Never has a single cultural phenomenon defined our society as social media has. It has become a mainstay in the way we learn and interact with the world. It is a place to make friends, make money, see and be seen. For the performing artist, it could be our gateway to the world. So much more so in 2020 - when social media has become - for many - the ONLY way to stay connected to the world.
And yet many performing artists I know struggle with how to wield social media. I know I have. Many have a love-hate relationship with it - wanting the exposure, the connections and the validation but not the criticism; wanting to be in-the-know one month and deleting their accounts the next only to come back the following month.
I made a couple of decisions early on in my performing arts career on how to wield social media in a sustainable and healthy way:
1) I do not live my life on social media - other than declaring my undying love for fried chicken
2) When I do use social media, it will be as an extension of the work I do in person
3) I retain full autonomy over who I am connected to on social media and what people post on my social media platforms
4) I create a presence on social media that is congruent with who I am in real life, but who I am on social media is not all I am
5) I do not rely on social media for personal or professional validation
In doing so, I become “unmessable with”.
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My name is Eu Jin. I embarked on a career as a professional actor after 20 years in the corporate world. I am a big advocate of personal growth in the performing arts. I dedcate time and energy in performing arts education, specifically in the arena of practical approaches to inner health because I believe that this lays the groundwork for a sustainable career as an artiste.
If you would like to engage in a conversation about a healthy inner life practice, please leave me a message on the "Contact" page of my website and a way to contact you. Thank you.