Module 1: Task 1a - Creating a Professional Blog Profile

I've always been a fan of the 'bloggers' scene. I've been following a handful of fashion, beauty and lifestyle bloggers for just over five years now. It's certainly an interesting concept and for me it felt like a step-up from magazines. Magazines themselves have become a lot more personal over the past decade, but blogs just feel personal on a whole new level. The idea that viewers can read and actually make comments on the posts gives it a completely different relationship. You are no longer just a producer and a consumer; it brings a sense of friendship that magazines can't provide. In recent years, this has been taken one step further with the incredibly large increase in 'vlogs'. This term is short for 'video log' and is the description given to those who film their everyday life and upload it onto the internet (prominently YouTube). I've made a real connection to this element of social media and the internet and have even produced videos like these myself. I hope to use this technique in some form during my time on the BAPP Arts course.

These thoughts bring me on to the task of writing my own professional blog profile. A profile shares many characteristics with a CV. It gives the reader specific pieces of information about yourself. But as previously mentioned, it seems the running theme through the idea of blogging is that of it being on a more personal level. I kept this very much in mind when writing the first draft of my blog profile. Here is what I originally wrote:

'It was always my Mum's belief that every little girl wanted to be a ballerina. Which is why at the tender age of two, I began ballet and tap classes at my local dance school. And although I was absolutely terrible, I was really taken by the classes and at the age of seven expanded the range of styles I took part in to also include modern and jazz. Whilst regularly taking ISTD and RAD exams in dance, I was also entering various local singing competitions and taking up violin lessons. I completely surrounded myself with performing arts even then. 

I still remember the moment when I realised that this wasn't just for fun and in actual fact, this is something I could genuinely do for the rest of my life. In my final year of middle school, I was given the part of 'Nancy' in the school's production of 'Oliver!'. I had starred in various short plays and assemblies in school (including Mary in the school nativity!) but this would be the first performance I would do where all disciplines were combined (dance, drama and singing). I completely involved myself with this character and although I was only ten years old, I really understood 'Nancy'. It was an incredible feeling to be up on the stage portraying so many emotions and have the audience feeling them with me. I received some really positive feedback and I started to think I might actually be pretty good at this performing stuff! I knew then that this is what I wanted my future to be like. 

I was fortunate enough to attend an upper school that specialised in performing arts. The facilities were incredible and it was at this school that my creativity and talent could really develop. I completely immersed myself in everything the school had to offer: choirs, instrumental groups, dance clubs, musicals, talent shows. If it had anything to do with performing, I was there. I had some incredibly influential teachers who I am still in contact with and who occasionally invite me to teach workshops and choreograph for various projects. I had amazing opportunities to perform lead roles in musicals such as 'Little Shop of Horrors', 'We Will Rock You' and 'Guys and Dolls' to name a few. The school even arranged for the musicals to work alongside a business school in Germany, and every year we would do six performances in Bremen. I completed my A-Levels in Dance, Drama, Performing Arts and English Language, auditioned for various performing arts colleges and to my utter astonishment, received a DaDa funded place at Bird College.

My time at Bird College was a real whirlwind. Three years passed so quickly but so much happened in such a short space of time. I learned an exceptional amount, not only about the industry I was going into but also about myself. I really found my strength in singing, which I decided would be something I wanted to specialise in once graduating. I was lucky enough to leave college going straight into my first professional contract as an ensemble member in the original cast of 'Jackie the Musical' in Dundee, Scotland.

'Jackie the Musical' was an exceptional first job and gave me great insight into the transformation I had made from student to professional. However, it made me naive thinking that with one professional contract under my belt the jobs would keep on coming and I would have my pick of the bunch. I had a good relationship with my agent, who managed to get me many auditions. I successfully landed myself a 6 month contract on a cruise which I made the big decision to turn down. It was at this point I had a realisation. Maybe I wasn't willing to do anything for my performance career if it involved leaving my family, friends and home for long periods of time. It was around this time that I really began to struggle with myself. I had a flexible part time job that I loathed but gave me the opportunity to take time off for auditions. 

Auditions were few and far between and were becoming less successful. I felt very disappointed with where I had ended up. This wasn't the life I had pictured for myself a few months back. I had always enjoyed teaching. During my time at college, I had taken classes for my old dance school and during summer holidays I had worked as a dance and drama instructor at a children's activity camp. I had always imagined myself having a teaching career later in life once I'd settled down and made plans to start a family. It came to the point where my agent and I agreed it wasn't working and this helped me make the decision to focus solely on my future in teaching.

So, here I am! I now spend my mornings/early afternoons as a Lunchtime Play Leader at a primary school, organising dance and drama based activities for the children at lunch. I then teach dance and performing arts for various companies after school. My aim is to complete the BAPP Arts course in order to have the qualifications I need to complete a PGCE or Schools Direct course and obtain NQT status. I hope to become a Performing Arts teacher in a Secondary School and inspire and influence students like my teachers did. I'm extremely happy and excited for the change my life has taken and look forward to continuing learning about myself and performing arts.'

I have quickly realised that this is closer to an auto-biography than it is a professional blog profile. As much as I want my readers to feel like they know me on a personal level, my profile needs to be much shorter and snappier. It needs to give a brief description of myself as a person and my experiences that are relevant to the blog topics. Although this can be more personal than a professional CV, there are certainly elements I can bring from my CV into my profile. This is something I aim to work on over the next week when reading other BAPP and non-related blogs, gathering some helpful inspiration.


Interesting Reads

This article is an insight into the popular trend blogging/vlogging and focuses on 'Zoella', a young lady who I have followed for years. It really shows the development in social media and the internet and how these very 'normal' people are turning into celebrities simply for sharing their lives on the internet. 
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/zoe-sugg---most-famous-3671787