Nerves are natural
creative safe places & performance tips
I have a long relationship with nerves. For me they apply to just about everything. In writing, this includes worrying about organising events, how my work will be received, getting up on stage…
Creating Safe spaces
I’m going to concentrate mostly on the nerves that come with reading/performing. But before I do so, I’m going to emphasise how natural it is to feel some nerves and also therefore about the importance of retaining some creative safe places. By safe spaces in this context, I mean ensuring that your creative practice includes sufficient amounts of unstressed time/work. Typically, this might be doing things that you can relax into, things that give you energy, things that you enjoy whole-heartedly, or at least almost whole-heartedly.
For me, for example, that includes the ‘in the zone’ total absorption/attention part of writing/creating itself. This has a tendency to be strongest in the ‘initial inspiration’ phase. Sometimes that happens naturally. If it doesn’t, then signing up for a workshop, other people’s prompts or competition/journal themes can be a good way of self-generating this. [You may end up with something that you want to enter/submit. But that isn’t the aim. The aim is simply to generate enjoyment, with any potential new work you can use being a bonus.]
Personally, I can also get this in the self-editing process, but only if the editing is satisfying. Again, for me, this typically means when the self-editing has produced something which I feel is a marked improvement. As it’s hard to predict which edits will do that, this isn’t a reliable safe space.
Another safe space for me is reading. And this again can also provide inspiration for my own new work – in other words, a win-win!
You may already know what your creative safe spaces are, but if you don’t, this might be a good point to identify them.
Easing performance nerves
Nerves are a natural part of getting up in front of people and talking. To some extent, they’re there to help – to keep you alert, fire you up, give energy/aliveness/enthusiasm. But if the level of nerves is so uncomfortable that it puts you off doing it, there are some techniques that may help.
My first tip on this front is to consider adopting a poet persona, or the objective distance that such a persona can give. When I get up on stage, I try to do so through the mindset that the person reading/performing isn’t me but ‘poet me’.
A second tip is to take some time to work out what will help build your confidence. The first reading I ever did ended up being twice as long as it was meant to be because I only practised how long it took me to read the poems in my head, not how long it took me to read them aloud, with some short introductions at the start.
I’ve never made that mistake again. I take care with what I wear. I also practise and time my reading/performance beforehand – not too much, as I don’t want to lose spontaneity, but enough to know it’s the right length and that I’m familiar with it. This in turn, then gives me more confidence.
We’re all different, so what helps or hinders will differ. Many poets may use open mics to test out new poems to see if they work. I have done that occasionally but mostly only at open mics where I’m really familiar and comfortable with the audience.
Potential Caveats
Remember that page and stage are not the same and similarly that the audience at one poetry night may be very different to another, so the tips above aren’t a guarantee of everything going as you would hope.
However, don’t be afraid of this. At the first reading I mentioned above, the host and audience were very forgiving. Showing vulnerability, such as making small mistakes, can even increase audience engagement, especially in the early days. Most of us may empathise more with something like this than a totally polished performance.
It is also true again that practice and experience are two things which tend to make everything easier and smoother. Where it’s possible, attending a poetry night as an audience member before reading/performing there may help.
Arriving early enough to have time to chat individually with people beforehand is another thing some poets do. I like to get there with at least enough time to settle and minimise any chance of being late.
Another possibility is asking the event organiser/host if they have any advice about what tends to go down well with their audiences.
I’ve talked about timing and practising a set beforehand. But if you have the confidence to do so, don’t be afraid to change this to go with the vibe on the night, ad libbing off other poems/poets or responding to what someone in the audience has said to you or a current event that has generated a lot of interest.
The effect last-minute changes may have on the overall time of your set is something to remain aware of, which is why this aspect is another one that becomes easier with time. Tricks that may ease this include familiarity with your poems, so you know what poems you have that you could use, and building up a list of how long individual poems take to read aloud/perform, so that you can keep track of timings were you to you swap them in or out of your set.
If you’re short on time or confidence, my go-to cheat on this front is to note a quick sentence or phrase that you can add into the intro to a poem you’re already planning on sharing to make it feel more relevant to that audience.
Coming full circle
If reading/performing still feels daunting, then it may be worth returning again to the notion of safe spaces.
This time, not just in terms of giving yourself sufficient self-recovery before or after a reading/performance but also considering if there is a way of making readings/performances more in your comfort zone.
For example, if you’re more comfortable with a small audience, then look for smaller events to read/perform at.
Also, consider whether you’re most comfortable reading/performing at an in-person event or an online zoom venue. Some of the pros and cons of both are covered by my comments about videos and poetryfilms below.
With both, preparation and practice are useful, along with familiarity with the venue’s set-up. This might include using a microphone – or alternatively, having to project your voice – at an in-person event.
On zoom, make sure you’re okay with the technical side and how to operate it. (I usually try to log on and do a test zoom in the week beforehand to make sure I’m aware of any app updates that may have changed the layout or functionality, and to make sure that my video and sound are still working properly.)
The screenshare facility on zoom – offering the text of the poems alongside a reading is one of the great benefit of zoom, where event organisers use it. I don’t have experience screen-sharing. (There is a knack to reading while also scrolling. ) But I’ve found that often, if I prepare my set well enough in advance and email it over, the event organiser or host may be happy to do that side for me.
Reading on eg radio or via a microphone broadcasting at a festival without a specific stage/audience can be another way of getting a small audience (no eyes on you) effect with a potentially wider reach.
Filming yourself reading at home or creating your own poetryfilm version of one of your poems can be other ways of reading/performing without having to do so in front of a live audience.
There are, of course, pros and cons to this. The lack of immediate interaction/engagement may be one, both in terms of no audience to vibe with but also in getting people to watch these. For many, part of the ‘live’ experience/appeal is it being ‘live’.
Even with a camera that’s kept steady, recording live readings can be tricky on the sound front without special equipment. [If you played the first short video above, which is part of my reading for a Birmingham disability poetry event, you probably had to turn your volume up high to hear the words. And even then, it’s quieter than ideal.]
When I’m recording at home, I tend to have a separate microphone set up to catch the sound more clearly and then try to sync it with my lips/ movement in the video footage. But achieving a better sound experience is one of the reasons I generally prefer making poetryfilms, as the audio and visual elements can be separate.
Videos of any kind though, like zoom readings, are more easily accessible in that they can be viewed when it suits the viewer and without the geographical constraints of in-person events. They can also be paused if need be, and shared by the viewer to other people who may enjoy them.
On this score, if you do read/perform live but want to minimise the number of times you do so or extend the reach of your reading by getting someone else to video you when you read live (as in my first clip), there are a further three important considerations. One is making sure that the person operating the camera is, as the filmmaker, happy for you to share this. Another is making sure not to include anyone else within this video without their permission. And the third to make sure this is okay with the event organiser, host and venue.
And with that I’ll let the metaphorical stage-lights dim. I hope you’ve found this useful and enjoyed reading it. Thank you for being part of this experience with me!
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Thank you!
Great tips, Sarah! Thank you!