An Introvert in an Extrovert World

Greetings friends! How are you holding together? What are you missing most? What is the first thing you are going to do when you are out of quarantine? I have seen these questions posted all over Social Media and I have tried to think about this for myself. .. What do I miss most? Well, to be honest, I feel pretty at home, at home... I love the consistent schedule, I love being able to work on my personal art and go for walks with my son. I love going to my own space at the end of the day and drinking in the calm and quiet. All that sure makes me sound like an introvert. Which begs the question - How did an introvert, wall-holder-upper at parties, socially-awkward-cringer at the prospect of engaging in small talk, carer-a-little-too-much what other people think of her, crier-at-the-drop-of-a-hat person become a performer?? How do I find myself in the situation of being one of the lead performers of Artrageous, one of the main speakers on stage, one of the people that does the TV and Radio interviews to promote the show?

Well, I believe the answer is - I found my passion. I found the thing that I was meant to do. I wouldn't naturally put myself in the situation of being on stage in front of a large crowd but once I experienced the power of connecting through the arts with amazing humans that come to our shows, with the incredibly service oriented people that run the theatre's and that are behind the scenes... I knew that I had to find a way to get out of my own way. Artrageous has this cool way of making you feel safe. Making it okay to be goofy, to try something new and to participate in ways you never thought you could or would... for both the audience and the performers.

The show has this magical feel of you're not quite the same person walking out as you were when you walked in. The way it brings people together through participating together in a celebration of arts which raise your vibration, your energy and your clarity, made me realize that I need more of that! I need that sense of belonging to this misfit group. I need that sense of satisfaction that I feel every time someone says "I had such a good time". I need that feeling of being included in something a little grander than myself. Something that I can share with a whole boat load of people that feel the exact same way. I think experiences like Artrageous take us out of being something that makes us feel small and shoots us head first into something that we can connect to together. Even if we don't really have the words for it, we know the feeling. And it's powerful! It's belonging and seeing in living colour! Have you ever heard the term Extroverted Introvert? It's someone who is naturally an Introvert (aka - all the things I described earlier) but can become an Extrovert in a situation if they have too. Well, I believe that is what Artrageous gives me and maybe even those people who after a show, said - "I never thought I would ever dance on stage but here I am.” There's a power in doing things together, to stepping out of your comfort zone of trying on a new character or role that you may never have seen yourself in and I think that translates through the energy that is created on an Artrageous stage.

I feel such gratitude in getting to experience this every day on tour. I am eternally grateful that this "job" has given me the opportunity to travel to some amazing places and has connected me with people that I now hold so dear in my heart and can call my friends. It is a bond that I could not have found down any other avenue but the avenue of a common shared space of creating something together through music, through art, through pushing the boundaries of participation. So, to Artrageous I say, thank you for turning me into an Extroverted Introvert (but mostly Introvert) because I have ultimately found my passion in connecting with you through this magical tool called the arts. And here I find myself - an Introvert living in an Extrovert World. Artfully yours, Lauri Let's be email Pals! I want to know about you!

Tell me about yourself... Do you find yourself to be more of an Introvert or Extrovert? Have you found the thing that you were born to do? What do the Arts mean to you? Is it important for you to connect with others that share your passion?