“Appreciation is an excellent thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us, as well.”
– Voltaire
I don’t know about you, but I personally find it to be a cruel irony that the most difficult season for a singer – audition season – falls right around the holidays. This is not merely sentimental on my part. Instead, I feel this way because auditions for so many of us are filled with so many rejections, which builds up frustration, and leaves us depleted. Then the holidays roll around and we’re told to be cheerful, grateful, and joyful. And thus, our inner worlds collide.
I don’t want this post to merely list reasons why you all should be grateful for what you have and what opportunities have come your way. I know you all are grateful. Quite frankly, if I did say that, it would be dismissive of the work each and every one of you put in to not only do more, but to feel more. So I’m not going to say that.
Instead what I want to say is this: I appreciate you. I appreciate each and every one of you for how talented you are, how hard-working you are, how much you contribute to the arts and to the spirits of your audiences. The panelists at your auditions may not express their appreciation and gratitude. I fear some of them may not even feel it. But I can’t speak for them. The only person I can speak for is myself, and I am saying you are so incredibly appreciated. I am so grateful for you.
If you're having a difficult audition, I want you to know: I appreciate you. Click To Tweet
I encourage you to express your gratitude in the season of rejections in a similar way. Don’t just be grateful for what you have, but also be grateful for what others in the field give: musically, professionally, and personally. In this way, what is excellent within all of us (which again, is so so much) will be magnified. Infinitely so. And quite frankly, the world of opera will be far better off for it.
So this is my mission: instead of living in the season of rejections, let’s make this the season of gratitude, of appreciation, and of support for those around us. In this way, we will be able to live in harmony with the holidays instead of at odds with them. Who knows? Maybe our appreciation will even help us all to the next step in our careers and in our lives.
Have you been having a difficult time feeling gratitude? Would you feel comfort in knowing other artists appreciate your work? Please feel free to share your feelings and offer words of support for each other in the comments section.