October Update
Blogging is new to me! I am glad to have a way to share my side of an on-going conversation regarding my Self-Starter observations and discoveries. I invite you to do the same and share your thoughts on this blog!
Self-Starting has never been more important. Collaborating with others on their projects is a wonderful choice, however, taking leadership around your own creativity is an opportunity to such deep learning, joy and fulfillment. Accepting and growing your own self value is worth every interesting challenge you will encounter by building your own project.
We also live in a time when exercising your freedom of speech and expression is imperative in order to keep these civil liberties alive and intact. Creative projects do not have to be large for you to gain the benefits that leading them has to offer. East Indian writer and activist, Arandati Roy speaks of this as being a time of small actions that add up to enormous change and greater good for all.
A project can be remembering to put in an energy saving light bulb, or encouraging the telling of stories at the dinner table or attending a PTA meeting to be an advocate for your child's school program. Or leading a creative project in your community, such as a tree planting or visiting your local farmer's market, or leading a storytelling evening at your local coffee shop or organizing the painting of a mural at a school or park in your neighborhood.
I am so estatic to report that my students and workshop attendees propose the most heartfelt and socially and environmentally conscious projects. One workshop attendee is in the process of rehearsing her long awaited one-woman show. One of my students is now a published author traveling the world and writing about her meetings with peoples of "Axis of Evil" countries and dispelling the stereotypes about them. Another student is planning to create a Green Theater where the structure itself is converted to a green space and addresses green subject matter in the various programing they present.
I am truly inspired by my students and workshop attendees. I applaude your creativity and your decision to travel down your unique self-started path!!
I will be attending the American Conservatory Theater's Alumni Reunion at the end of October 2007, where I will be presenting a "taste" of the Self-Starting process in a workshop. I look forward to sharing more about this experience next time. Until then, happy self-starting and bravo for all of your accomplishments and growth! Leslie Ishii