Happy December!!!

So, I’ve been working more hours at both my survival jobs lately in order to make that all important Christmas money. While both of these jobs are similar in that they both require me to overcome my social awkwardness, I want to mention the settings of both. For one, I’m in an enclosed space and am not required to do that much moving. This job, in a way, is the most similar to my previous survival job of choice as a restaurant hostess. For the other, I’m in the streets of NYC, sometimes at rush hour, trying to engage people in a big open space while using my voice and physicality. This job is the one where I’m most out of my comfort zone, as not only am I directly interacting with people, but I have to expand my focus to more than just one solitary point (which is a trait I’m told many Aspies share). Yet for the extreme differences in setting, I find it more interesting how these two jobs not only share certain characteristics, but also how they both challenge me in similar ways. First and most obviously, I have to interact with complete strangers and overcome my natural shyness, which is a big hurtle in and of itself. Second, I have to get people to stop and notice me, which besides being a difficulty for me personally, I think is a good way to practice for my acting as I have to utilise certain skills I wouldn’t use in real life. Last and most importantly, I have to deal with people rejecting me, sometimes in harsh ways, making it excellent for developing the thick skin necessary to survive in show biz.

–Lizzy