Susan Chakmakian

Desire and Talent

admin — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:17:32 +0000

Back when I was in my last year in college, I was starting to go out to some auditions and struggling as new performers do with the confidence of getting somewhere. I didn’t want to compare myself to others because I know talent is unique to the person. Yet I was being judged at every audition; not just for talent but for whether I fit a costume, whether I had the right color hair, etc. I had a voice teacher who told me something that has “stuck” in my head. He said, “it’s 99% drive and 1% talent.” As a voice teacher now, I see young singers struggle with this everyday.

I see young singers who really think they can rest on a pretty voice. Yes they might be talented but there are a lot of pretty voices out there. You’ll find it’s a harsh reality that you might be a good singer and everyone liked you in the talent show, but in the bigger scheme of things you are not a very dynamic performer. So what makes you different? Do you make that work for you? Are you moving and exciting to watch? The 1% talent really has to be developed to the full 1%. So, what else is necessary?

There are young performers who have talent and there are young performers who really want it, badly. Talent definitely gets you close but it’s the drive and persistence that takes you to the next level. There are just so many talented singers out there who might fit the bill. Aspiring singers see their “American Idols” and want to be like them without an inkling of how much effort it really takes. Do you have the desire? How much do you really want this and how hard will you work at it? Can you withstand disappointment? Can you take the pressure?

If I was to tell anyone who wants a music career any bit of advice, I would tell them the same thing that I was told years ago with this little bit extra. Know your craft and develop your talent everyday so you can have confidence when you walk into that audition or when you present yourself in front of an audience. But mostly, search yourself for the desire and drive to move ahead no matter what the obstacles. If you get really clear on this, no matter what the result, you will not have any regrets. You will always know you did your best, whether you are successful or you decide this career is not for you after all.

Personality Tests

admin — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:16:45 +0000

Have you tried these tests? I’d love to know what you think.

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm

How to sing a song

admin — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:16:07 +0000

Years ago, I received this really great outline for How to Sing a Song. It’s such a great tool because many singers don’t take apart their performance to this degree. But it’s so necessary to be detailed about things like, “Who are you?” and “Why you are singing this song at this time?” to get the best performance.

Please email me if you would like copy of this outline!!

So you want to be a therapist…

admin — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 07:14:53 +0000

So many people who embark on a career in psychotherapy/counseling of some sort have the altruistic notion that this is all about helping others. Sure, that’s why we are drawn to it. We tell ourselves that we have gone through so much, so why not help others to not go through the same thing. It’s somewhere in this fog that we can lose the most important tools for helping others.

I’m not here to say this isn’t an amazingly rewarding profession. It is. Especially when we see amazing changes. But there’s a lot more to this counseling thing that goes unnoticed or that is blatantly ignored. What do you bring to the table? How are you the therapist ready to be a therapist?

It’s unrealistic to say that a person has to have all their issues resolved to do counseling work. But, if you are not constantly observing yourself and your interaction with others, how can you support anyone to better themselves? The challenges I see that are the most difficult are within the therapist.

Some therapists retreat into their clients world so they don’t have to enter their own. Have you observed the therapist who seems at wits end, using every trick in the bag to support a client? Or the therapist who is endlessly searching for services for clients? How about the therapist who doesn’t ask for help? or has their own challenging personal relationships? Or struggles with their personal and professional boundaries? I’m sure you’ve noticed more that I can even mention.

As therapists in training, we work on a lot of the issues we don’t want to project onto our clients. But we inevitably do project. That’s really okay, as long as we notice it, challenge ourselves and work it out in some way so we don’t continue to do that. But often as seasoned therapists we may consider this internal work is done and since we don’t have a supervisor challenging us, it can get swept under the rug.

What are your thoughts about the ongoing learning process of being a therapist?