Kara L. Morrison
Opinion/Perspective
Adventures in Artistsville
Volume 1.
What Will 2015 Bring?
Mandatory Pre-Aerial Silks Class Selfie.
For many of us, ringing in the new year brought on a feeling of having a beautiful new canvas on which we could splatter our greatest hopes and goals. There's nothing like a fresh start to bring you to a place where you can really take some time to pay attention and re-evaluate what you need to improve in your career, finances, and well-being. Personally, I never really did the whole "New Year's resolutions" thing and in years past I didn't want to bite off more than I could chew for my brand new 365 page sketch book (a.k.a. the new year). I did, however, feel differently this year...for several reasons. For one thing, 2014 was the year that I really got smacked with a brick wall of reality: my mid-twenties are happening and there are so many things that I thought I would have accomplished by now. After watching trendy sitcoms about twenty somethings for the last twenty-something years, I had come to the unrealistic conclusion that the puzzle pieces would align a certain way. I suppose that deep-down I thought that I would fall right into a terrific life and my acting career would feel a little more stable. What a wake-up call it was to find out that I'm not actually the Jennifer Aniston character on Friends and that my life hasn't transitioned smoothly from adorable coffee shop waitress to adorable fashion buyer for a big clothing label.
I spent the last few days of 2014 doing a heavy amount of self-reflection and after a some time I arrived at a conclusion: Back to the drawing board Kara L. Morrison! My life, post-college, has brought me a tremendous amount of opportunities in the arts...but somewhere deep inside I knew something was off. The past year had given me opportunities with big companies, my first appearance on cable television, and a new network of friends in the arts. Grateful, you bet I was, but I couldn't deny that something was eating away at my career and more importantly, my soul. Suddenly it hit me: I hadn't done my work as a human. I had gone on all the auditions, took some chances, tried new things but I never faced myself. I truly believe that the best art (whether it be in acting, painting, or photography, etc.) comes from the most real and honest part of its creator. I wasn't growing in acting or writing because I had shut down the most honest, real, and raw part of myself. I was too afraid to face the things that took me back to the past and I was too afraid of the uncertainty of the future. Anxiety and misplaced focus had kept me from happily doing my work here and now in the present. I had been so willing to bust my butt in my career that I lost my way. I had become locked in a state of panic and that panic completely derailed my career growth and my soul growth.
So now that I'm back at the drawing board, I'm busy finding the present and finding myself. I feel that balance is the key to the best parts of life. You need the bad times to teach you the important life-lessons that humble you and you need the good times to keep your hope alive. When I wrote down my goals for the new year I didn't waste any time thinking about resolutions that would add stress, I just thought up some simple things and they all ultimately boiled down to a very large goal: take better care of my entire self. We are each gifted with one heart, body, mind, and soul and neglecting our own well-being only keeps us from what we truly want. How will you thank all the parts of you that make you human?
My very first adventure in Artistsville took place during my new Aerial Silks class. Tonight, my muscles are crying out: "Thanks for discovering me on that trapeze!" My mind is busy reflecting on how much fun I had dangling in the air and learning the terminology. My heart is feeling happy and filled with pride. My soul feels full on the bravery that it took to try something so new and difficult. It's the human part of us that makes us artists. 2015 presents us with an opportunity to finally do the work that we've always meant to do: finding the real and honest parts that makes us and our work so very beautiful.
Kara L. Morrison
Check out more from The Artist I Know and Adventures In Artistsville very soon!
January 8, 2015
