We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Madeleine Blossom. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Madeleine below.
Hi Madeleine, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
I had to find a way to quiet that voice telling me that I couldn’t do it. I would look in a mirror and tell myself all the reasons I am qualified, all the reasons why I deserve the be in the room my imposter syndrome tells me I shouldn’t even be able to open the door to. And if I can’t shut that voice off completely, I try to find a way to bring it into the conversation and confront it with the truth of the situation. The voice says I can’t do it? I say okay well let’s put that to the test. If I can’t do it, I can’t do it, but there’s a higher likelihood that it might actually work out given my skills and the effort I’ve put in. And if I don’t try it’s an immediate, 100% chance of it not happening.
I do whatever I can to arm myself with the knowledge and resources of whatever work it is I’m doing. If I’m gearing up for my first day of rehearsal on a major contract where my imposter sydrome keeps telling me I don’t belong, I do everything I can in my prep week to prove that voice wrong. I arm myself with all the paperwork and research so when I walk in on that first day, I’m not fumbling for anything. I even sometimes will type out my intro speech with each bullet point of information I need to share so I don’t stumble over my words or forget anything. The higher my level of preparation, the quieter the imposter syndrome’s voice! And also, if for some reason that imposter syndrome is right and I do fail, I know I have tried everything I absolutely can. People can’t say it’s because I didn’t try. And usually with the amount of prep work I arm myself with, anything that would be considered a ‘failure’ is really more of a bump in the road or a learning curve I get to use to make myself even better moving forward.
I finally learned that everyone has some level of imposter syndrome, literally everyone. Even the most bold, confident, outgoing people who seem to have everything put together perfectly. In my opinion, the more put together someone seems, the higher the likelihood of them having some form of imposter syndrome.
No matter your career path, there are always going to be moments you feel you’re behind or you’re not on track like others. Comparison constantly corrupts any notion of excitement and wonder, especially in the arts. But everyone I look up to has been in my shoes at some point in their life. I know that my journey is my own personal journey and no one will ever have the exact same path, and that’s what makes life interesting!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a Production Stage Manager, working freelance in New York City. I’ve worked for a handful of really incredible companies over the past 4-5 years, and I had that pleasure of joining New Light Theater Project’s Collective, where I’ve done four shows now in less than 2 years. Each show I work on brings me to new, inspiring people, which leads to new theatrical adventures all over the city. I might even have a chance to work with a group in Edinburgh this summer, if the timing works out! I am also back for my second time at 59E59 Theaters working in Theater B for their Brits Off Broadway Festival this season, which is looking like a great group of plays coming over from England that I am beyond excited for!
I want to focus on my Stage Management career and keep building my resume towards larger and larger contracts. I’ve been so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to work on multiple Off-Broadway contracts, and I am itching to branch out and go even bigger. The main dream is a long running Broadway show, in any role within the Stage Management department. I know it’ll happen one day, I just have to keep putting in the work and showing up for myself and know that I belong in this industry and amongst these incredible artists. I love the development of new work, from first rehearsal to opening night to the final curtain. Theatre has stolen my soul and I don’t think I will ever get it back, but that’s fine! I’m happy and fulfilled in the art I’m fortunate enough to make, and I am thrilled to see what comes next.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Kindness, compassion, organization. Any stage manager has to be able to, very basically, do two things: lead a company, and keep that company on track. Obviously there are a lot more nuances to that, but at the end of the day you have to be good with people and paperwork. One without the other and things will fall apart. -My organizational skills have grown and developed over the years, but my attention to detail and ability to see the whole scope of a project even when working piece by piece have been life savers. When leading production meetings and hearing from all different departments, I have to take that knowledge into the rehearsal room and make sure the actors understand what will be happening all around them. The smallest change in anything can have a major impact and it’s a lot of balls to juggle. I use a lot of post-it notes and I even use a paper calendar, and I try to set aside time every day to go through my emails, make a list of what I need to accomplish that day, and make sure I’m not missing anything from the day before. I love my Microsoft Suite of toys: Word, Excel, I’ve even been known to make the occasional PowerPoint. Anything and everything that helps keep me, and in subsequent my company, on track!
-The compassion comes intertwined with the people part of the job. This is a very strenuous and very vulnerable work we do as artists, and we meet a lot of different people from all different walks of life. Compassion is key for meeting people where they are at, and understanding different types of communication styles, different learning styles. If you can have compassion for everyone in the room, you can make sure that everyone is included and supported how they need to be in order to thrive in the room and make the best art possible.
-Kindness is not just job by job related. Kindness has to be the overarching skill or quality that we take throughout our lives. Sometimes the briefest of encounters can have the most lasting impacts, and if there is ever an option to be kind, be kind. I believe that the universe supports us and takes care of us, in whatever way that may look to you, but if you put kindness into the world you will receive it back.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
First, take a breath. Second, if you can, go pet something fluffy/furry/scaly that maybe purrs or licks your face for comfort. Drink some water, go for a run, blast some music, anything to remind you that you are alive and you will get through whatever it is that is overwhelming you. Once you’ve had a chance to breath and step back, get productive. Make a list. Whether that’s a pro/con list of whatever decision overwhelms you, or a step-by-step list of what you are going to do to overcome the mound of items on your to-do list. Call a friend, or your mom. If you feel like crying, cry. Don’t hold back. You have to process all the feelings of the “overwhelm” before you can move on.
My mother always has two phrases she loves to tell me when I call her in a frenzy of overwhelm:
1. Nothing is permanent, except death and taxes. Whatever this is, you can fix it or get out of it.
2. The only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. What’s your first bite?
It seems overwhelming because you are staring directly at the problem. If you think back to any of the things in your past that overwhelmed you, how big do those problems look now that you’re months or years away from it? Anxiety is normal and something we are built to handle, we just have to be kind to our bodies and our brains and ease ourselves down from the panic to get to the logic we all have underneath. Only then can we achieve whatever we set our minds to!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.MadeleineBlossom.com
- Instagram: @StageStruck13
Image Credits
These photos all belong to me, except for the one where I am fixing the belt on the actor dressing in white with the animal hat on. That photo was taken by David Anthony. I have permission to use the photo.
