Art Nerves

I've spent a lifetime backstage at events: sporting events, concerts, plays, festivals, etc

The environment behind the scenes of any event can be very tense. 'Is anybody going to show up?' 'Will I remember the words?' 'I hope that horse doesn't buck me off during the gun battle again' and such. Musicians are usually very calm about their experiences. Actors are less mellow- they often explode in furies of emotional chaos that could make an insane asylum look normal. Nevertheless every performer is unique, so my generalizations are weak at best. Just observations.

The one thing that I've always cherished about the experience of doing live performances is the 'house open' half hour, where you've finished all the preparations, all the elements are in place, people are getting into their costumes/performance clothes and the audience is filing in.
This is also usually when the food is provided and the paychecks are handed out.

I've seen musicians with pretty crazy pre-show rituals, everything from substance abuse to yoga. From vocal exercises to jogging.
Actors also have rituals and routines. Bonding exercises with fellow performers, stretching, meditation and medication.
Technicians usually use the time to make out with each other or have farting contests (in the case of amateurs/beginners) or balance their checkbooks, check email, call home and talk to the kids, do some auto maintenance, etc. (professionals/more experienced.)
My own ritual is simple. I find a way to detach from the chaos of life and get into a zone where nothing exists but the show. Sometimes I do this by watching the sunset. Sometimes I go into a dark room and do breathing exercises. Occasionally I listen to some music or watch a video. Usually though, I self-hypnotize as I walk to my work position. In an amphitheater I finish my onstage checks and head up to the control position. By the time I'm in position, I am tranced out to the point of being able to focus singly on the performance at hand. I've seen pictures and video of me working in which I was not behaving as I do in real life, nor did I remember having the pictures taken. Very strange at best.

OK. The catalyst for this rambling rubbish was this:

I've dealt with performing artists forever, but not traditional artists. You know- painters, sculptors, visual artists. The other day I was lucky enough to work on a project with a couple of very talented visual artists. We did the installation and things were going well. As I cleaned up, I felt a very familiar sensation. That old feeling that the 'house is going to open in 15 minutes' and I needed to clean up, get out of the way, eat some food and prepare for the performance. The funny thing is, the artists had nervousness and rituals very similar to the things I have seen countless times before.

Art is art, regardless of the medium.