Reflective journal

Task 2a, designed for self reflection and growth as an artist, was to keep a journal. My first experience with a journal was when I started at Tring Park School. My English teacher said it was a good way to learn more English so I started to write one. Things such as:  weather of the day, what I did during class, how I felt during the class and about my improvement, what I ate, etc. This gave me more knowledge of the English language like how to make sentences and research new vocabulary. When I moved up to 6^th form we started Contextual Studies, a part of the diploma course offered at Tring, we started to write logs each class, rehearsal, performance, audition and competition. It was really helpful because after class always thinking what we did, what corrections we got, improvement from last correction, what do i need to do before next class, how did I feel about each performance etc. After a while when I read them back I could see my progress and what I still needed to work on. I thought these logs were really effective and helped give me a more convenient means of improving.

While writing this, however, I realised that if the teachers at school hadn’t asked me to keep a journal and told me a format in which to do this I would never have kept one in the first place. Looking back on a journal format that reminded me of Ronseal (does exactly what it says on the tin!!) I noticed that it fulfilled exactly what I wanted in a school environment, to improve my English language skills and to improve my base dance technique, however now I want so much more from this exercise. I want to improve my knowledge of performance skills, what gets the audience jumping and what puts them to sleep! I want to see choreographic moments that make me think or teach me something about my choreographic works, I would love to be picking up little tips and tricks that make my dancing career easier and also some that I can use while teaching to make my “imparting of wisdom” all that more poignant and effective; In short I want this Journal to be a font of all my industry knowledge!

So how do I do this?!?

Well I had a good look through other people’s work for an effective way to get my findings and knowledge onto paper because I was scared at the ideas of “deep thinking” and “philosophical epiphanies”; being someone with an affinity for logical maths and sciences. Much to my surprise I found that several others were feeling the same way when they began. The general consensus was to literally write down the facts, the bare bones of what happened that day and my blunt feelings about them (as nobody else was going to see them!). Before i knew what was happening I had made so many observations about my company, it’s members and our interactions, I could have made a book titled “the Do’s and Don’ts of company life” I was really beginning to gather helpful tips on this industries ‘‘behind the scenes’’ workings.

So I hope to gather enough information to draw upon later in the course so I can really voice my thoughts and ideas effectively, I guess I’ll blog again soon!