#NerdsUnite: The Ramblings of a Raconteuse (dont give up)

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Helenna. We met on twitter not too long ao, and she's totes mcgotes one rad chiquita banana with a flare for all things flair! That's right, Helenna here is what we call an artsy fartsy nerd. She's a poet, into all things dramatic arts, and she's going to come on board to write each week about her love of said drama. Well not like actual drama drama, like some cat fight shit - but you get the idea.

I only have one thing left to say ... HIT IT HELENNA!!! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @Helslevy

I think one of the hardest things I deal with as an artist is that nagging evil devil on my shoulder that tells me that I suck or that I can’t do something.  My acting coach Jack Plotnick calls it your “vulture” and my career coach Barbara Deutsch calls it your “alien.” 

Sometimes that voice is overwhelmingly loud and I’m lucky that through working with both Jack and Barbara I have the tools I need to silence that “Alien-Vulture” from squawking too loudly.  

One thing that’s encouraging is that in The War of Art, Steven Pressfield states that if artists question “Am I really an artist?”  They most likely are because “The counterfeit innovator is wildly self confident.  The real one is scared to death.” 

To me, this is incredibly comforting.

There is something really beautiful about the fact that all true artists are constantly needing to push through the negative voices in our heads and the “resistance” we feel when we are about to embark on something.  As Pressfield states, “The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew each day.”  

Some days the battle is a glorious one with a victory made for kings and queens.  Other days, it’s a victory of last man standing after a gruelingly long battle.  Either way, it’s a victory all the same. So, I’ve learned that “giving up” is never an option because at the end of the day, just staying in the battle can be a victory in itself. 

#xoxo hels

tweet me at: @helslevy

browse me at: helennasantoslevy.com

email me at: contacthelenna@gmail.com