“Saying ‘Thanks’ not only acknowledges appreciation for some act in the past and/or what we have now, it is also a powerful force for shaping the future.”
~ Bill Crawford
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The Power of Thanks
Given that this installment of my weekly newsletter is happening around Thanksgiving of 2015, I thought I would take this opportunity to speak to a component of “giving thanks” that is often overlooked, and that is how this expression of gratitude shapes our future.
The example I’m thinking of is my new focus on helping college students (and especially those students who are in the performing and visual arts) deal with stress and anxiety. All of this began a little over a year ago when I offered to present my material on stress to the theater department at Texas State University. My youngest son, Nik, is a BFA acting student there, and given the amount of stress inherent in becoming a performing artist (the auditions, rejection, uncertain future, etc.), I offered to present a master class on my philosophy that shows people how to deal with their stress by understanding and influencing how their brains process information.
While I did expect the students and faculty to enjoy my material, I was not prepared for the overwhelming outpouring of enthusiasm and appreciation. Here are some of their responses.
When Dr. Crawford came and talked to us, I sat in the room absolutely infatuated with what he had to say and the wisdom he gave us. I think that his class is one that should be heard by people everywhere. I feel inspired to change my life, to change my connections, to connect deeper, to let go of things and people causing me pain, and to realize fully the important aspects of my life. — Elizabeth Brady, Texas State University
Dr. Crawford, I wanted to THANK YOU for the amazing gift you gave to our Musical Theater students at Rider University with your workshop on stress and life. The student’s responses the next day in class were so positive. Inspiring, fun, informative… a necessity for any young artist! Thank you! — Robin Lewis, Dept. of Theater and Dance, Westminster College of the Arts at Rider University
On Saturday, September 6th, 2014, my life was changed. Dr. Bill Crawford came in and handed me the essentials to living life on a silver platter. — Anna Uzele, Texas State University
So I think I can speak for most of us when I say this workshop was NEEDED at this time in our lives. For my sake, I needed help… advice that I could not only understand, but truly connect with and APPLY in my life. So, what did I take from it? It’s all science. Once we can see that, then we can LEARN HOW TO IMPROVE! We have a lot of power to influence who we want to be. — Maggie Bera, Texas State University
When I first invited Dr. Bill Crawford to speak to the theater department at Texas State, I knew there was a real need for students in the arts to learn better ways to manage their stress and anxiety. What I couldn’t imagine, however, was the powerful impact this master class would have on our students, and our program. To this day they continue to rave at how much they learned, and the degree to which this material has not only helped them deal with stress, but actually changed their lives. — Laura Lane, Head of Acting, Texas State University
Holy cow… the master class with Dr. Crawford absolutely blew my mind. What I loved was that I was able to walk out of the seminar with a tangible list of things to start working on. — Emma Hearn, Texas State University
Dear Dr. Crawford – You changed my life. That’s the simplest that I can put it! — John Brantley III, Texas State University
Listening to Dr. Bill Crawford speak to us this Saturday was four of the most valuable hours I’ve spent in college to date. — Adria Swan, Texas State University
This is a small sample of the over 14 multi-paged papers and 37 thank-you notes that I received from the students. Plus, Kaitlin Hopkins, (Head of Musical Theater) and Jim Price (Head of Dramatic Writing) were so taken by the experience and the way their students responded that they have made it their mission for artists everywhere to have access to this material.
As a result, I have written three new books in less than a year, and thanks to Kaitlin’s recommendations, I have gone on to share my material with the Musical Theater Educator’s Alliance Conference in New York City, Carnegie Mellon University, Rider University, The Relativity School in LA, Otterbein University, Ohio Northern University, and Shenandoah Conservatory.
In other words, their “Thanks” has given my work an entirely new focus, and resulted in my reaching a brand new audience. Therefore, let us certainly take the opportunity for “Thanksgiving,” or offers to express our appreciation and gratitude to those we love, and… let’s also look for opportunities to carry this beyond the holidays and allow our appreciation to create the future. Who knows… it may do more than lift a spirit, it may change a life!
Take care and God bless, Dr. Bill