What will 2021 be like for young artists?
Welcome to the ArtsBound Newsletter. Every Tuesday, I share three thoughts or insights meant to help performing arts students and young professionals flourish in their life and career. Today, we’ll look at the how 2021 might shape the experience of young artists via 1) delaying college and delayed employment, 2) creating art through new means, and 3) the symbolic significance of mask wearing.
- 5-minute read -
(NOTE: I started ArtsBound because I believe the world would be a better place with more people living their true calling. If you know a student or young professional who is searching for their niche in the performing arts world, consider forwarding this email to them. If this email was forwarded to you, you can sign up to receive my newsletter every Tuesday. It's free, and I’ll never share or sell your data.)
1. Delaying college and delayed employment.
The pandemic has had a marked impact on educational institutions and employers - including employers in the arts. Jobs are in lower supply, and college attendance has become unattractive for those who desire a full in-person experience and unsettling for those who are nervous about the risks of COVID-19. As a result, a number of young artists have found themselves in a strange in-between period.
Experts have long warned about the risks of delaying college, citing lower long-term earnings and increased chances of not completing a degree for those who do. On the other hand, I’ve also written about how periods of latency can serve as fertile soil for critical personal development.
Despite my general encouragement for young people to lean into in-between periods for the sake of their personal growth, I do share a certain concern with those who warn about delaying college. If you are at home with parents or other family, your ‘waiting period’ could start to feel very comfortable and may fail to provide you with the disequilibrium that might catalyze your next steps.
I speak from personal experience.
This summer, my family had a flea problem in our home. Before we knew what we were dealing with, it had gotten pretty bad, so we went and stayed with my parents until we got a handle on the situation. We weren’t sure how long we would need to stay, but after a few days turned into a week, I started getting comfortable with being in my childhood home, working from my parents’ deck, and having my son’s grandparents around all the time. But because I was so comfortable, I started dragging my feet on the matter at hand - dealing with the fleas. It took a rude awakening in the form of my wife’s frustration for me to snap out of it and take serious action to get us back in our home.
If you are home instead of at work or school, I trust it is for good reasons. However, you may need to be more intentional about creating the disequilibrium needed to further your growth as an individual, artist, and professional.
I’ve written an article with some suggestions that you may find useful:
Read “6 Ways to Foster Personal, Professional, and Artistic Growth While At Home”.
2. Creating art through new means.
The pandemic has dealt a huge blow to live performance, and it will probably be well into 2021 before we start to see live performances returning (at least in indoor spaces).
However, individual artists and the arts industry in general have shown great creativity and flexibility in finding new ways to keep doing what they do. Creating art in new ways has helped keep the arts alive during quarantine, but it’s done something else, too. Like so many other sectors, the performing arts have experienced a transformation as a sector. Many of the new ways of doing art, born out of necessity, will actually stick around because they gave rise to methods, venues, and approaches that have long-term value.
In addition to the tips for personal growth mentioned above, I also discuss some of these new ways for approaching art-making in the article “6 Ways to Foster Personal, Professional, and Artistic Growth While At Home”.
3. Life behind the mask.
When mask wearing became widespread in March 2020, I began thinking about the symbolic significance of the mask. Since the use of masks will continue to be necessary well into 2021, I thought this might be a good chance to share some of those thoughts.
The global history of mask usage is quite varied, including ritual, functional, performative, punitive, and decorative purposes (of course, in the Western world, we have become familiar with the masks of comedy and tragedy as a symbol for the theater). Consequently, there is a range of positive effects (e.g. expression, empowerment, etc.) and negative effects (e.g. shame, isolation, etc.) of mask usage.
I believe all of these effects are at play in the symbolic world that lies behind our present lived reality. But in an effort to live into the positive aspects of our experience, I’d like to highlight a few of the positive symbolic outcomes of mask usage:
Evoking special qualities and/or energies: In ancient cultures, masks were worn to evoke the power and/or presence of gods, spirits, and ancestors. Masks were also worn on hunts to evoke superhuman strength, speed, agility, etc. While there might not seem to be anything superhuman about the paper surgical mask you wear to the supermarket, don’t forget that masks have become a part of our overall wardrobe. The same evocations you make - whether consciously or not - in the other garments you choose to wear are also made through your choice of mask (or no mask!). These choices have subtle but significant impacts on our mood, the impression we make on others, and our overall energy.
Gaining the confidence needed to enter the realm of adventure: In addition to evoking special qualities, masks allow us to try on different personas or take on a role of anonymity. Doing so allows us to depart from the familiar and enter into a state of exploration and adventure. Shakespeare provides us with one classic example: the inciting incident of his most famous story occurs at a masqued ball, where the costumed Romeo meets Juliet after entering the Capulet estate - a space in which he would otherwise dare not show his face. Romeo’s story ends in tragedy, but it needn’t be so for all adventurers. 2020 has presented its own brand of adventure, and it has had its silver linings. If you can be intentional with your time at home in 2021, you may continue to grow as an individual throughout the remainder of the quarantine.
Creating shared experiences: Masks have been a part of communal gatherings and social events for millenia. We see them in rituals, parades, festivals, performances, parties, and other celebrations like Halloween. Similar to the more solitary experience mentioned above, the use of masks can also pull us out of the ordinary as a collective, creating shared experiences that bring us closer together. We have certainly seen this throughout the pandemic, and ironically, this social bonding has been amplified and polarized by the politicization of mask wearing. Regardless of where you fall in that debate, the use of masks (or lack thereof) has helped us identify with our ‘tribe’.
The hope is that, after the mask comes off, we are able to integrate some of these positive effects into our everyday lives in a sustained and sustaining way.
If you or someone you know might benefit from guidance as they aim to make the most out of 2021 - artistically, personal, professionally, or otherwise - don’t hesitate to reach out.
Best wishes for the New Year!
Lee
PS - I started ArtsBound because I believe the world would be a better place with more people living their true calling. If you know a student or young professional who is searching for their niche in the performing arts world, consider forwarding this email to them. If this email was forwarded to you, you can sign up to receive my newsletter every Tuesday. It's free, and I’ll never share or sell your data.