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As I started at Columbia last semester, I wrote in this blog quite honestly (and quite often) about the challenges I faced.  I talked about how tough being in grad school was and about how regularly I found myself in the midst of situations that pulled me further than ever before, that made me uncomfortable in a good way.  I acknowledged how hard it can be just to grow sometimes, and to keep moving forward even when you’re being stretched outside your comfort zone.

It is now partway through the spring semester, and I’m feeling very different at this point in my Columbia career.  A new confidence has grown within me.  While I struggled last semester as I practiced the basics of producing, now I simply feel like I am a producer.  I feel like I could walk into any room, anywhere, and pitch to any group of people about a story I am passionate about and not miss a beat.

Some of this has come just from the day-in, day-out grind of being a Creative Producing student at Columbia.  For example, while last semester I had practiced pitching to audiences only a handful of times, this semester I’ve pitched the story I’m currently producing more times than I can count, as I’ve been reaching out to writers, directors, professors, and others who I will need on my side as I move forward into production.  Doing something over and over and over again can lock it in internally, and eventually with enough practice, even the skills that seem most daunting can become second nature.  The more practice you have, the more developed you can become – and at Columbia, there is no shortage of opportunities to practice your craft!

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For me, one of the most important things an educational experience can offer (and the main reason why I chose to attend a school like Columbia, rather than simply going off and trying to start out as a producer myself) is the possibility for transformation, that by the end of the program you could emerge not just skilled in a new role, but holistically changed by the experience.  Even though I’m not even halfway through my time at Columbia, I can already feel the depth of how much I’ve grown.

I’m discovering not just how to produce, but who I am as a producer.  And the more I sink into that, the easier everything in my work becomes.