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An episode by request from a listener!  This is by extension, a part II of a question answered in Episode 116;  "how do you defend your creative boundaries" except this part II is a more advanced version:  "How to tell your friends “no”.  Like, kind wonderful people in your life want to collaborate/have you in a performance but it simply does not align with your goals OR you know that you will not work well together."

Let's hit it!

What you'll hear:

• You can listen to part 1 of this question here on Episode 116 1:00
• There's another Charleston Artist Salon happening in April!  Click here to add yourself to the local list to be kept up to date 2:20
• I'm applying to the SC Arts Directory  2:50
• I'm also ACTIVELY LOOKING for new creation/rehearsal space in Charleston, SC.  If you know of anything, please do reach out and let me know!  You can contact me through my website here. 4:30
• Why this part II is an advanced level boundaries question 6:28
• Storytime from my own life about friendship conflict 9:00
• You have TWO CHOICES when presented with an opportunity you do not want to take with someone you care about (almost everyone will take option #1) 11:04
• Why being brutally honest is a greater kindness 18:00
• Homework!  Ask for something in the hopes of being told no, just as an experiment 19:00

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Today for your listening pleasure, I have a true circus hero- physical therapist, circus artist, and my dear friend Dr. Jen Crane!  Jen's work has revolutionized circus training, and I know because I watched her do it, and she changed my life and saved the right side of my body (and many, many other bodies I know personally and professionally).  I am delighted to bring her on Audacity Works, please enjoy!

What you'll hear:

• The Audacity Project, Cycle 28, is OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT!  You can read all about it here, or schedule a short, easy call with me here to see if we're a good fit for each other.
• How we met, and our shared dislike for being walked in on while peeing. :)  This would have been circa 2014.
• Why Jen is the reason the entire right side of my body still works
• Jen's wonderful protocols for recovering from top surgery, which you can find here.
• How Jen came to live in Portland, Oregon
• Questions from all of you!  "I am a 40-something neurodivergent circus performer.  I hear people talk about 'active rest' and I have no idea what that means.  Maybe you could ask Jen Crane?!"  Mission accepted!  
  • Active rest is an extension of training, not a substitute.
  • "You wouldn't cancel on a coach you had a lesson with, don't cancel on yourself when you have rest scheduled."
• What to look for in a physical therapist and how to find a good fit for YOU.  Questions you can ask:
  • Are you willing to pay out of pocket for a really good fit?
    • Bear in mind that out of pocket/network usually means a more specialized PT, and being able to have less visits overall
  • Are there dance/gymnastics/rock climbing/sports PT's in the area?
  • How long is each appointment time?  Out of network PT's generally spend more time (45-60 minutes) with their patients.  The first appointment time should really be 60 minutes.
  • What are the letters after their name (what trainings/education do they have?) Jen recommends they should have ONE of these in addition to PT:
    • ATC - certified athletic trainer
    • OCS - orthopedic certified specialist
    • SCS - sports certified specialist
  • What's the vibe?  (read their bios!)
  • Knowing what you want out of the relationship, such as more of a manual therapy focused clinician, or exercise based?
• WTF is dry needling and why does it work so well?
• On mango sticky rice in Thailand, and working with the Olympic teams in China (I promise these two things are somewhat related)
• How not to eat duck tongue
• Question from a listener!  (Hi Fallon!)  "tell us about the dogs:  names, breeds, ages, how you got them" :)
• Squees about Jen getting married!!  Squeeeeeee  How Jen and Tomara met
• The 5 Calls App:  for taking action- download and use daily!

You can follow Jen here on Instagram, or check out her website (and I highly recommend doing so!)

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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What you'll hear:

• The Audacity Project, Cycle 28 is open to the waitlist!  It will open to the public next week
• Creatrix still has a place available and I'd loooove to have you!  Come learn witchcraft with me and sit uselessly on the beach for 5 nights
• I bitch about winter for a few minutes.  2:15
• This podcast inspired by sister-friend artist Kat Doherty, and alumni artist Alma Charlotte
• "I could never spend that kind of money on myself" 7:00
• Advice #1:  My own experiment with this, I gave myself a purpose which was just to write 8:00
• Shoutout to bangorang friend, filmmaker, and writer Adam O'Keeffe who gave me excellent advice on my first foray into a solo holiday 9:00
• Advice #2:  Give yourself a structure- How to structure your mini solo getaway 10:00
• The hardest part about going away on your own, and what to do to negotiate with it 12:30
• The second hardest part about going away on your own 14:15
• The proof that one truly believes lies in action.  It is a LOT easier to value yourself in theory than in practice.  
• How to fund this bish 16:30

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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This episode is by request, on how to address the gremlin:  "No one wants to hire my work, it's too out there/contemporary/weird."

What you'll hear:

• Hop on over to the waitlist for Cycle 28 of The Audacity Project, enrolling to next week for early adapters! 1:15
• There's 1 or 2 places left for Creatrix if you wanna come get warm and learn witchcraft with me 1:48
• The nature of a gremlin:  they are all liars and are not based in empirical data  3:37
• EMPIRICAL DATA:  Weirdos who have had lots of success (just to prove to your lizard brain that the gremlin is based on lies, and weird things get success too):
  • me!  With Genesis, among others
  • Empress Stah with Stargasm
  • The Great Fleeky Flanco 6:29
• You can expect a 5-10% response rate from cold solicitations (emails to casting@___.com type inboxes)  13:15
• Please stop trying to sound professional 14:38
• That response rate number above increases by 20% if you get a personal recommendation/introduction 16:00
• Before we ask if we're good enough for them, how about asking if they are good enough for you? 17:15
• Add to your Brag Book! 20:50

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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It had to be done.  Imma say it out loud.

• Listen to The Movement Maestro's podcast that inspired this one:  "Should you share your political views on social media?"  It's so good.
• The 4 Calls App 10:00
• Your life has VALUE 14:00
• The waitlist for The Audacity Project is open!  Enrolling this month! 
• There are still 2 spots left officially for Creatrix in May!

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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By request from my friend Lizzie who asks:  How to deal (or not) with people who don’t get it. It = circus, no longer wanting stability and pleasures of muggle life, wanting to train hard and achieve.

What you'll hear:

• Creatrix: Unleash the Muse is open and ready for you!  Information and application here. 2:20
• What it can look like when people just don't get it.  3:00
• "One half the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other" 
• Let them misunderstand you.  Let them.  5:30
• When you choose your boldness and your ambition, you could trigger the fuck out of somebody.  9:00
• If you can remember that their disapproval might be built on their own grief/anger/fear for you and your safety, it might be easier to understand them.  The good news is, you don't need them to understand you.  
• "If a person's behavior doesn't make sense to you, it's because you are missing a part of their context."  -Devon Price 12:00
• This really comes full circle from my very first episode:  Cheers!  to the irresponsible 16:00

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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Continuing from last week's conversation- I'm tackling the question from my girl Ali about "what to do about undercutting uuuugggghhhh"

What you'll hear:

• Avenues you can pursue to make a living wage as a performer without doing anything else 1:15
• On last week's episode- flipping the script
• Subject #1:  UNDERCUTTING.  What it is and why it happens.  2:50
• Why it doesn't happen in other industries the way it does in the freelance performance gig industry 4:00
• Two frustrating truths about how to handle undercutting: 7:00
  • #1:  The ONLY action I can confidently say actually works to confront undercutting in your community is having the conversations with the people doing it.
  • #2:  Why it will continue to happen even if you are having these conversations. 8:30
• Ask me how I know (it was me.  I was the problem, it's me.) 9:40
• The answer to the question- why did I create The Audacity Project?  11:15
  • You can learn more about it and sign up for the waitlist here
• What NOT to do about undercutting and wanting to be marketable 13:36
• The questions I do recommend asking yourself 15:30
• To those who say "I'm afraid of stepping on someone's toes" 17:30
• In closing...nearly every industry I observe is built to exploit those who engage with it.  We can know that and we can still have excellent lives in integrity 19:30
• Creatrix is open to the public!  I would love to guide you towards the thing that is most authentic to you as an artist, and teach you some witchcraft while we're at it.  21:30

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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I've been putting this episode off for a while because it's DENSE.  It's a bit of a bite-sized master class in this subject, according to me.  All my gratitude to the 100+ artists who have talked with me about this in my career, and especially to TaiTai for asking the question:  "How to leave my fucking morning job without having plan B and I still have bills to pay."

What you'll hear:

• A question for you:  "Why did you get into this/what do you want to get out of it?" 2:00
• It's not WORSE.  It's just DIFFERENT. 8:50
• When you workin, you ain't trainin.  Why it's difficult to upskill at the same time you are working 10:23
• I highly recommend you buy this book (available on a sliding scale, including for free!) by Andrew Simonet:  Making Your Life as an Artist.  Scroll down on this page to see the sliding scale options!! 11:00
• Ok, after all that and you still want to perform full time, here is some actionable advice 15:00
  • #1:  Have 6-12 months of your living expenses saved (I recommend all humans have 3 months at all times)
  • #2:  All savings accounts should be high yield savings accounts with 3.5% interest or more
  • #3:  Get rid of your credit card debt, it's too expensive 17:50
    • Get Ramit's book I Will Teach You to be Rich to learn how to do this, and much more cool shit that will help you.
  • #4:  Know your non-negotiables and make good note of them.  They will dictate the parameters in which you can explore opportunities.
  • #5:  Find out how much your life cost per month 20:00
  • #6:  Familiarize yourself with the Profit First System.  Here is a spreadsheet you can make a copy of and use!  23:00
    • Here are some suggested percentages to get you started (they are on the spreadsheet, and you can change them according to your needs):
      • 50% profit/owner's pay goes to you, to pay for groceries, clothing, Netflix, etc.
      • 30% goes to business expenses like training, costumes, travel to gigs, scheduling software, etc.  (I just leave this 30% in my business checking account)
      • 5% to all purpose savings (in a high yield savings account of course)
      • 15% to another high yield savings account with which to pay your taxes.
      • If you need pro help, Sandi York is THE BEST and very familiar with creative businesses.  She was the source for the profit first spreadsheet I shared above.  24:44
  • #7:  TALK TO PEOPLE.  Use your mentors.  Get a mentor.  Please do not skip this step.  There is no reason whatsoever that you should suffer unnecessarily when we could save you some grief.
  • #8:  Have your shit together (website, bio, demo, headshots, etc)
• Speaking of making a website, that's exactly what The Audacity Project is for!  I'm enrolling cycle 28 in February.  The best place to know about it is the waitlist, which you can find here!  28:00
• A review of all the actionable advice 29:00
• Creatrix is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!  come play in the warmth with me!

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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What you'll hear:

• Creatrix is open to the waitlist!  It will open to the public January 20th.  You can click here for details and questions are always welcome.  You can DM me on Instagram or Patreon.  2:00
  • full disclosure, there's no plans to hold another Creatrix retreat at this time.
• Question from Rachel:  why I sign off with "Don't go back to sleep."  The story behind it 3:10
• The first Patreon post where I mention "Don't go back to sleep."
• The poem itself, you can read here 6:00
• "Know thyself (and act accordingly)" 7:15
• What I am suggesting by this sign off 9:30
• Question from Kate:  How do you create (and keep) the time you set aside for creative work? If I don't do my morning pages actually in the morning, they get steamrolled by the day. Even when an artist date is scheduled on my calendar I sometimes find myself prioritizing other people (who I love and cherish) over my artist date or morning pages or creative exploration time, etc. 10:00
• An experiment you can try next time you have the opportunity to defend your boundaries around your creative time 13:29
• Question from Michelle:  How to support another artist thru rejection/disappointment? 16:30
• What to say to them that could actually be helpful 18:30
• What NOT to say lol 20:00
• What you can ask when your friend is ready to move forward from the grief stage after a disappointment 21:38

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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By request from Rachael via Instagram (what's up Rachael!) asking me to discuss the uncomfortable state of being obsessed/in love with something but not yet good at it.

What you'll hear:

• Creatrix applications are official open to waitlist!  Click here to get a reminder (I'll notify you if the spaces have been filled).
• How the discomfort between being a beginner and having high standards of excellent can manifest 2:26
• There are no shortcuts to development, and if there were, I'd advise against it 3:50
• Ambition is precious, and should be honored while it's breathing fire 4:25
• How this cognitive dissonance between where I was and where i wanted to be manifested for me when I was a beginning 6:00
• How to actively celebrate that which you already have on the table- make a brag list! 9:00
• How to include the AND while acknowledging your gremlins 12:00
• What an absolute fuckin legend you are for pursuing your love in spite of your gremlins 13:30
• If you want to read the full story about Agnes de Mille and Martha Graham, you can do that here. 
• How you can deal if someone dismisses you when you tell them what you want 20:30

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel
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