As I was unable to attend the Skype sessions, due to being on holiday and working, I have been catching up reading all the comments relating to them and also all of the blogs that people have started to post.
I found Adesola concept of "starting" interesting. As technically every time we stop we need to start. Albeit a dance move or a speech in a play. Although every new beginning has a start I kept engaged over the summer by reading the Module 2 readers and academic books (not all from the lists) as I want to improve my academic skills both as a reader and writer.
However, what did feel like was a real "start" again was the blogging. I had missed it over the summer months as I don't really have any friends that do this and it was a pleasure to read Eleanor, Jess D, Jennifer S, Lauren et al to see what they have all been doing and thinking over the summer break.
I do keep in touch with Jess Dinmore and was aware of her wonderful adventure in America. I agreed with her comments about a "techno" break. I couldn't skype on the 15th or 16th as I was on holiday in rural France and as I knew there was no Wi-Fi I didn't take my computer just a bundle of books. I made notes in my journal and it was a luxury to lie in the sun and think about my dissertation. I appreciate how important technology is and how it can help us immeasurably in our professional practice but it was relaxing to have time out from it. My husband had 438 emails when he returned to work!
One of the points from the Skype session seems seem to be organising our time effectively. Every one is so busy many with full time careers and volunteer work as well. I am no different.
I work as an Adjudicator of Drama Festivals and am attending a Selection Weekend to join a Professional body of Adjudicators. We watch a play and then have to adjudicate it the next day in front of our peers. I have already had to submit a written paper with four brief introductions to three well known plays and a new piece by an award winning author. I will also have to sit for two more written papers.
Writing the blogs is enjoyable but as these written papers need to be more formal in style, I have found that the written work I have done recently on this course has been beneficial.
It seems that the people who are very organised about time and routine worry about not being "in the moment" and losing spontaneity and those who are more organic even though they get the work done wish they had more structure. We can all learn from this. I always feel when acting that I like to learn the lines as early as possible. I don't believe in peaking too soon. On a professional tour you will perform the same work for months on end and have to bring a freshness to it every time. Once I am secure with the dialogue I can then work on other elements and bring something to each role. This also relates to our course, get the basics right and everything is easier. Get done what needs to be done and then really enjoy exploring and researching the subject.
Emily Richards mentions it is acceptable not to have a subject chosen for the enquiry yet - there is time for one to develop and Jennifer Simm's point of setting a time limit is worth adhering to.
If we all learn from those that are very organised and structured and have a routine - a time table, set working hours or days (what ever works for us) and try to stick it we wont disappoint ourselves that we didn't achieve. Once we have organised our selves we can then give more time to the organic process as we can relax and be really creative because we have organised and created the time.
Yes, it really is all about time. Starting, continuing, finishing. We all started together, we are all continuing together and although we will never stop learning, we will all get to the finishing line together.
