For me chasing reality is an important thing and found myself pondering open rehearsals a while back. My understanding is those are when the public can come and watch performers rehearsing, which is free. But when do MOST people show up? I'm certain most will come for the actual performance. And they'll even pay! So they can get a lot of it for free, so why don't they mostly show up for rehearsals?
On social media I think I see a lot of people doing the equivalent of open rehearsals which is ok, and a few people show up. And there are others who have polished performances that draw millions and tens of millions.
But should social media be a performance?
If it's not, then why would anyone show up?
To me that's such an important question, and I puzzle over it at times looking over things people have put online, as I try to figure out the reason for so doing.
From the perspective of some people, maybe people should show up because they like them, or support them, you know, like family. But in my experience with writing, even family can get tired of being pressured to read things.
It helped me out a LOT to realize that people all over the globe have no more reason to show up to read something I write than I have to keep up with things they do. While yes, close friends and family may care about any number of things. But for others, are you kidding me?
The people I tend to read tend to do things that get me to read which are very polished.
They no more expect me to just read them because I like them than I expect them to read me because they like me!
Social media is a stage.
And social media is global. So it's actually a lot bigger than just about any other stage on which a person can present things. But it can feel very intimate as you're sitting in a quiet room, maybe alone with your thoughts. That is an illusion.
When it is more public than anything that ever came before.
Putting things out there on here is like being at Madison Square Garden times ten on automatic, as a default.
When you fail out here people DO notice. And the web seems to never forget. But you can rise above your stumbling, or botched performances. But never think they're not noticed. They are.
I have silly stuff from over a decade ago that I know people are STILL coming across, and my reaction? Shrug. Wow. That's true too. But there isn't anything I can do about it, or would wish to do about it. Besides I don't think it's that bad, but it's worth mentioning if only to myself. I don't even remember all there is out there that I wrote.
Look at open rehearsals. There are dedicated fans who want to be there at every step of the process. But most people? They'll be there when it's all polished, if ever.
Talking to myself. Working on getting past that, but why don't people just like me? That whine gets old very quickly.
Social media is the endless audition.
James Harris
No comments:
Post a Comment