Student Blog: The End of a Journey

After 4 months, it is time for me to finalize my final Broadway World Blog. When thinking about what I wanted my final topic to be, I realized that I just wanted to talk about my experience and what this opportunity has taught me. When I was sent the application from my supervisor, I was hesitant. I am not a blogger, but rather an academic writer, so I was extremely worried that I would not be able to produce quality content. On top of my busy schedule, shows, and classes, finding the time to write these blogs was also tough. Sometimes I was able to get these blogs done a week in advance, and other times I was racing against the clock. After sitting down and writing my first blog, I realized that I was going to get out of this experience what I put into it. What I mean by that is, if I want to have a stress-free experience, I can’t let the articles stress me out. Sitting down and writing these articles provided much-needed grounding and tranquility after really stressful days. Instead of stressing out about completing another project, I used these blogs as a reward for getting stuff done, which made this whole process feel so whimsical and fun.

Reflecting on how this process has affected me, I realized that I have adopted a more positive view of new experiences and stepping out of my comfort zone. As mentioned before, I believe that you get what you give, and this experience originally frightened me. However, I did not want to ruin this experience by tainting it with negative emotions, so I did my best to frame it in a positive light. Seeing the success of this mental restructuring, if you will, taught me a valuable lesson in how one affects the world and how we should take advantage of the ability to help ourselves in situations that make us seem helpless. All that to say that I started implementing more positive habits in my daily life, which I have talked about before in a previous blog. The one that has helped the most has been framing reflections of experiences as positive, then mentioning the negatives, but coming full circle back to the positives.

Another thing I want to appreciate myself for doing is taking the opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new. My degree in Theatre Arts Administration teaches me how to be a professional writer, not a personal one. So this really was a shot in the dark to see what I was capable of, but I am thankful for giving myself the opportunity to attempt this project and see where it takes me. I learned how to be more vulnerable, how to claim tranquility, and how to reflect positively.

If I leave anything, it is encouragement for others to try new things and be open to change in both their surroundings and themselves. As theatre enjoyers, I feel like we lock ourselves into a corner of what our strengths are, and we are scared of taking on something new. It feels horrifying at first, and sometimes it does not feel worth it. But, 9 times out of 10, you’ll thank yourself for the journey.

With that, I want to thank YOU for this journey. Best of wishes to all of you, and break all the legs forever and always.