Social media is your stage
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It’s the first day in the studio — 24th February 2020. Unknowingly, moments before COVID-19 kicked off, changing how we live in a way no one was ever prepared for. ​ My team has been intentionally assembled: Producer, dramaturg, music producer, and two dancers. ​ The £10k funding from the Arts Council (plus a few grand from other arts organisations), is neatly tucked away in my bank account — waiting to be paid out to the creatives in my 2-week R&D project. ​ I was developing a new piece of hip-hop dance theatre work: The Emancipation of Cain. A reimagining of the biblical story of Cain and Abel, told through movement, music and spoken word. ​ If you’re unfamiliar with the story, here’s a lil breakdown… ​ Cain and Abel are brothers (the children of Adam and Eve). Cain is a farmer. Abel is a shepherd. Both make sacrifices to God. Abel’s is accepted with open (spirit-like) arms. ​ Cains? ​ Rejected. ​ Leaving him bitter. Jumping with jealousy. Full of rage — ready to kill. ​ So that’s exactly what he did. ​ As a result? ​ Cain is cursed by God. Marked for protection. Banished from his presence to the Land of Nod. A wanderer. Alone. He then goes on to build the city of Enoch. ​ This story has universal themes that I wanted to explore through the body in movement: ​ Masculinity. Emotional awareness. Death. Brotherhood. Jealousy. The consequences of actions. I also wanted to understand, and artistically depict what might have been going through the mind of Cain, as a man labelled as the first murderer in human history. ​ I’ve danced for over 20 years. Performed on stages worldwide with fellow dance artists and well-known performing artists. I loved every moment of it. ​ The opportunity to express myself without words. The process of learning the steps, then performing them. Challenging myself physically, mentally and emotionally. The ability to make money from doing something I’m passionate about. ​ Whilst to non-dancers, it might look like the dancers' lifestyle is all glitz and glamour. It really isn’t... ​ Being a dancer is an extremely demanding (and often inconsistent) job. It takes its toll on you physically, mentally, and, emotionally. You build a thick skin. Your colleagues are also your competition. ​ You don’t have a “regular working week.” You don’t know when you’ll land your next job. You don’t always know when you’ll get paid for the job you did (especially when there is an agent involved). And, if you don’t work? Well. You don’t get paid. ​ After my ankle injury and welcoming my son into the world in 2013, I stopped dancing as much as I was. Life drastically changed. ​ I got engaged. Had a nervous breakdown. Moved to Mallorca. Then, separated from my fiancé months later. I moved back to the UK and felt like I hit the restart button on my life, which literally felt like some sort of weird VR simulation that I couldn't escape. ​ Reflecting on the events of that period between 2013-2016... ​ I was lost. ​ But, I eventually found my voice again through what I loved the most. ​ Movement. ​ Moving my body was and always has been a form of expression. It was a way to get back to me after being lost for so long. I wanted to tell stories. But what I didn’t realise was that in order to tell stories to others, I had to go deep — exploring the stories within myself. ​ The Story Of Self​ “The deeper you go into yourself, the more universal you become.” — Carl Jung
​ An R&D period is about experimenting. Playing. Exploring. Seeing what works and what doesn’t. At the end of the 2 weeks, you should have something to share with a small audience. Gain feedback to take on to the next stage of development. ​ If you want to see behind the scenes of what we created — you can watch here. ​ My dramaturg, Maxwell Golden, had the role of making the best out of this piece of work in development. Gaining clarity on the narrative arc for resonance and understanding for the audience. Creating a dance between how much we give to the audience vs how much work the audience puts in, to understand the piece of work. ​ Great dance theatre work, like a lot of art, doesn’t just give all the answers to you on a plate. That would be boring. No fun. No excitement. As a consumer, you also have a part to play in the emergence of the story you are watching unfold. ​ In the studio, we explored various theatrical games. Priming us for character and movement development. ​ Whilst I had already started imagining what this piece of work might look like in my mind. I didn’t realise where I’d have to go to bring what was dancing in my mind to the stage. ​ I had to go deep. ​ For those 2 weeks, I wasn’t Mike. I was Cain. My being deeply intertwined with the artistic archetype of a young murderer. As soon as I’d step into the studio. I was energetically transported to the time and space he occupied. I was him. And, I was Mike. Both at the same time. ​ I unearthed painful real-life memories from my experiences in my past relation and time in Mallorca to breathe life into my character. The death scene (where I kill Abel)… Yeah, that was the most challenging. ​ I remember letting out a gut-wrenching scream with tears running down my face as I held the body of my dead brother every time I got to that section. It was truly a journey of artistic and personal discovery. ​ Sidenote: No. I’ve never killed anyone. But I’ve seen several dead bodies at funerals. I guess this helped to get into the character even more. ​ Our imaginations are powerful. We can go into our minds, imagine a scene or experience (lived or made up), and embody it in real time. Literally, the art of somatics playing out in the studio years before I trained as a somatic coach. ​ Since I started exploring the online one-person business model in 2023, I’ve come to realise this: ​ Social media is your stage. ​ You can choose to perform: ​ Chase likes. Please the algorithm. Fit yourself into frameworks that have always been too small for your bigness. Showcasing a perfect representation of who you are — because you were led to believe, like many of us, that perfection sells. ​ Or, you can choose to use it as a potent portal: ​ For intentional growth. For yourself. And, for those you are of service to. ​ And, just like my 2-week process in the studio. ​ Building an online one-person business invites you to go deep. Not to breathe life into an imagined character. But, to breathe life into the business you’re building. ​ To uncover your truths, stories, and lessons. ​ To uncover you. ​ The raw, imperfect, “I’m still tryna figure it out as I go along” version of you. ​ Your next client doesn’t want a performance. Keep that for the physical stage. ​ Your next client wants your presence. ​ We are in a time where we all have access to a digital stage. But, the unfortunate thing is that thousands of people are sounding the same. Everyone is following a script given to them from the digital directors that they look up to on a pedestal. We have the rise of AI. Churning out posts in “your voice” in seconds. ​ Meanwhile, we’re scared to share our true voice. We’re scared to drop the mask. Come out of character and reveal who we truly are underneath our conventional costumes. ​ Doing so is scary. It takes bravery. It takes inner work. ​ This is the exact place I’ve been finding myself over the last few weeks. ​ Going deep within. Honouring my truth more and more every day. Having difficult conversations. Having profound realisations. ​ And as a result, being more truthful in my words — both spoken and written (I hope). ​ There is a lightness felt when you finally release the heaviness of trying to act. You can let go. The best performances I’ve had have been the moments where I fully surrender to the moment. I’ve done the rehearsals. I’ve learned the lines. I’ve tried on the costume. ​ Now, it’s time to hit the stage as you… ​ The stage is calling. ​ The spotlight is ready. Not to massage your ego, but to elevate. You, and those you connect with. ​ But, right now, you’re hovering somewhere around the wings — stage left or stage right. Not quite sure if you want to step out on stage this time and reveal who you truly are to your audience. ​ Trust me. You aren’t alone... ​ I often second-guess myself before hitting send on a post: ​ Is this too honest? Some people might unfollow me — maybe I shouldn’t send it. I don’t know if I’ve got my point across ​ If these questions are coming up. I know what I’ve written needs to be sent. I know that this is the message that needs to be received by just one person. Whether they let me know or not. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we share our truth. That we give space for our voices to be heard, even if it shakes. ​ Attention Is Currency For The ArtistPeople aren’t paying to see you perform on social media. They’re paying to see what you present. And, they're paying first with their attention, not their money. The exchange of money comes later as a connection has been formed. ​ If you’re a heart-centred, ambitious, creative entrepreneur, you don’t have an audience of digital theatre goers. You have an audience of truth seekers. People in your audience who are seeking a deeper level of meaning to make sense of their world by being in yours. ​ As the artist, it is your invitation to present your ideas rather than perform. ​ Present your ideas, beliefs, values, and your offer. Present who you are. So that when people see the work you offer, they will feel a connection with you. Inviting them into your world. ​ This is what allows them to see themselves in you. To feel heard and understood. ​ Because you aren’t just a content creator. Or a coach who creates content. You, by nature, are a creator. Therefore, you're an artist. ​ After my R&D process of The Emanciptation of Cain, I came to realise this personal truth: ​ Cain and Abel isn't a story about a brother killing his brother. It's about Cain, killing a part of himself. It's just depicted in a story with the other part of himself being personified in Abel. It's an allegorical and universal narrative. ​ What part of yourself are you killing or not willing to accept? ​ I invite you to step onto the stage, because you aren’t meant to stand on the sides. ​ You're meant to share your truth. And, you can only do so when you're ready to reveal the truth of who you are. ​ Keep creating your art. The right audience will find you. ​ Reflective Prompts:​
​ As always — thank you for reading. ​ Big love & gratitude. ​ Coach Mike ​ Whenever you're step on stage, get personalised support and level up without burning yourself out — here's how I can help:
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