What relationship challenges did we face? Were we communicating effectively? Were we candid and open in our communication? Did we take care to check out assumptions with each other?
Communication with my mentor has been slightly difficult as far as scheduling goes as both of us have very full, busy schedules. As we have not been able to meet as often as we would like, our relationship has faced some challenges. However, Mandy and I have both been communicating effectively with one another, and we are on good terms. She has been very helpful in helping me decide what exactly I want to do, so now the next part is up to me to do on my own. Once I have chosen all five of my monologues (my next step after completing research), I will meet with Mandy to develop them further. In my very first meeting with Mandy, we sat down with one another and discussed the project and where I could go with it as well as her experiences in the area. I believe that this discussion has really helped to shape our relationship into something healthy and strong. I appreciate Mandy taking the time to do that with me. This first meeting was also a time to clarify any assumptions that we’d both made about the project and combine them into something that we were both happy with. This communication “set the stage” for the entire project as well as for my relationship with Mandy. I’m grateful it went well.
What logical challenges affected our communication? What factors affected our ability to interact effectively?
As I mentioned before, setting meeting times with my mentor has been tricky since we both have enormous schedules. However, even though we have not been meeting face to face, Mandy and I have made sure to communicate through email about my progress and how far I am getting. Obviously, a face to face meeting is much preferred, but Mandy has been very involved and supportive of my work throughout this process so far. Our relationship has not been suffering.
What learning challenges emerged? What did I do to hold myself accountable for the learning?
As I have already researched some different types of acting and monologues, I am finding slightly challenging to choose all five of my monologues. My mentor recommended that these monologues should match my age range and be able to relate to me and my experiences. Although I figured this would be easy and straightforward, I am now finding it difficult to find pieces that I can connect to and that seem interesting. As well, it’s tricky to find monologues that leave some room for interpretation and creativity. In order to hold myself accountable for my learning, I plan to spend a certain amount of time every day to simply sit down and try out different monologues. I can also ask my mentor for help with these choices if I get really stuck with a particular type of monologue. I’m doing my best to be efficient throughout this first process.