught how to do, program a new light sequence I have never tried, and maybe find a new thing in the technical theatre world that I have never been taught or have done before. I want to keep finding ways to be more and more innovative for this production.

4. Social: Make sure that I am spending some time with my friends that is not just for the sake of the show. Plan time to talk about other things and hang out with plans to just exist not work.

5. Spiritual: Every night I will make a list of three things that I am grateful for that day. This will be a way for me to remind myself that through out the stress that I have so many amazing things that are working for me.

6. Environmental: Keep all of my spaces picked up and organized. During show time I usually live out of my car, the only thing I do at home is shower, sleep, and change. I spend all of my time in the auditorium. If I can make sure that all of the kids and I keep the space picked up I know I will be able to breathe through any stress

7. Nutritional: Try try try to pack food as much as I can. Make sure that I am balancing whatever junk is thrown my way with some good whole food to keep me on my feet.

8. Personal: Create a show that I can say that I am proud of by the end of it. Make absolute magic on that stage with my beautiful kids. Make at least one person in the audience cry. 😉

Yes this month may seem like it is all about the show, and it is because... it is. This is something that I love more than anything and these students really solidify that. They make me want to keep growing and being better. It saddens me to have to leave, but I am going to love every stressful second as we move along.