I shall begin with a question: Why would a guy wear a suit (like a full suit, with a tie!) and a durag in public? I can’t breathe. Anyway…
So this week I began training for a new job! I’m working as an actor educator in a program that puts on original shows (acting, dancing, singing, improv) in order to educate and raise awareness in 5th-12th graders about issues like HIV/AIDS, sex education, prejudice, violence, drugs, etc. It was my first audition in NYC (back in June), and I’ve been very excited to get started since I received the offer to join the company.
What I love most about this work is that it gives me a chance to fuse two passions of mine: performing arts and activism. One of the reasons I first shied away from being an actor/singer was because I felt like I had to make this HUGE DIFFERENCE in the world. And in order to do that, I thought of certain professions that led to that: lawyer, politician, teacher, social worker, preacher, and the list goes on and on; however, being an artist wasn’t on that list.
Yet, when I look at this program that goes into schools and uses theatre in order to teach kids about incredibly important issues, it reminds me that I can use my passion in order to make a difference in the world. Usually when I tell people that I want to be an artist, they respond in some form of, “Oh my! I can’t wait until you make it big!” Now, I have nothing wrong with making it big (and I love the support!). Making it big means having mad money. And every time rent is due, or when I have to pretend that I don’t care about fashion (when I really do want to buy more skinny jeans!), or when I have to eat leftovers of the same pasta for the 7th day in a row, I realize that I could use more money. Yet, you don’t have to make tons of money to make a difference as an artist!
And the fact that I don’t have to be rich to leave a dent in the world through my passion is liberating. It’s invigorating. It takes some of the pressure off of reaching for the wrong goals. Again, I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong in wanting to be rich. But if making great art is my SUPER OBJECTIVE then I will pursue situations differently than if “getting rich” were. See, life is just like acting: find your objective, and chase it relentlessly! And be true to yourself, of course.
This revelation leads to the real point: the performing arts, even when not directly engaged in activism, can have a profound effect on people and the world. I’m not going to go into a sermon on this topic, but I wish to only ask you to think of some movie, song, or play that has touched you. Some particular piece of art that has inspired you. Made you happy. Expressed love when you couldn’t. A character that was angry when you couldn’t get mad enough. A character whose heart bled with suffering when you thought you were alone. An issue that you thought was black and white, but was shaded with the complexity of inclusiveness by the characters in a scene. A song that you had to listen to on repeat from 125th Street all the way to Flatbush Avenue because your soul wouldn’t let it go.
I’m very fortunate to be working in a situation in which I can directly use my art to help people and to change lives—save kids from making choice that will severely limit their opportunities in life or their ability to live at all. But the next time you watch television, go see a play, listen to a song, or watch a movie: think about how you related to that piece of art, and then how that connection impacted your relationship with the world around you.
I’ll end with a an answer: The guy wearing a durag might have had an important meeting in which his waves/hair had to be TIGHT, and the importance of that meeting far outweighed the uninformed and uninvited opinion of me or any other random, judgmental person on the street who should have been minding his own business.
His objective: get to this meeting with tight hair? Definitely a possibility.
My objective: make great art that positively impacts people.
What’s the point of making moves when you don’t even know your objective?