self compassion

Audition season (and it feels like open season on your heart)

It's audition season for opera singers.

I recently listened to an episode on The Opera Box Score about audition horror stories. Stories of people having full out conversations while singing your heart out. Auditors eating lunch very loudly. No eye contact. Criticism for not bringing in a certain aria. Shame about clothing choices. Picking on words, diction, music editions.

Not to mention the weirdness that can exist in the hallway while waiting to audition. The nerves. The strange vibe. Hearing five sopranos before you all sing the exact same piece. Your own personal battle with anxiety and preparedness.

And this isn't unique to auditions for singers. Acting, dance, orchestra, there are so many painful stories.

It makes my heart hurt just thinking of all the nastiness that can accompany the process of auditioning.