Afraid to perform in front of an audience? Well, sometimes the message you want to convey surpasses the fear
Paulina Martinez
Exploring the challenges and opportunities of human connection—and the power of language—in the digital age. ? | Educator, storyteller, and multidisciplinary thinker in multiple languages. Swedish, Spanish, or English.
Why would you expose yourself to be looked at? And face the risk of being judged and assessed? I once refused to perform. It was in middle school- every class was supposed to enter the stage together and sing a silly little song before the summer break. I didn’t do it. Then it was too much to ask of myself – I barely spoke in class, to sing in front of the whole school. No, thank you.
On my twentieth birthday, I got blasé. I didn’t care about what other people thought of me, at least not the way I did back in middle school. And then something happened. With the support of my parents and a gentle push on their part – I applied to the music conservatory. I had taken voice and piano lessons for a couple of years. But this meant working on my voice professionally and performing in front of an audience.
Every Friday evening we would give concerts, nothing fancy, an opera aria in front of our fellow students and voice teachers. I was a nervous wreck but I had to do it. There was no other way.
But why? Why would I do that to myself? Expose me like that, given my past?
The answer is music, and the profound impact it had on me. I truly believe that music healed me and made me come out of my shell. It lifted me and gave me confidence. But there’s more. It allowed for my voice to develop, and I’m not just talking about my physical voice but my inner voice that expresses who I am. I believe we all have a voice – we need it to express ourselves but we don’t always find a way to do it. If there is anyone out there remotely similar to me, and the person I was, then that person is not speaking up.
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My physical voice was the medium for my inner voice. I unlocked myself through the unlocking of my voice.
There’s a message to be told. We all have a purpose and we need our voices to share that purpose. The message exceeds the fear of being seen, judged, and assessed. That’s why I’ve chosen a new path for myself. My purpose is to help people find that voice and express their message. It′s not about me, or you. It’s about being human and using our voices to convey our messages and our purpose here on earth. Whatever it might be.
There is a message inside wanting to be told.
Let’s unlock it.