Empowered Artist:
Preparedness Course for Enduring Creative Careers
Pursuing one’s artistic passions is no doubt a rewarding journey, but it’s also fraught with a host of obstacles, both internal and external. While artists are constantly presenting themselves to be judged, critiqued, compared to their counterparts, and ultimately chosen or rejected for the jobs they seek, they are rarely handed the tools to thrive within this difficult cycle. This course changes that. Together, students will connect with their thoughts, bodies, and emotions, gaining language for what’s happening on the inside. They’ll learn how to self-regulate in times of trouble, and how to maximize the goals within their control through self-motivation. They’ll do this by:
Exploring the cognitive distortions that emerge out of criticisms/rejections and implementing rational thought replacement techniques
Examining the “all or nothing” business model and recalibrating career goals within their control
Pinpointing the causes of their procrastination and fears so they may get ahead of automatic behaviors and correct bad habits
Learning how to build healthy, more empowering habits and rituals
Distinguishing true-self from inner-critic voices and engaging in compassionate parts dialogue
Designing and executing SMART goals to build self-trust
Assessing their values and interests/hobbies to design free time that feels aligned and balanced
Examining the pitfalls of comparisons and their relationships to social media
Incorporating somatic movement to activate their parasympathetic nervous systems, helping them with mood stabilization, audition/performance anxiety, and freer artistic output.
Investigating the benefits of flow state and beginning a creative project
*The goal of this course is to leave each participant with self-awareness and the critical tools they need to live their most empowered and joyful life regardless of their current career status.
MASTERCLASS/INTENSIVES
Want a snapshot of this work for your school or program? Masterclasses and intensives can be tailored to fit your goals.
Masterclasses (1-3 days):
As an accomplished actress with years of experience coaching voice and acting, Kelli Barrett combines her skills to bring your students a one-of-a-kind class. As students individually present their work for feedback (whether in a musical theater audition setting or an on-camera skills class, etc.) Kelli works with each person in real time to tackle BOTH the internal and external obstacles keeping them from their ultimate power and potential. With this “whole-self” approach, participants leave class with brand-new tools that not only help them access greater emotional and vocal power, but ready their minds and bodies for increased confidence and ease.
Intensives (2-3 days):
This is like a distilled version of the full Empowered Artist course.
Day 1: Awareness
Class starts with a full “artist assessment” for each student. Through a series of worksheets, students will gain the full picture of their current satisfaction—from managing rejection, to feelings of self-worth, to their perceived ability to grow in their talents. This day is all about gaining greater self-awareness so that each participant may pinpoint where they need the most help. Through some volunteer one-on-one work and creative group exercises, the picture becomes more and more clear: what are their greatest obstacles and how are they getting in their own way? This day also introduces somatic movements to calm anxiety and stress and teaches physical techniques for preparing the body for performance.
Day 2: Shifts
Now that they know the areas that need most attention, they begin to make shifts. With some one-on-one work, Kelli helps students to begin breaking through blocks. This includes tackling limiting beliefs, the exploration of distorted thoughts and compassionate parts dialogue, visualization techniques, energy/body work, and more. Then class proceeds with a “goals exercise” where each student will write down one goal they have for themselves that is within their control to achieve. Volunteers work with Kelli to see how to break down these goals, spot pitfalls, and ultimately reach them through powerful habit building.
Day 3: Go deeper
The final class is a continuation of the work of Days 1 & 2 where all remaining students get one-on-one time. This class also explores the deeper themes of rejection and belonging, the effects of social media and comparisons, and decision making with the fear/freedom technique. Lastly, students will get to break out into pairs to begin implementing the techniques they’ve learned and feel the rewarding benefits of active listening for their peers.
The therapy/coaching distinction:
Traditional therapeutic practice is distinctly different from coaching as it deals with traumas and mental health diagnosis/treatments. These things do not fall under the purview of coaching and if encountered must be referred to a licensed practitioner. ICF Certified Life Coaches are bound by this code of ethics. Coaching, however, is a goals-oriented approach with a focus on the future: taking the participant from where they are to where they want to be and examining all of the blocks that keep them from their maximum potential. This is why this modality is perfectly suited to young adults in the conservatory environment. While they gain the practical tools to up-level their craft through voice, acting, dance, scene study, etc. they’ll also be gaining the internal tools needed for building confidence, resilience, self-awareness and healthy habits. It is therefore in full complement with the rest of their curriculum, producing compounding gains across the gamut of their training.