One of my favourite places to be is up on a stage with bright lights and a cheering audience. I don't know what it is about performing that I like so much- maybe the pride of accomplishing the task of entertaining people, maybe its the enthusiasm from the crowd (you don't get people clapping and cheering for you everyday), or maybe I just like the attention...
Whatever the reason is, I know I'm addicted to performing.
I love the adrenaline rush of knowing that everything can go wrong on the stage. I remember the one of the first times I had to perform music by myself infront of a large audience- my whole school. Weeks before, I already had a nervous feeling in my gut. I was clammy and sweaty the day of the performance, but right after I got off stage a wave of relief washed over me and that knotted feeling in my stomach was gone. The feeling of hearing a gymnasium full of people clap and cheer for you is unlike any other. There is no experience comparable to it. It is what it is, there is nothing similar or something that is replaceable to this feeling. It's one of the greatest feelings on earth.
However, no matter how many times I perform, I have this feeling that I will always be nervous before stepping on stage. My heart starts beating like its going out of style, my hands get clammy and I start breathing really quickly. The first moment I'm on stage though, and the audience responds, I'm fine. I'm loving it. I'm loving the bright lights, the show biz, having a microphone...
And then I finish my performance and the audience claps and I step off the stage with a really great feeling. I feel good for the rest of the day.
Then it starts all over again... I sign on to do another show, and the process repeats. Clammy hands, heart racing...
