Serendipitous find on humility and confidence

I have some students who  will be performing for the first time soon, and because I've witnessed issues in the past and discussed with other teachers who have had similar problems, I thought it was necessary to address the topic before it had a chance to become a problem. I of course am assuming the best about the students, but have seen too many times students who get "drunk" on the "stage high" and then stop being open to feedback. I just saw this link that Tiffany Boscner posted on facebook and checked out the link to the newsletter. without knowing it, hers was the first article I looked up! And it talks about what I was trying to convey to my students about performing, enjoying positive feedback, but remaining open to learning after!  this is what she said:

Humbleness and Confidence 

by Tiffany Bisconer

The idea is, in the world of creation, a choice between humbleness and confidence does not need to be made. The interplay between humbleness and confidence is a continuous balancing system apparent within the life of an artist. Humble confidence helps to keep an artist honest about their abilities, and assured enough to continue to put forth the effort inherent in creating. It also allows a person to be aware enough to know that being humble is what ensures continued growth.

Humbleness is thought to be reflective of a willingness to learn, to listen and a display of quiet compassion. To show humility is to admit to being human in an interconnected circuit of existence that is not simply isolated to one's own accomplishments, abilities and goals. Admitting mistakes is a positive side-effect of humbleness, a sign of humility that can allow an artist to overcome short-fallings and continue to improve their craft and ultimately refine their message. Humbleness is not weakness or self-depreciation; rather, it is truly wisdom in action.

To feel secure with a knowledge base after having worked hard to accomplish a level of mastery within a field, is a fundamental task towards the development of confidence. Confidence should not be confused with arrogance, ego, or a feeling of superiority. Confidence is belief in one's abilities. The more confident a person, the more capable of humbleness they become. The sacrifice of ego can open up doors of learning, which ultimately leaves a person open to the calls of inspiration that can motivate future work. Being as though art is created as a form of dialogue, the projection of true confidence can be a vehicle that drives an artist to succeed in communicating their vision.

When to be humble? When to be confident? Know that these are not opposing roles or conflicting concepts, they have the capability of being accomplished within the same moment. If a person believes in themselves and can bring forth the combination of confidence and humility, that interplay can be the most powerful sounding board in projecting an artist's intent. Ultimately, to have the most impact and to continue treading towards a higher level of work, confidence will need the support of humbleness each step of the way.

~Tiffany Bisconer is the founder and director of Beauty ConspiracyTM Artistry. She is a multi-faceted artist who finds her passion in cultivating creative thought and action in her own artistic path and in the lives of those she has the honor to work with.www.tiffanybisconer.com

Link to the article/newsletter (Creativity Calling)