Student Blog: Five Ways I've Grown This Semester

This semester has finally come to a close. It was a wild time in terms of all the activities and classes I had to balance, but I'm so grateful for this semester. This is the first semester that I felt like I grew significantly as an artist. I have been really reflecting on this semester and how I grew. Here are five ways that I grew this semester:

I am a much more confident dancer

I do not consider myself a dancer first in any sense of the word. I am very much a mover. However, my Jazz I class this semester has really allowed me to grow in the dance department. I no longer feel awkward in my own body when I'm dancing. I still have a long way to go in terms of timing and such, but I actually enjoy dancing now, and I am not afraid of it anymore.

I am a stronger writer, particularly in how I write about theatre.

I am a writer. However, I have always felt a disconnect between my writing and my other passions, until this semester. This is particularly due to the fact that I have been writing on this blog for a while now and feel a lot more comfortable discussing and analyzing theatre. This is also because I wrote a lot for classes this semester. I had to write at least one analysis a week, which allowed me to really grow as a writer.

I actually feel like I'm becoming a better actor

For a really long time, I've felt stuck in terms of my growth as a performer, particularly with my acting. This semester, I finally feel like I got unstuck. I actually could feel myself growing and better applying the concepts that I was learning in my acting classes.

I am better at figuring out when to say no.

I have struggled with saying yes too much or saying no too much to opportunities. I was either burning myself out or I was not doing anything at all. However, this semester, I think that I finally learned how to balance. Part of that is saying no. I learned to put myself first. Just because I want to do it all doesn't mean I should.

I can be more than one thing in theatre.

I have felt like I need to fit one thing within theatre. I either needed to be an actor or a dramaturg. I couldn't be both. That's not true though. This semester, I have met so many amazing people who are multi-hyphenates and have really inspired me to pursue all aspects of theatre that I'm interested in.

This semester was the best one yet. I really grew, and I can't wait to grow even more next semester. I finally have confidence as a performer and artist, which has allowed me to become a better person and student. I am looking forward to seeing what this next year and semester bring to me and theatre as a whole.

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