I realize how dull a blog looks these days without pictures, so I decided to include this weird mirror selfie I took. Part of my hair is the reflection of my hair so, no, I don't have pointy hair like that. It's an illusion! Oh, the magic of the mirror pic...

Hi!

First post in years. I'll skip the self-flaggelation about being a shitty blogger. That goes without saying.

In 2012-13, I had the busiest year of my professional life. I did such cool things. I'm the Artistic Associate for Green Thumb Theatre where I lead a giant high school collective creation called The Edge Project. I directed to small plays, I worked on the TV show Psyche, I led another amazing year of the LEAP Playwriting Intensive for Young Writers, and I did a remounted tour of the Arts Club's production of The 39 Steps. It was intense. I got really burnt out. I got to that place where even though I knew at a deep level that I loved every single individual thing I was doing, I was starting to hate getting up in the morning. I missed being at home. I missed my partner and my cat. Work felt burdensome.

THIS IS NOT GOOD. I am so incredibly blessed with the way that my work life has evolved. I am so turned on by the amount of creativity I get to express, by the artists I get to work with and by being able to make a living doing and making theatre and supporting others do the same. I don't ever want to feel like my work is a drag or that it's a chore to go to work.

So. How do I stay in the moment? How do I not burn out? Well, I don't know yet. I do know that I don't need to say yes to everything all the time. I think theatre artists sometimes feel like saying no to a project is not an option, even if there's not physical way to do it given how overwhelmed one may be. This year looks better. The process we've devised for The Edge Project isn't as onerous as last year, I'm not directing a show throughout the fall, and I've learned so much from what last year was like.

Our work life is tied to our sense of purpose. I feel a deep sense of purpose when I do what I do, and I believe that living from that place makes us happier and makes our lives richer. I'm writing this today as a commitment to myself to remind myself how blessed I am to have discovered my purpose and as a promise to stay in the moment more. If I don't allow myself to project into what still needs to be done or how tired I'll be by the end of the day, I won't be burdened, and my love for what I do will remain front and centre, driving me.