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A Word To Our Departing StudentsAs you step away from Juilliard to embark on your next adventure, we want to say congratulations, and to aim the last Shrink Rap column of the school year specifically at you. Although your last weeks here are filled with commitments and stresses, it is a good time to give yourself a gift that, if you cultivate it and do it regularly, will serve you for a lifetime. In all of the rush towards commencement, and whatever awaits you thereafter, stop and listen to what is going on inside of you.
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Learn how to listen to your inner voice; it will give you strength and confidence, and is something you can rely on all your life.
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You are emerging from an environment that has required you to respond to years of external messages and expectations: "Be in class on time; have a movement/scene/dance prepared in two days; your work must show progressive growth and technical expertise; this paper must be 15 pages long and is due in two weeks; you must be able to attend school-required activities, get all of your work done, and demonstrate excellence in your discipline every day, and perform beautifully even if you have only had three hours of sleep because it is impossible to get it all done otherwise." As you have neared the end of your studies at Juilliard, you may have noticed that there is something else pushing for your attention. It might manifest itself as butterflies in your stomach, or it may bring an instantaneous smile to your face, or you may have to take a deep breath, or it may make you want to just sleep for 10 days, or it may make you feel that you just cannot wait to get out of school. This is your inner voice piping up, and it needs your undivided attention.No matter what your plans are for this summer and afterward, the future holds so many unknowns, and the paths ahead are yours to choose. This can make you feel more alone than almost anything you have ever encountered. We can seek the wise advice and guidance of others, and we can turn to friends and mentors for help in weighing all of our options, but ultimately, each of us has to act upon and live with decisions we make on our own. One of your most reliable resources in this process is your inner voice, but it can give confusing advice and opinions unless you allow yourself to be comfortable with it and attuned to its messages. Just like mastering any technique in your performing arts discipline, learning to listen to yourself and decipher what you are feeling from fear, intuition, experience and wisdom you have gained, impulsive reaction, or from the expectations of others (your parents, your teachers, the important people in your life) takes practice, patience, perseverance, and incredible focus.During these last weeks at Juilliard, try to dedicate a small amount of time to yourself. You may have to convince yourself that this is just as important to schedule into your day as preparing for the next audition, jury, or performance. It should be a time when you do not allow interruptions. Find a place that is comfortable. As the weather becomes nice, consider taking yourself to an outdoor location that offers a chance to get away from the campus. Central Park or the piers down on the Hudson are ideal, provided you find a place that does not have too many distractions. You may at first find this exercise uncomfortable (isn't it odd that we can be uncomfortable trying to listen to ourselves?) because it is new and you may not be sure what it is that you are supposed to be listening to. But if you start with a focused question about one undecided matter in your life, and literally embark on a conversation with yourself, you will gradually find yourself exploring it from different angles, especially if you keep asking "why do I think that or feel this way?; who am I and how am I going to place myself in the world as an artist and as a human being?" Consider taking notes or writing in a journal so that you can review your past work.This short column doesn't provide enough space to give you other techniques; however, if you just start out using the technique described above, you will begin to discover what works and what doesn't. Most importantly, keep at it, and you will find that listening to your inner voice will give you strength and confidence. It is actually one of the few true things that you can rely on for all your life. We wish you all the best in the coming months and years.
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