A lot of people get into the performing arts as a way to express themselves, since for the most part, it isn’t very well-paying and comes with a ton of uncertainties at every angle. But then, the thing is there’s a special feeling when you can perform in front of an audience and really reach them on an emotional level that’s special beyond what’s easy to say. There are a lot of ways to express yourself while you reach out to the audience.
Audiences may seem fickle at times, but there are really very few audiences who will think less of you if you put yourself out there and do your best work. While they may not love your genre and they may not believe the world of your choices of set list, when you have your feelings coming out properly, and your quality level is reasonable, they will at least be entertained for a moment. The thing is you have to get your skills in order if you want to express yourself properly.
The Feelings Themselves
One part of really expressing yourself is to identify within yourself what you’re actually feeling. In our society, this can be a complicated thing to do in itself. People are generally just taught to not use emotions unless they are in very specific moments. It’s okay to be annoyed in traffic, or sad right after someone died, but what if you’re feeling afraid because you don’t know what your future is going to hold? Society usually doesn’t want to talk about those kinds of feelings, even though they are incredibly common, and just about everyone feels them at least some of the time.
When you think through what you’re really feeling, it’s important not to judge yourself for these feelings. Judgment will pollute them, and will often leave you feeling worse or as if you’re a terrible person. It’s important to remember that having feelings doesn’t make you a bad person, and the feelings themselves aren’t good or bad. They simply are a part of you, and accepting them is a part of accepting yourself as a complete person. A surprising number of people in this world find this to be a seemingly impossible task.
Getting Your Skills in Order
Once you have your feelings set straight, you can then find the audience who will resonate with what you have to say. This audience probably feels in a similar way to how you do, and they will love your performances. At least, they will love them if your skills are solid.
Make sure you know how to play your instrument well, practice your songs until you could sing them in your sleep, and find good vocal lessons to identify any weaknesses and iron them out. The stronger you are as a performer, and the more in touch you are with your audience, the better they are going to respond to you when you express yourself on stage.
