What Are You Doing With Your Theatre Degree?

This is the question that was posed to me last night. I was at a friend's house for a Girls' Night, the first Girls' Night I've been to in ages. It was delightful being around intelligent people that didn't yell or throw things at my head*. It was so fun, in fact, that I stayed out much later than was wise and spent most of yesterday stupid tired.

Before we started our movie (Joy, in case you were wondering), I chatted with the other guest. We're all in the same ward, but she works in Primary and I spend most of my time in Relief Society, so we hadn't had much opportunity to get to know each other. When she found out what my college course of study was, she asked, "What are you doing with your theatre degree?"

I took in a deep breath and mentally shuffled through several reasonable answers (I read amazing bedtime stories! My daughters can request imitations of most Disney princesses and I can deliver! I teach super animated Relief Society lessons!), but before I could say anything at all, my friend (and our host) spoke up.

"She writes a blog! Everyday!"

I paused, trying to decide if that fell under my major of Theatre Education or my minor of English Teaching, and whether either mattered much since I graduated from college nearly twelve years ago. I confirmed that yes, I do post something every weekday, but I was quick to supply that I haven't been doing much in the way of writing despite those five-per-week posts lest they find my blog and discover I'm some wannabe poser. Also, that I use words such as "wannabe" and "poser."

And yes, sometimes I can eek out enough brain power to say something mildly entertaining, but I have certainly fallen into the pattern of looking for cute pictures of the kids and giving a brief explanation so I can move on to cleaning the kitchen and not going to sleep on-time. I know that the majority of my faithful readers prefer those posts because, let's be honest, you're pretty much just here for amusing anecdotes and darling photos.

However.

I must occasionally remind myself why this blog exists. I'm trying to keep my brain from turning into a big pile of mush. These reminders pop up from time to time. If I typed the words "brain" and "mush" into my search bar I would likely find a handful of written ruminations on this exact subject. And it's okay, because I need that motivation to continue so this blog doesn't become a begrudged duty.

I return to the question, how am I using my theatre degree? I'm not sure that I am, at least not in obvious ways. But I am using my brain. I'm using the skills I learned from college and from theatre, to think deeply, analyze situations and materials, stay active, engage and entertain those around me, use my resources wisely, and write in an intelligible manner. That time devoted to study was well spent, despite the fact that I haven't directed a play in nine years.

How are you using your degree?

*For the record, Bryan doesn't yell at me or throw things at my head. I cannot make similar statements about the other people that live at my house...