Spruik

Last year, the word “spruik” took off like wildfire in the JWS community.

The idea was introduced in a blog post and on an episode of my podcast. 

In case you missed it, to “spruik” is to “promote an idea”, and it is my replacement for the idea of “submitting” oneself for a role or position. 

When I hear an actor use the word spruik, my heart leaps with hope and possibility. 

This is the world we envision at JWS: a world in which an artist promotes an idea to another artist so that together they might create something meaningful.

Sometimes the idea the artist is sharing is their own, in which case the artist is offering their idea to someone else who might be able to use it. And sometimes the idea is not their own, in which case the artist is acknowledging and affirming the work that the other person is putting out into the world. In both cases it is generous and it is generative. 

Hooray! Humanity at its best.

Sometimes, though, it can be tempting to call something a spruik when it is really just a submission. Spruiking definitely FEELS better, but submitting is so much easier. Spruiking really requires 1) emotional labor and 2) a specific audience: someone who cares about sharing ideas.

I often find myself having the following conversation.

“Jen, can you give me some feedback on this spruik?”

This is a submission. It is not a spruik.”

“Huh?”

“A spruik requires an idea. What is your idea?”

“I want an audition appointment. That’s it.”

“That is a submission. Submit yourself for an audition appointment. But let us not confuse this with a spruik. In order for this to qualify as a spruik, you must have an idea to promote or be aware of someone else’s idea and affirm it.”

To be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with submitting yourself for an audition appointment. Sometimes it is really that simple, and sometimes that is the appropriate approach for your intended audience.

To be even clearer, when you have an idea to share, I’d love to see you spruik it. Share your idea with someone who might be able to use it. Pay attention to other people’s ideas so that you can reach out in support. When done well, spruiking creates a human connection built on mutual inspiration, possibility, and trust. 

Go forth and spruik, my friends. The world needs what you have to give. 

For a little more context: “Spruik” is Australian slang. The beautiful thing about a bizarre and mostly unused word like this is that, outside of Australia, the word has literally no connotation. (I’ve asked my Aussie friends and the word was even foreign to some of them too.) So together we have the opportunity to give this word a positive connotation, to promote the word far and wide (ahem, to spruik it), and to encourage the kind of cultural shift we would all be proud to be a part of.