Themes on the Year
My Top 5 Themes of 2022
It seems everyone on the internet is sharing their Best of 2022 lists. I’ve seen the best movies, the best books, the best kitchen appliances, the best Amazon buys, the best places to travel, and on and on.
Not going to lie, I wanted a piece of the “best of” pie, too. Mostly because I can never turn away a piece of any pie, and also because I like to wrap things up in a neat little bow before sending them off. Call it closure. Sayanora, 2022!
I didn’t want to regurgitate the same stuff everyone else was putting out, however. I needed to find unique, list-worthy items to share with you.
Right away some distinct themes marked my year and upon further introspection, I knew those were worthy of further attention.
Hence my Best of 2022 list is a collection of themes; a mishmash of the people, places, and things that lit me up this year, each in their own category.
1. Green for Peace of Mind
The color green dominated my year. From the calming green-grey Evergreen Fog shade we painted our living and dining rooms, to the two new Le Crueset cookware pieces in Artichaut I added to my collection.
I bought sweaters in pine and purse to match. I even bought green nail polish, although I never wore it out.
The biggest addition however, came from my rediscovered love of houseplants. We added several new varieties and split some older plants into two pots. It was an affordable and healthier way to add pops of color to rooms throughout the house while cleaning the air.
For a while, I entertained the thought of a fall garden but lost interest in that when I realized I would need to build a greenhouse. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
2. Family
What I made tons of time for was family. Many of us missed chunks of our kids’ lives because we couldn't see each other due to COVID restrictions or illnesses.
Luckily for us, my partner and I were able to go to Austin for a brief visit on my birthday, watch my son graduate from ISU in spring, move my daughter into her latest apartment in summer, throw a huge outdoor graduation celebration, host Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, and be there to congratulate my son and his new fiance on their engagement.
We were also able to help when the kids got sick and needed a run to the store or were so ill that they needed to be picked up and brought back home with me for some TLC.
So what if they're 27 and 24? I will never stop being their mom.
3. Let's Hear It for the Girls
We love our Netflix and Hulu at Chez Schrana, and the streaming shows that had us glued to the TV in 2022 all featured strong female lead characters.
I’ve long been disappointed by how women are written and portrayed on camera and stage, so when I see good writing and acting for, by, and about women, I get excited.
These are the characters and shows I couldn’t get enough of:
Eleven (Millie Bobbi Brown), Max (Sadie Sink), Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), Robin Buckley (Maya Hawk) on Stranger Things
Ruth Langmore (Julia Garner) on Ozark
Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock, Emma D’Arcy) on House of the Dragon
Wednesday Adams (Jenna Ortega) on Wednesday
Lib Wright (Florence Pugh) in The Wonder
Emerald Haywood (KeKe Palmer) in Nope
Be sure to watch them!
4. Chicago Theatre is Back, Baby
It's been a long time since live performances and audiences were able to safely convene under the same roof, I am cautiously optimistic that the doors will remain open and lights on.
We are at an interesting time as far as Chicago storefront theatre goes, and I daresay live performances in general. But aside from losing venerable institutions (Victory Gardens) because of disagreements in business direction, smaller budget companies are getting crafty and finding ways to bring theater to the people in a live setting once again.
Some companies are building their own spaces, and some are co-renting from larger companies, while others are taking on pay-what-you-can ticketing models, offering more workshops, and selling merchandise.
Just about every other production has had to postpone a show or two due to illness, but ultimately theatre in Chicago is mounting a come back. I'm heartened by it and am anxious to see what happens in 2023.
This year I saw several fantastic performances, all by small-budget companies in the suburbs:
Dogfight by Schaumburg on Stage
The Sound of Music by Big Noise Theatre
The Roommate by iambe theatre ensemble
Seasons Greetings by Buffalo Theatre Ensemble
5. The Power of the Ask
There is power in simply asking for what you want in life. I did a lot of that this year and it got me more money, more respect, and the thing I’m most proud of doing in 2022, starting a nonprofit theatre company with some friends.
The pandemic forced me to be still and reevaluate my life in ways I didn’t even know I could endure. I got inspired. I got angry at times. I got focused. I made goals. I changed them five times. I made new goals. I decided I didn’t like those goals. I went back to my original goals. Then I threw them all out the window and screamed.
The problem was I was operating as if the world would go back to how it was pre-COVID, or as if I would go back to who I was pre-COVID. Working hard, hustling. No real set work schedule. Tied to my phone and my businesses all the time. Stressed. Burnt out.
Once I accepted the stillness of the last two years, forced or not, I was able to take a hard look at my time on this planet. I knew going forward I had two options, keep living the way I was, or do something drastically different.
Guess what I did?
I closed shop on my marketing coaching and consulting business, I streamlined my writing to Substack, and I dared to dream.
My entire life has been a constant tug of war between the arts and a more profitable/stable career. I can still hear my parents say, “What if you don’t make it as an actor/writer/singer? You need to pick something practical.” I know they meant well, but what that effectively did was tell me it was okay to fall back on something else if performing (re: auditioning) was too hard.
So I straddled two worlds, one creative and artistic, one logical and realistic. Never really giving either my all. When I got knocked down by one, I would run to the other side.
However, 2022 was the year I chose to ask myself hard questions and come up with hard answers. I used my business and marketing skills along with my logic and realism to fuel a longtime dream of operating a theatre company focused on female-driven stories.
I don’t think it’s a big surprise to anyone that theatre and film are dominated by males. Male writers, producers, directors, actors, etc. Naturally it follows that the majority of stories are from the male perspective.
What you may not realize is that females make up the majority of audiences and auditioners. I wanted to flip the script on that.
Rather than being someone sitting on the sidelines waiting for a seat at the table, I wanted to build the table myself and then offer seats to females like me.
So, I hammered out an initial business plan for this brave new venture, then I approached my Dream Team and said, “Hey, I’ve got this crazy idea…”
Oddly enough, they each said, “Where do I sign up?”
In December, we made it official with the state of Illinois and installed the initial Brava Theatre Company Board of Directors.
Brava’s mission is to provide a safe space for female artists to create and share their stories while providing thought-provoking, professional theater and educational opportunities for audiences in the Chicago suburbs.
We are committed to amplifying female voices both on and off stage through our programming with intentional script, direction, cast, and crew selections.
If you are in the Chicagoland area, we hope to see you soon!
That wraps up my 2022 rather neatly, I must say. The Power of the Ask, people.
Dare to dream!
Now I want to hear from you. What themes if any did you notice throughout your year? Let me know in the comments section and as always, if you liked this post, be sure to share!