Student Blogger: Meg Graff

There's a lot of pressure when you want to pursue a career in the arts. That's been my experience at least. Because of that, I find the need to be on top of things and doing the best work I can all of the time. For awhile, I thought that meant not being honest with myself or other people about my mental health. I'm a huge advocate for talking about mental health and removing the stigma that kept me from reaching out for so long, so here's what I haven't been as open about as I should.

This tech week is a rough one. Now, I know that no tech is a walk in the park, but trying to manage a particularly rough spot with my own mental health and to be fully present and active as a member of a creative team doesn't make things any easier.

The next time I register for classes will be the last time I register for classes below senior-standing. That is a very scary thing to think about. Since I started college, I've heard time and time again how my major isn't practical, how I should be focusing on something in Math or Science (two areas of academia I struggle in profusely, by the way), and how I'm never going to make money doing theatre and writing. Naturally, this makes approaching graduation a scary feat.

When I was around 15 or 16, there were auditions in my town for The Miracle Worker. I was so excited. My younger brother has special needs, and is non-verbal, so the play meant a lot to me and I really, really wanted to play Annie. I practiced the accent, read the script a bunch, watched the movie, and did everything I could to prepare. (I now realize this should've been a sign that dramaturgy is the path for me).

Here's the deal. I'm in my junior year of college, and approaching the scary world of adulthood. I'm almost there, and that's got me thinking a lot about my future career in the theatre and also as a person in the world. I'm a political person. It's something I care about a lot, and was, early in my college career, what I thought I was going to do with my life.

I wanted to be an actor for a really long time. I still love performing, and it's something I try to do fairly regularly. I've had so many people tell me how happy I seemed when I was in the rehearsal process or after shows. For most of my life, I was very much of the mindset a?oethis is it for me. I'm going to be an actor, and I don't need to try anything else, because nothing will ever make me feel as happy and fulfilled as acting does.a??

I'm going to start this off with something that you probably already know: being a student is hard. There's a lot of hats you need to wear, so to speak. Between classes, schoolwork, rehearsals, and trying to maintain a social life, there might not seem like a lot of time to unwind and focus on yourself. As much as this is easier said than done, make time. This is a lesson I learned very well as I got more involved in school.