Janice Valdez

I’m feeling great lately, despite working 8 hour days in a very fast paced and misorganized office for the past 2 weeks.  A huge difference came right after I took a ‘tune-up’ class with David Smukler last sunday.  His voice classes are profoundly moving and transforming for the body, mind and spirit.  It occured to me that day that I’d like take his 1 year voice teacher training program so that I can learn to do what he does for people.  But first, I must practice my own stuff too. 

Today, I discovered a Wellness Centre advertised on sidewalk sign called Glow.  It’s in Yaletown, near Nelson on Homer.  I went up to check out the space and met one of the owners.  It’s a gorgeous space in a great neighbourhood.  I’m going to investigate renting space there and just begin offering counselling/drama therapy and reiki sessions there.  I remembered today while I was in the frenzy of the administrative hell that my temp position is, that I am a healer. 

My body, while taking on the tension of others around me, including breathing through my own, was tellling me that it’s time to listen and listen very well.  The body is wiser than our intellect and if we would take the risk in believing this, we open our minds and worlds to a new level of awarenesses. 

Janice Uncategorized

She’s pretty fantastic.  She’s got the inner strength of a warrior and the heart of a saint.  I didn’t always thinks so growing up because she was solid for holding me accountable for my load, but it’s so clear now. 

Every time she tells the story of how we immigrated over from the Philippines in 1978, I am always awe struck by the legacy of courage in my parents.  The commitment, resourcefulness and compassion that it took to give me and my brothers the up bringing we’ve been so privileged to have are things I aspire to match in my lifetime.  My mother inspires me, she makes me laugh, and I learn so much from our relationship.  

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!  Labya!

Janice Down the Rabbit Hole

I’ve taken on work these past two days through the fabulous recruitment group, McNeill Nakamoto, and am having a great time.  As a result of the increased prospects, however, I’ve dropped my work with Kidstage and I had my last, and only second class doing drama with 7-11 yr olds.  Today, I was in a corporate setting from 9.45am - 3pm and then with children playing games from 4-5pm; an interesting contrast and one that raises questions worth exploring.  Questions like, when does learning stop being fun and why?  When I facilitate and engage in play, it’s quite a lot of work for everyone involved.  Play is our highest and first form of research… of learning and discovery.  So why do some of us not consider work to be playful?  Does it really serve us to wrap up our worth in our salary and job performance?  What I see is that we learn this at a very young age; our self-perception and the concept of what constitutes our self-worth.

Even at the age of 2, my neice has emotional reactions about not being able to find a book that she wants.  Why does she worry so much, she’s 2!  She grows anxious as she searches alone and then she asks for my help.  Then she reassures me and herself by saying, “It’s somewhere.”  She is still playful at this point and we look under things and go around the house.  She exercises logic and comforting strategies to keep herself grounded in the search.  She wants that book and I know we won’t get her to eat dinner until it’s found and thoroughly read.  As the book does not appear in all the familiar places, she grows more concerned and her playfulness, her engagement with the process of discovering different possibilities lessens and she says, “Jea, where is it?”  She just wants me to give it to her at this point.  This is human nature, it is not learned….we want the easy route.  In fact, much of our innovation and path finding is in pursuit of an “easier way.”

The closer I study this in human behaviour and experiences, the more I see the fragility of our condition and our power as a creative force in this world. 

Today I was a receptionist with a huge debt for an education that wasn’t at all necessary to do the tasks I was performing and yet, I was learning and I felt that I was adding to my self-worth because the other way of seeing myself in that role. The perception I chose was choosing that role as a learning experience, not a default to circumstances.  The power of being a beginner is not in what we do, but in rediscovering and conquering the fears we have about being “wrong”, making “mistakes”, not being “good enough” or “smart enough”…not having enough and basically, not “being” enough.  I will never be enough. Enough what….Human?   This logic pleases me and gives me a good laugh.  Now, I really get to enjoy being me, and the honest learning can occur, from which the expansive creations will emerge.  I am Jea.  I create possibilities….and I have fun doing it.

Janice Down the Rabbit Hole

Janice Quotes and Poems, Uncategorized

Yesterday, I was on 2 BC ferries and 6 buses and travelled for 7 hours.  I was supposed to go to Victoria and show my piano to someone who would buy it.  I left downtown Vancouver at 11:00am and took transit to Tsawwassen.  It was a lovely sunny day for an ocean ride.  I wasn’t looking forward to the long windy bus ride from Swartz Bay terminal into Victoria, but lucky for me I didn’t end up having to.  Just as I was in line to board the bus, I realized that I had come all that way and left my key for the house in Vancouver on a different key chaing!  Aaahhh!  I laughed, paused and thought if I should go into town anyway or head back.  Then I saw that the ferry I just walked off was still docked and I could get right back on and be back home before it would be time to eat dinner.  It wasn’t all that bad.  I slept on the ferry ride back.

Gladly, I came home to see my flatmate’s parents in our livingroom and we laughed at my absent-mindedness and then went for some thai food.  Yum.  So today, I went in for another day trip to the island with my key and was fortunate to have sold the piano.  Now I have money to pay for rent!  Even though I haven’t played that piano in over half a decade, I’m sad to let it go.  I think it symbolized to me my potential for learning how to play an instrument and it has been my vocal practice tool for over 16 years.  I’ll need to go back again next week to be there for the pick-up.  (Farewell sigh)

Other recent happenings is that I’m a candidate with McNeill and Nakamoto recruitment group to get some temporary placements while I sort out what to do next.  I’ve got lots of ideas and interests so I just need to pick one that doesn’t have a lot of overhead/start-up costs.  I’ll wait to write about such ideas until they are at least semi-actualizing.

While I was in Victoria today, it didn’t feel quite as oppressive as it had in the past.  Maybe that’s because I know I don’t have to stay.  But funny when that happens, it became attractive thinking about it.  I like the easy island pace of things.  I got back to Vancouver and I found myself getting annoyed with being around so many people (or rather, the feeling was that so many people were around me).  Probably because I’ve spent too much time on transit and BC ferries over the past 48 hours.  And then I thought about New York City and I have no idea how I made that leap so smoothly.  I don’t ever remember feeling shocked by the change of pace or crowds.  I think I thrived off the energy and vitality of the city.  I wonder if I left my vitality there….

Janice Down the Rabbit Hole

Today and tomorrow I will get to role-play as a Scotiabank investment client with financial advisors who want to practice their conversation skills.  I do this with Focus Management Group, a company started by Peter Gardner-Harding in Toronto and now works all over North America.  I’m really grateful for this work because it creates an awareness for both professions of the teaching potential that conversations can have if we are open to learning from them.  It is also wonderfully affirming of my belief in the power of applied theatre for illuminating our world.

From theses sessions, the actors have often walked away with a bit more knowledge about financial management and bankers appreciate the gift of the actor’s contribution to their learning in a new way than conventionally done on tv, film or stage.

Janice Performing Arts, Teaching & Facilitating