It feels weird when someone else is unexpectedly in your home space.
I’m looking at a picture someone else took at a place that feels like it belongs to my family. It doesn’t – we’ve only spent two months there over the course of a decade. But the memories there make it feel like a secret extra home. To see a picture someone else took from that place just feels weird.
In the same way, it feels weird to think about someone else leading my ensembles, though of course someday someone will – I hope! The space I’ve created feels connected to me and my life in a deep and personal way, and to imagine someone else running the rehearsals I run now feels almost jarring. Even having a sub can feel challenging – will they lead with integrity, accomplish the tasks, not disrupt the ensemble’s energy?
In the same way, I work very hard to be mindful of what a leader is creating when I am a guest. How can I support the mission, and not undermine it?
When you’re guest directing, you are visiting someone else’s space. Don’t make it weird!