Assumptions and Curiosity

It has taken me a couple of days to reflect on the Module One discussion that took place on Tuesday. We discussed many interesting topics from ethics revolving social media to assumptions of race and nationalities. During the discussion I felt that I was thinking too much about what I wanted to say and that I didn’t really get the chance to express myself properly. I have discovered that throughout this course I need learn to not be so hesitant. Many people assume that I am 'loud and opinionated' because I am a performer, when actually we as performers are normal people who are passionate about our careers but have learnt to put on a brave face from time-to-time. This is ’stereotyping’ but could also be seen as ’assumption’. 

‘Where are you from?’ is a question that could potentially mean many things. I get asked this a lot, and I normally love to share my family history. My father was born in Italy, but he moved to Australia when he was very young. But after the discussion on Tuesday, I thought about what causes people to ask this question. These 2 words came to mind;

• Assumption
• Curiosity

Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary describes an assumption as “something that you accept as true without question or proof.” It seems to be a point of contention within the Performing Arts Industry during this current time. While were are fighting for the Arts to rectify after the complications of Covid-19, many people are still taking to social media to tell to us ‘get a proper job’. Many people see us as ‘just having fun’ by wearing costumes, make-up and entertaining audiences. When I worked on cruise ships, the other crew members used to say ‘what an easy life the dancers live’ but what they don’t see is the years of training, the dreaded audition processes and the rehearsals that go into the early hours of the morning - it is physically and mentally exhausting! And the Art’s are everywhere, not just on stage. You couldn’t have your ’Netflix and Chill’ night without the performers that are in your favourite TV shows and movies. When I think about assumptions like this, it breaks my heart, and what’s worse is that millions of people are believing their assumptions to be the truth. But what causes causes assumptions?

"Evolution made us the ultimate learning machines, and the ultimate learning machines need to be oiled by curiosity."

I read a very interesting article on BBC Future about what causes us to be curious. It explores the reasons about why humans are so curious and apparently it comes down to the way we have evolved. Unfortunately as humans we always love to know the answers, even if we won’t benefit from them. As a Teaching Assistant, I am always getting asked questions by children that initially seem out of context, but when I think about it, surely this curiosity in children is better than making assumptions?

Assumptions can also have a terrible impact on an individuals mental health. It can be very easy to live your life not questioning and assume 'things' to be facts. These facts, if negative, can cause low self esteem and even depression. When I reflect this upon my past practice, I remember myself at auditions when I would get cut. I remembered thinking to myself that I wasn’t good enough and that I would never get a job. These assumptions were irrational and did not help me in any way. It is sometimes important to embrace uncertainty and know that you cannot always be in control.

I have come to the conclusion that curiosity is great. It is my curiosity that is helping me expand my knowledge of my practice and this exciting industry. Even if sometimes my curiosity feels like a waste of time, it is possible that what I learn by chance today will be useful another day. If I was to make assumptions then I could be blocking opportunities to learn.

I came across this powerful question which I feel is important to ask ourselves as we learn to stop making assumptions;

"What if I don’t need to know the answer about this person/situation? How much stress could I relieve myself of by just agreeing, in this moment, to not know what I can’t know?"

References

Stafford, T.  (2012).  Why are we so curious?.  BBC Future,  [online].  Available at https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20120618-why-are-we-so-curious.  Accessed 30/09/2020.

Don Miguel Ruiz.  (Unknown).  Challenge Assumptions.  Sage Publishing,  [online].  Available at https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/47099_Reiss___Ch1.pdf.  Accessed 30/09/2020

Jacobson, S.  (2016).  Assumptions - Why They Are Wrecking Your Mood And How To Stop Making Them.  Harley Therapy,  [online].  Available at https://www.harleytherapy.co.uk/counselling/making-assumptions.htm. Accessed 30/09/2020. 

Questioning, reflecting and questioning reflection.

As a new student who has just stepped into the world of studying their professional practice, I have many questions involving my new course and my personal learning. This week I have been preparing my study by reading the Module Handbook, reading other students' and practitioners' blogs and I have started to work my way though the recommended reading list. Some of my questions have been answered throughout the week, however many of them have lead to more questions. I have also began to question myself professionally and personally.  But I have been told to never stop questioning as this will encourage learning and personal growth. Bruce Lee had an excellent way of making sense of this;

"A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer."

After attending my first group discussion with my fellow BAPP learners, our conversations mainly surrounded questioning. I enjoyed listening to other students' thoughts about this topic. Being a dancer, I have always strived to know the exact choreography - if I ever had a question, then it would be answered and I could apply it to my performance. As I am embarking on this new journey, I am beginning to realise that that ‘asking questions’ and ‘questioning’ are two very diverse matters and questioning can open a door to a new assortment of questions.

This leads me to reflection. As I was navigating my way through the Module handbook, I came across the following terms: 

• Reflection-in-action
• Reflection-on-action

Relating these to my own practice helped me develop my perception of these terms. For instance, whilst I was a production dancer on cruise ships, I engaged in a technical rehearsal before every show so that we could reflect on problems that occurred and solve them to ensure the actual performance was as good as it could be. This is reflection-on-action (reflecting after something happens). Whereas reflection-in-action requires you to think on your feet and possibly improvise - for instance when you are in the middle of a performance and you notice that your dance partner didn’t make their quick change, you may have to adapt the choreography in the moment to fool the audience into thinking that it was supposed to happen. When I thought of it like this, I started questioning whether reflection-in-action is a skill and requires practice. 

I bounced this idea to my current job (teaching assistant) and I thought about how the children in my class benefit from reflection-on-action as we speak through problems with them and aim to resolve issues for the future, but I struggled to think of examples of when the children have had to think spontaneously. But then I found a fascinating segment in a book that I am reading 'The Reflective Practitioner'. An experiment was conducted where children were asked to balance un-even blocks on a metal bar. It cleverly demonstrated and helped me understand children's' process of delivery in which they pause to think/reflect before trying again. This suggests to me that maybe we do learn 'reflection-in-action' though trail and error?

Someone in my discussion group suggested to start a reflective journal, which is something that I look forward to pursing throughout my learning. Our supervisor Helen also reminded us that we are fortunate to have a beautiful resource in each other, so I feel that the perfect way to end this blog is with a question to myself - but I would love to hear how others feel about this too; Will questioning lead to reflection?

References

Book

• Donald A Schön, 1983.  The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think In Action.   Published 2016.  Routledge.   Abingdon Oxon.   Basic Books. 

Quote

• Bruce Lee. 

A voice that I may not have had before

Here I am, completely out of my comfort zone. I have never really taken much interest in social media and have always been nervous to post about my life on Facebook or Instagram. We live in an age where many of us worry about what people think of us, I am a guilty culprit. Maybe I think people will judge me or disagree with my opinions - but I'm working on it. Why should I care about what people think and why should that effect my hunger for wanting to share with the online world? But this is the first day of a new journey - my first day of Module One of the BA Hons in Professional Practice, Arts and Creative Industries - and my first blog post. I never thought I would say this but admittedly, I feel free.

This time last week I was nervous to begin the course. I had no idea what would be expected of me or even how to navigate around a blog. I had so many questions that were thankfully answered during my one-to-one tutorial and a group discussion. I now feel delighted to know that I am part of such a great community of tutors and learners who are also feeling apprehensive and are wanting to support each other. I was also reassured that wherever I am in my career, my artistry makes me who I am, and I will take this artistry wherever life takes me. Even during these uncertain times, I feel as if I am exactly where I need to be right now. 

Technology has always been something that has intrigued me about this industry and it has never felt more significant to me that it does right now. I am thoroughly grateful for living in this generation and having the opportunity to communicate with my friends and family, but I am now ready to share with a more extensive audience. I am interested to see how the use of technology will allow myself and my fellow learners to learn, grow, and support each other as we embark on this exciting journey.