Know your inner magic

Have you ever stopped to consider what you can do that nobody else can? One of my biggest realisations in over 12 years of coaching is that when someone reminds themselves of how much they CAN do rather than the relatively small amount of things that (they tell themselves) they CAN'T do, things start to realign and immediately, in an instant, opportunity presents itself.

I call this the inner magic and we all have it. Picture someone who you think is brilliant, that makes you laugh, that you love spending time with; someone who, just through their conversations, makes you feel motivated and inspired - what feelings do you get? Just the very thought of someone who lifts you up and gives you life is enough to make you realise what inner magic is. So what's yours? It's what some people might call your "U.S.P" but it wears a wizard's hat and goes to tournaments over board meetings.

What your inner magic is not...

1. Your inner magic is not your category

A category is a group of people who share similar characteristics. For example, in pop there are acoustic singer-songwriters. If we had no further information other than that and had never heard them perform, could we explain their sound to someone else? We could perhaps have an idea of what the genre stereotype is but we'd be clutching at straws to authentically describe their voice and their work without hearing them. This is a category and there is so much more to artists which makes them unique and sets them apart from the crowd... In music theatre we so often hear "Are you an actor/singer or singer/dancer?" - what does this MEAN?! Really? Again, in terms of stereotypes I know what it means... lots of actor/singers trained "there" and perform like "that" with a certain "look"; actor/singers "play leads" and singer/dancers are "in the ensemble" - it all sounds so nauseatingly limiting and what are we really saying? That actor/singers can't dance? That singer/dancers never act? I'm all for a niche but it's all a bit 'one-size-fits-all' isn't it? That's not magic!

2. Your inner magic is not decided for you but by you

Have you ever been in a situation where you didn't feel like you weren't being true to your authentic self? Let's move away from voice for a minute. Perhaps it was a relationship, a job or in a friendship circle which just didn't feel right. People trying to pretend to be something they're not is the plot of many great films...and for good reason. That journey of self-discovery is often the pivotal moment! Wouldn't Mean Girls have been a much shorter film if Cady had just realised she only needed to be herself at high school from the first scene? Don't be a Cady before the big inner-magic-reveal. "It doesn't matter how far down the wrong road you are, turn back!" Others don't know your inner magic like you do but sometimes it can get masked. Rip the plaster off; let's see some sparks!

3. Your inner magic is not the same forever

What worked for you 10 years ago might not serve you now; the person you are today with a little luck won't be the person you are in the future. Things change, people grow, your human sorcery strengthens!

Get started!

You won't have the same inner magic as anyone else (remember the categories: we share traits but we're not the same) and also you can't expect to be magical at everything - there's only one Dumbledore - the sooner we realise that and surround ourselves with people who have magic which compliments our own, the better.

My inner magic is making things happen. I hear so many stories about me saying "let's do this" and going out and immediately doing it. Most recently, I wanted to turn the theatre I'm entrusted with into a cinema to start allowing our audiences to return during social distancing. I woke up with the idea, didn't really have a plan - certainly didn't have a cinema projector, sound system, the rights or licenses to show films or anything to tell me it would actually work but by the end of the day I had borrowed a projector, been loaned a sound system, acquired the rights and had the first film on sale. A week later and we've sold out 90% of the tickets! That's the other thing, you CAN celebrate your magic! Are there other producers, my age, with my experience, working in my genre - YES! Are there other people coming up with projects to safeguard their business through Coronavirus - YES! Are there other people doing it exactly like me - NO!

Embrace what you do well

Back to the magic bit. Celebrate and shout about what you do well; it isn't arrogant to be proud of what you do. I love my job, I love my clients and I'm going to cheer for us when we have success! Equally, know when your recipe needs a dash of something else. Be the connoisseur of your own magic by seeing the inner power of others and invite them into your tribe!

Life imitates art

In voice, as in life, we continue to grow. As we harness belief and trust in ourselves, we discover opportunities which open new doors.

Spend some time working on you, your voice and your mindset; you'll discover just how much of a sorcerer you are.

I'm currently working with vocal wizards worldwide so if you would like to see where our magic voice adventure could take us then drop me a message and let's meet online or in person (cauldrons available but pianos and backing tracks preferred).

Happy Voicing!