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When I was choosing my major I believed I was going Pre-Med because that was what everyone wanted me to do. However, when I sat down to begin writing essays about what I was passionate about, theatre was the only thing I could elaborate on. I am so happy I have chosen this pathway to study because studying the arts not only is unique but it makes you such a well-rounded individual because there are always more aspects to learn. I see myself being very successful within this field. As a Directing and Playwriting emphasis I love seeing the magic behind the scenes before a show goes live and being a big part of the vision.

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With the uncertainty happening in the world right now, initially I took it close to heart when Broadway shut its doors. Now it has been more than 7 months since Broadway has shut down and in-person theatre is still uncertain. However, throughout all the boundaries I am very excited to see the innovation occurring in efforts to moving theatre virtually. I have loved seeing creators worldwide coming together to produce entertainment once more.

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As someone who didn't use technology much before COVID-19, I am inspired especially by TikTok Creators coming together to create musicals such as "Ratatouille: the Musical" and "Bridgerton: the Musical" that can be streamed worldwide in which benefit both the Actors Fund, but the creative minds of the world as well. Lots of shows have been streamed online and technological innovations have been booming in the pandemic. This really excites me! I have loved seeing how no pandemic can stifle the creative minds of the world from collaboration.

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This performance in particular excited me for the future of technologically driven shows. Creators from all over the world input their original designs, songs, and talents to contribute to making this dream come to life. The show eventually premiered online with actors such as Andrew Barth Feldman, Tituss Burgess, and Kevin Chamberlin raising over $200,000 for the Actors Fund.

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A thespian troupe interviewed 40 people gaining their perspective and impact of COVID-19 and reinterpreted it for the public through a series of monologues. I was deeply moved by this direction of theatre.

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The Corona Monologues - Dramatics Magazine

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Thespians from California's Herbert Hoover H.S. interviewed 40 people about the coronavirus, then reinterpreted the material as coronavirus monologues.

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I have always been inclined to a business mindset as well as a very artistic one. As a Directing and Playwriting emphasis I would like to bridge these two passions of mine and eventually start up my own theatre company that I can spearhead. In the next few years at the University of Texas at Austin I aspire to Direct a show of my choosing, gain more experience, and dip my toes into more aspects of the arts that I am not used to performing.

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I would like to start up my own company like Rude Mechanicals (Rude Mechs) which has a lot of our collaborators at UT. They believe creating art through a collaborative and consensus-based process will lead to expansive thinking and the creation of a just world.

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When I first was Directing, my school did not have a class that taught me the ways of putting on a good show. I remember it was a lot of self exploration and planning for my show and this was one of the first videos I remember watching.

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How To be a Theatre Director | Theatre Directing

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As a Performer and Director I have seen various angles of theatre, yet no matter where you are in a show-whether tech, stage, or production- collaboration is key for success. I think without proper collaboration, a show cannot be great or good. Collaboration is the deciding factor between great and amazing. When you can see that the team trusts one another and is a tight-knit community, even if something fails, it is not just one person that must get up but a group of people there to pick them up again.

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Being Collaborative allows for room for error and experimentation because it is not just one person facing a big project but multiple people with different perspectives and ideas. As best said by Kirk Lynn, "Collaboration is not an activity; it is a way of looking at things." Collaborating with others gains trust, relationships, and variability in a show. It is deeply important to work with others rather than try to face a large task alone.

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I included this podcast by Artist Soapbox we listened to in class because it inspired me and made me really think about just how collaboration affects a performance.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

If you've ever been involved in a collaborative project, if you've ever co-created work with another artist, then this conversation with interdisciplinary musician and artist Wendy Spitzer is for you! Get your notepad and prepare to let it transform the way you make work. Wendy Spitzer outlines the framework for safe collaboration, describes best practices, and gives examples of co-creating with other artists. We also discuss two of her local projects that involve co-creation between artist and audience-participants. (See below for the one coming up!)

upcoming!
SEEK Raleigh program at Dorothea Dix Park
Dix in Sound in Situ: Incorporating original music, interview snippets, hotline recordings, narration, and found sounds, Dix in Sound in Situ is a new traveling audio installation by Felix Obelix (aka musician and interdisciplinary artist Wendy Spitzer). Visitors to Dix will listen to the installation on headphones as they walk a one-mile loop through the park, experiencing the collapse of time and history, and connecting them to the artist, to the place, and to the sounds themselves. Opens May 31, 2019 ***

Wendy Spitzer
Photo credit: Ilme Vysniauskaite

Wendy Spitzer is an interdisciplinary musician and artist with a diverse output spanning music composition and performance, visual and community artmaking, writing, research, and modes of participatory inquiry. Her projects have been funded by Raleigh Arts; Downtown Durham, Inc.; the Durham Arts Council; the Orange County Arts Commission; the Crosshatch Center for Art & Ecology; and the Strowd Roses Foundation.

Under the moniker Felix Obelix, she has released two albums of original compositions: The Tick of the Clock, the Beat in the Chest on the Pox World Empire label (2010) and The Ringtone Album on the Potluck Foundation label (2013). Other experiences have included a time capsule project, the organization of a genre-bending music festival, original scores composed and performed live to silent films, studio session work, a choir commission, theatre and soundtrack scoring, as well as solo and group visual art shows.

Wendy Spitzer has a Bachelor's of Music in Performance from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master of Music in Creative Practice from Goldsmiths College, University of London (UK), which culminated in a final thesis entitled, Trust Them With Your Weird and Strange Notes: An Arts-Based Research Perspective on Vulnerability and the Social Dynamic in Creative Collaboration.

This episode is brought to you by the Soapboxers, the official patrons of the Artist Soapbox. If you like these episodes and want more, get on the Soapbox! Artist Soapbox theme music by Bart Matthews. Additional audio editing by Merrybelle Park Productions. This episode was recorded at the ASBX home studio.

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questions for wendy

VULNERABILITY & TRUST & THE SOCIAL DYNAMIC

You have provided a beautiful umbrella for our conversation to shelter under today. And that is your graduate research on Creative Practice, more specifically your exploration of "how the social dynamic and issues of risk, trust, and vulnerability play out when people collaborate on creative projects." Let's start by talking about this more broadly and then dig into your framework and best practices for artists who work collaboratively. The title of your dissertation is Trust Them With Your Weird and Strange Notes: An Arts-Based Research Perspective on Vulnerability and the Social Dynamic in Creative Collaboration.

Why did you make this your focus? How did you pursue this study?

Would you take us thru your framework?

What are the factors involved in developing trust? What are the risks?

What is vulnerability for creators?

What is an 'ideal' collaborative/co-creation state? What are the benefits? What does it look/sound/feel like?

Best practices?

CO-CREATION AND COLLABORATION LOCALLY WITH AUDIENCE-PARTICIPANTS

There's a spectrum of co-creation and collaboration. We can do this artist to artist, and we can also do this with artists and audiences (or participants, if that's a better word for the people who come to experience the creative work). I'd like to touch on two local projects that you engaged in that have an interesting collaborative/co-creative experience for the audience.

First, let's talk about Portraits in Common.

From Wendy: "Portraits in Common - part of Downtown Durham, Inc's Public Space project last year. With my collaborator Douglas Vuncannon (photographer), we paired up strangers at a Third Friday artwalk in Durham's downtown last August. Participants were tasked with finding the most unusual thing they had in common. They wrote this on a board and had their portrait taken. I made a video of all the portraits and scored the music to it. A community/participatory project that exceeded my expectations for it."

What did you witness when the strangers came together? What surprised you about this experience? How did these concepts of risk/vulnerability/co-creation come up?

Second, let's talk about your upcoming project for the SEEK Raleigh public art program at Dorothea Dix Park :

"SEEK Raleigh is a temporary public art program that engages artists to use unique, non-traditional interiors, structures, and outdoor spaces for site-specific, performative, and participatory installations and experiences. These temporary, experimental projects are designed to introduce the public to new, diverse, and thought-provoking experiences as well as create opportunities for artists to extend their creative practice. Through these experiences, both the artist and the community will find novel ways to learn and share the stories of our City. This spring, the Raleigh Arts is working with community partners to launch the SEEK Raleigh program at Dorothea Dix Park, one of the City's most important historical sites, as a broad stage for performance, installation and experimentation while the entire community's focus is on the site. Future iterations of the program will activate parks and other public places across the City of Raleigh, bringing art to new and unexpected places."

What inspired you to develop a project like this? I'm interested in the ways you are setting yourself up to be inspired by 'outside' forces like the history of the place, the soundscape of the location, the responses of people who call in - can you say something about that and whether/how it feels collaborative?

WRAPPING IT UP

As an artist, you have an incredibly diverse output - loads on interdisciplinary projects and collaborations, you work in multiple media yourself - so in some ways you defy categorizing (which I Iove). You've mentioned that occasionally this diversity make it difficult for you to present a concise narrative for your work. So my question is - what do you think ties these different projects together? What makes sense about it to you?

Anything else?

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If you have feedback, questions, suggestions, please email artistsoapbox@gmail.com. FEEDBACK IS EVERYTHING TO ASBX.

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075: Risk, trust, and vulnerability. Best practices for creative collaboration with interdisciplinary musician Wendy Spitzer ⋆ Artist Soapbox

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If you've ever been involved in a collaborative project, if you've ever co-created work with another artist, then this conversation with interdisciplinary musician and artist Wendy Spitzer is... Read more "075: Risk, trust, and vulnerability. Best practices for creative collaboration with interdisciplinary musician Wendy Spitzer"

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I included this picture from a scene in "Moulin Rouge: the Musical" because it depicted how collaboration aids in not only the behind the scenes, but character motivation and guidance when aiming for an objective.

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In my specified emphasis I am more inclined to Directing than Playwriting. In High School I was given the opportunity to direct my own full-length play. There I was able to see how it was first-hand Directing a show and collaborating with other specialities. However, as a practice for things I am not great at, I set aside some time each more to free write in hopes of fueling that playwriting desire and success.

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Activities such as researching, learning, and practicing are all parts of my habitual inquiries of theatre. As a student, I feel as if I bring my practices forward through my confidence and willingness to learn. I am always eager to learn and do more as a collaborator and student. I have shared some of my work with Patrick Shaw and have been mentored through the semester to do more.

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I included this article that inspired me to write in hopes of growing artistically and personally.

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Writing every day can benefit everyone, not only writers. It improves your memory, builds vocabulary, and refines your communication skills. Not to forget that writing can be very relaxing, especially if you lead a busy and stressful life. You can either start a dream journal, write down your daily adventures, or simply put the pen to the paper and see where it leads. There are no specific rules, just creating a habit of writing every day. And perhaps you will pen the next great novel! Check out these five reasons to give it a try.

1) Help with writer's block

Every creative individual knows how difficult it is to face writer's block. It is a terrible thing to deal with, and some writers don't know how to get past it. Perhaps you are used to producing high-quality text for your blog, but now cannot even complete one paragraph without feeling unmotivated. Or you stopped working on your short story because the thought of continuing to write is terrifying. You need to reduce the pressure, regardless of your current situation. And the best way to do so is to start writing a couple of sentences every day.

Many writers rely on that spark of imagination which inspires them to write. Some might even ask for help to get them going. But writing should become a habit for you. So choose a time of the day when you will sit down and write. It might be difficult at first, but do your best not to feel stressed and write as relaxed as possible. Don't be too concerned about the quality of your work because you can always come back later and edit it. Writing will become natural if you persist, which will do wonders for your productivity in the future.

2) Expand your vocabulary

It doesn't matter if you are a professional writer or not, having a good vocabulary can help you out in numerous situations. Now that we are in an era of online communication, everyone is searching for shorter and easier ways to share our thoughts with the world, which makes our vocabularies smaller and smaller. If you notice that you cannot find a right word in a business meeting or while writing an email, it might be time to start writing more.

You can begin by learning one new word every single day and making a habit of using it in your writing. If you are worried that you might forget the words after a couple of days, dedicate a single page of your journal to making a complete list of the ones you used in the past. You can revisit the list and throw in a couple of expressions into your current project.

3) Become a better writer

Consistency is key when it comes to improving your writing skills. Stephen King, who is one of the most productive writers ever, claims that writing every single day is the reason why he is capable of completing more than one book a year. So the more you write, the stronger your writing skills will become. You will be able to communicate clearly with your readers and discover your own style.

Writing daily can introduce you to different techniques that might be very fun for you, and ignite your imagination. You may try poetry because it can teach you even more about the creative process. Plus, this is where your vocabulary will come into play, because you will be able you use more obscure words and explore the meanings.

4) Relieve Stress

Journaling is a form of writing that reduces stress, and there are several psychological studies that prove it. Putting down the events of your day on a piece of paper or even writing a life story about yourself will give you a better perspective of your current situation, and you will probably feel better once you share your emotions with a journal. This can have a positive effect on people who are very closed up and tend not to share their feelings with their friends or family.

You can also use journaling to track your moods, and this can give you an excellent overview. So after finishing a daily entry, don't forget to add how are you feeling at that particular time. You might be able to recognize the reasons why you feel a specific emotion and learn how to cope in the future.

5) Make a profit

There are so many online job opportunities for writers that will provide the ability to earn some money while doing exactly what you love. If you always wanted to be a blogger, now might be the time to publish your first post. However, if you want to attract an audience to your articles, you need to post often, and your work should be engaging.

This means you need to practice writing and get better at your craft. The more readable and educational your work is, the more your audience will stop by.

Sitting down and writing can do wonders for you. So whether if you journal to boost your creativity, or produce online content, writing will improve your life, and make your mind sharper. Plus, your vocabulary will expand which will boost your communication skills. With so many benefits, there is no reason why you shouldn't write at least a couple of sentences on a daily basis.

Lucy Benton is an editor and writer who focuses mostly on the worlds of technology, gadgets, and the Internet. If you're interested in working with Lucy, you can find her on Twitter or check out her website Pro Writing Partner .

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#5onFri: Five Benefits of Writing Every Day - DIY MFA

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Writing every day can benefit everyone, not only writers. It improves your memory, builds vocabulary, and refines your communication skills. Not to forget that writing can be very relaxing, especially if you lead a busy and stressful life.

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This article we read in class has influenced me in my practices as a collaborator as well, making me aware of things I should work on to work best with others.

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wenger-trayner - Social learning theorists and consultants

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Introduction to communities of practice - wenger-trayner

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Introduction to communities of practice a brief overview of the concept and its uses Etienne and Beverly Wenger-TraynerJune 2015 Table of contents A community of practice storyWhat are communities of practice?What do communities of practice look like?Where does the concept come from?Where is the concept being applied?Myths about communities of practiceFurther reading A community of practice

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I come from a mixed immigrant household of Salvadorians and Jews. In this household I was taught to always stay true to my values. My work has always surrounded Family, Creativity, Humanity, and Connection. I love directing pieces that make an audience member reflect on their own life and its values.

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The values I display as a producer and collaborator show who I am as a person but also who I want to work with. I understand that everyone comes from a different background, however, keeping to to my values in my work is very important to me and I enjoy finding collaborators that match interests with me as well. I hope to one day display these values of mine proudly in my own theatre company.

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In High School I chose to direct "The Giver" by Lois Lowry and Eric Coble. This show is near and dear to my heart because it shows just how our values can be taken for granted. I have included a picture of my production.

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My family is the closest thing I have and a huge part of my passion. I have begun writing my parents story and how their backgrounds have shaped my future. Below I have included a synopsis of the show I am slowly writing.