Let’s Create - Skills - Managing energy levels

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Managing energy levels

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The skill of managing your own energy levels as an artist was raised by many of the artists during the research.

This is clearly connected to the qualities of being grounded and energetic, but I have included it here as so many people talked about this as being an important skill.

It’s in part a skill of self-awareness, but alongside this self-management and learning how to generate and manage the energy in the room.

Quotes from the research

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“Like this kind of work can be really exhausting and draining, especially to do it really well. So how can you make sure that you're fuelling yourself as well? All the time.”

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“I think you need to be able to read yourself. You need to be aware of yourself. You might be suddenly aware that you're feeling really, really, really, tired. And sometimes that's because you're travelling too far. You're pushing in the wrong direction or you're pushing against the people in the room. And maybe you're not even aware that you're pushing against until you become aware of yourself because you're so kind of like ‘we can do this’. Maybe it takes you longer to be aware of yourself because you're so focused on everybody else.”

“You need to be self-aware and alert. A really high energy but it's contained. And it's careful. It’s cautious.”

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“So without getting too heavy about it, I think it's it is like, literally you are holding a ball of energy but with your whole body, and with your face. And it has to have a certain charge within it. And if any part of it starts draining, if it starts being drained, then you start losing it, and other people will lose their energy and the energy will change and have a different quality, a quite negative quality. So it's learning how to manage that.”

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Listen to the Podcast

with Jack Parris

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Jack is a writer-performer, actor, director, musician and facilitator. He specialises in ensemble building, corporeal mime, movement, cross disciplinary improvisation, co-creation and comedy. In 2023, Jack was awarded a DYCP grant by Arts Council England to explore the live relationship between physical action and musical improvisation with an emerging cross-disciplinary ensemble (Bunkum). The Unstoppable Rise of Ben Manager, is a show which came out of this process and will premiere in May 2024 in London and Brighton. In 2024 he was chosen to be FRESH artist in residence at The Point, Eastleigh where he will continue this work. He is currently Associate Director for Brighton People’s Theatre where he co-created Born and Bread.

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