Being Social
I have to say, stepping back into extroversion has turned out to be rather nice. I still remember to enjoy the sweet comfort of silence and solitude, but only so much at a time. Tonight, I realized that I had a free Saturday evening, and only all too late.
After working in Theatre and in Restaurants for so very long, I realized that I'm used to having my Saturday nights quite booked, whereas all the people I know who work 'normal' jobs tend to go out and have fun. (Even if fun is staying at home asleep, which is something I also enjoy.) Tonight, I decided that since I had the opportunity to have that life, I would.
Of course, since I had this revelation so late, most of my friends already had plans, and I feel rather awkward texting people saying: "Hey, what're you up to!?" I did, though, for better or for worse. Sure enough, most people had plans. I absolutely didn't want to intrude, so I let it slide.
Just as I was consigning myself to making a cup of tea and watching something awful on Netflix, I saw a tweet on my twitter feed.
The person in question is someone whom I'd only recently met (as in, past 6 months), and hadn't really gotten to know before outside of the intersections in our lives. So, an adventure it was! I replied on the twitter, and carted off to Silver Spring.
I realized just how fun it is to just sit down and talk with someone over a meal. I got to know Gwen a little better, even though we mostly talked about theatre and some of our more recent experiences. But, nevertheless, it was quite a nice little evening in a little wine-bar. (Naturally, none of my money deposited yesterday went through, so she graciously paid for everything. I owe her.)
But, I also booked next Saturday night to go get Chipotle and drinks with some friends from my last cast. It's very strange, going out and having a life. Also, being able to afford having a life. Also, having a life that doesn't involve working until everyone else is asleep, then going to a bar to lament the fact that my life is terrible. Mind you, it wasn't that dramatic, but it was part of the reason I went to TT Reynolds or Auld Shebeen EVERY NIGHT. You would too if you spent over twelve hours a day working in a restaurant.
Being social again is really nice, I've found. I find that I inherently need people, and making friends is something I'm good at. I'm really not that great at maintaining friendships, because I just tend to float around and do things, but I really do like having people around. Even if they don't know me as deeply as some people do, perhaps I don't need them to fulfill those needs. But I'm happy to have a cloud of friends with whom I can just go out and have fun. That's becoming somewhat helpful in life.
One of the most important aspects of being an artist is having experience. I think as I spend time with more people, I can go out and have a myriad of different experiences. Then, in turn, I can bring this loaded life story of mine to the stage, or to the paper, to help me flavour my art in a way that no one else can. Spending time with people helps me forge my uniqueness.
After working in Theatre and in Restaurants for so very long, I realized that I'm used to having my Saturday nights quite booked, whereas all the people I know who work 'normal' jobs tend to go out and have fun. (Even if fun is staying at home asleep, which is something I also enjoy.) Tonight, I decided that since I had the opportunity to have that life, I would.
Of course, since I had this revelation so late, most of my friends already had plans, and I feel rather awkward texting people saying: "Hey, what're you up to!?" I did, though, for better or for worse. Sure enough, most people had plans. I absolutely didn't want to intrude, so I let it slide.
Just as I was consigning myself to making a cup of tea and watching something awful on Netflix, I saw a tweet on my twitter feed.
The person in question is someone whom I'd only recently met (as in, past 6 months), and hadn't really gotten to know before outside of the intersections in our lives. So, an adventure it was! I replied on the twitter, and carted off to Silver Spring.
I realized just how fun it is to just sit down and talk with someone over a meal. I got to know Gwen a little better, even though we mostly talked about theatre and some of our more recent experiences. But, nevertheless, it was quite a nice little evening in a little wine-bar. (Naturally, none of my money deposited yesterday went through, so she graciously paid for everything. I owe her.)
But, I also booked next Saturday night to go get Chipotle and drinks with some friends from my last cast. It's very strange, going out and having a life. Also, being able to afford having a life. Also, having a life that doesn't involve working until everyone else is asleep, then going to a bar to lament the fact that my life is terrible. Mind you, it wasn't that dramatic, but it was part of the reason I went to TT Reynolds or Auld Shebeen EVERY NIGHT. You would too if you spent over twelve hours a day working in a restaurant.
Being social again is really nice, I've found. I find that I inherently need people, and making friends is something I'm good at. I'm really not that great at maintaining friendships, because I just tend to float around and do things, but I really do like having people around. Even if they don't know me as deeply as some people do, perhaps I don't need them to fulfill those needs. But I'm happy to have a cloud of friends with whom I can just go out and have fun. That's becoming somewhat helpful in life.
One of the most important aspects of being an artist is having experience. I think as I spend time with more people, I can go out and have a myriad of different experiences. Then, in turn, I can bring this loaded life story of mine to the stage, or to the paper, to help me flavour my art in a way that no one else can. Spending time with people helps me forge my uniqueness.