There is a saying: “writers write… musician’s practice, dancer’s dance” whether or not he or she is working. The instrument must be kept in shape. You must keep your instrument in shape. What do you need to practice? What is fundamental to your success? Just what things do you need to do on a consistent basis to hone and maintain your craft as an actor?
Tools Needed by the Actor
• learning lines
• following direction
• being punctual
• being easy to work with
• knowing the instrument (your body)
• being in control of the instrument (your body)
• keeping the instrument (your body) mobile
• keeping the instrument (your body) healthy
• keeping the instrument (your body) ready
• knowing how to go to make believe
• being able to sustain make believe
• knowing the power of energy
• knowing how energy is used to become Talent
• realizing Talent is a place
• understanding the emotional levels of the body
• understanding how to ‘play’ the emotional levels of body
• knowing how to interpret the director’s needs for the character
• knowing what the collaborative process is
• integrating the entire collaborative process into the efforts
and,
• knowing how to blend the total creative concept to achieve an ensemble effect.
If it sounds like a tall order, it is. But you can accomplish all of this by daily exercise. You will find that your acting ability and confidence level will increase dramatically from month to month. First you must deal with your level of self respect. How do you operate? Many actors spend time lamenting not having an acting job. They sometimes pursue an acting job that they’re not qualified or experienced enough to do. This apparent lack of respect for the job responsibilities could be a lack of self respect.
What buttons turn on your emotional responses? What takes you away from having control of your Best You? The answers to these questions are keys to understanding the actor’s job. They are also keys to developing and translating a character into the character’s reality. Make believe is the character’s reality and is, unlike our own, without fear.
Changing Motivational Awareness
I once offered a course titled: “I Want to Be a Star and I Want to Know How Long It Will Take Me to Get There”. The essence of the course was one’s motivation for fame and fortune. It may sound cynical and selfish to imply that all actors are motivated for fame and fortune, but I believe it is the truth. There are actors who advocate that they just want to make a steady living. I believe they’re setting themselves up for a no win circumstance because that indicates a lack of self respect. Why would anyone pursue an acting career unless he or she thought the ultimate goal would be fame and fortune? If you’re pursuing a career where success equals fame and fortune you need to be aware of your motivating factors.
Do you believe that you deserve the spoils of your efforts? Do you believe that your life is worth fame and fortune? Do you believe that you can achieve great things? If you don’t you may be cutting off the divine flow that leads to inspiration. The performing arts are built on the willingness to sacrifice time and energy to achieve marketable skills. Marketable skills can be elevated to a level of talent. Many actors fail to understand that talent is a process. Understanding the Process of Talent will help you focus. Anything you focus on can become part of your process for working. One of the blocks to this process of maintaining your talents are the conversations that go on in your head. These conversations indicate who is in control of your Life Energy.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Reality of MakeBelieve
I thought I might share with you some thoughts from my new book, The Reality of MakeBelieve.
I have searched to discover what it takes to succeed in this profession and what it takes to enjoy the process. Some actors who have great natural talent, strong academic backgrounds and tremendous experience unfortunately, have the same low success rate as actors with little or no training. Regrettably the ability to become successful is not guaranteed by the best schools, the best opportunities or the strongest connections. Although all people are capable of incredible things, what most people accomplish is another story.
My finding can be summed up in what I call the 4 D’s. The 4 D’s are desire, dedication, determination and discipline. This blog deals with the 4 D’s and an understanding of their application to your world of expectation. With a clear working understanding of the 4 D’s you’ll achieve the knowledge base and tools necessary to be competitive in this business and avoid the concept of failure.
Failure is a perception. You can change any beliefs that get in the way of your dreams. However, for this to happen you must be clear as to what your thoughts are and how your thinking process is supporting or undermining your desires. Desires are those things that you wish to manifest into reality. They are the things in life that you tell yourself are of value to you. Things that will make your life become what you believe will make you happy and fulfilled. The truth is that happiness and fulfillment are found in the now. No amount of effort is going to arrive at a place called happiness. Once you accept that your ability to be happy is a choice then you can begin to find happiness in the path to what you desire. Understanding how your thoughts translate a desire is key to your perceived success or failure. Everything that must evolve has a process. The thinking process is the beginning of any journey toward desire. If that process is flawed as a result uncontrolled thoughts then the ability to guide a thought from desire to manifestation is diminished. However, if you understand the power of your thinking process and refuse to control it your personal issues are based on a desire for self loathing and defeat. Therefore, failure is not a process and comes from knowing what you should do but refusing to do those things. In fact, it is your non actions that create a perception of failure that leads you to the fear of trying. The most important knowledge about failure is that it is only the absence of success. In itself it is powerless. It requires you to keep it in control. Success is created by action and action is a fundamental reality of a life journey that is positive and fulfilled.
The process of success comes from being willing able to control your thinking process, clarify your desires, learn from your experiences and create different approaches to your goals when a certain action appears to yield negative results. You already know that if you really want something you’ll do what it takes, learn what you must, focus and create the actions to make it happen. Dedicate yourself to this effort. Action is the key factor in really wanting something. If the actions you’re taking are ineffective, change your actions. You must be willing to change course. By learning to become aware of your true desires and your thoughts you can tap into your ability to be all that you can possibly be. Your goal to become a successful professional actor is really going to be up to you. And, you can make working toward a professional acting career a thrilling ride.
Avoiding mediocrity is important to your process. Learn how to stay clear of mediocrity. You do this by recognizing it in your thoughts and in your actions. Often we are unaware of the mediocrity of our existence because so many around us are in the same place. It is not normal for a successful actor not having an agent. It is not normal for a successful actor not to be a member of any actors’ union. Complaining about your circumstance is a path paved by mediocrity and must be avoided. Your thoughts will tell you to what degree you are responsible for your own circumstance of mediocrity. Your internal dialogue or thinking process guides your actions. You control those thoughts or you do not. If you don’t then you must discover what is getting in the way of your growth. Mediocrity loves company just like it’s friend misery. Stay clear of others who find excuses easier to support than action.
In order to guide yourself toward success you must define what that term “success” means to you. A definition of success related to money earned is the most limiting of all possible definitions of success. Unfortunately, the vast majority accept this definition for success. Success must be based on the feelings that you get with the results of your actions. Most working actors find a certain degree of financial success. The degree of that financial success is based on the arena with which your talents are used. Being a professional actor in relation to finding employment in academia or non-profit circumstances can be a choice. That choice must come with the agreement of the income the circumstance can generate.
For our purposes we are going to follow a path toward being a successful professional actor. That will result in celebrity both financial and personal. This does not mean that pursuing a career in the theatre must be guided by this expectation. It does, however, mean that you are clear as to your choices as to pursuit and acceptance.
Every other art form has a science. Dance has names for the individual steps that combine together to form a choreography. Fine art also has different strokes, brushes, mediums, textures. Art, dance, music all have objective techniques that can be taught, learned, and mastered. They have a science. So does acting. The difference lies in the distribution of the knowledge of that science. The knowledge of the science does not guarantee success but it does put a point of reference toward expectation of success.
You want to know what is in the way of taking actions to improve your chance of success. You want to know what things you can do on a daily basis that will insure you a successful future in acting. You want to discover and practice those daily exercises to make the growth happen.
My finding can be summed up in what I call the 4 D’s. The 4 D’s are desire, dedication, determination and discipline. This blog deals with the 4 D’s and an understanding of their application to your world of expectation. With a clear working understanding of the 4 D’s you’ll achieve the knowledge base and tools necessary to be competitive in this business and avoid the concept of failure.
Failure is a perception. You can change any beliefs that get in the way of your dreams. However, for this to happen you must be clear as to what your thoughts are and how your thinking process is supporting or undermining your desires. Desires are those things that you wish to manifest into reality. They are the things in life that you tell yourself are of value to you. Things that will make your life become what you believe will make you happy and fulfilled. The truth is that happiness and fulfillment are found in the now. No amount of effort is going to arrive at a place called happiness. Once you accept that your ability to be happy is a choice then you can begin to find happiness in the path to what you desire. Understanding how your thoughts translate a desire is key to your perceived success or failure. Everything that must evolve has a process. The thinking process is the beginning of any journey toward desire. If that process is flawed as a result uncontrolled thoughts then the ability to guide a thought from desire to manifestation is diminished. However, if you understand the power of your thinking process and refuse to control it your personal issues are based on a desire for self loathing and defeat. Therefore, failure is not a process and comes from knowing what you should do but refusing to do those things. In fact, it is your non actions that create a perception of failure that leads you to the fear of trying. The most important knowledge about failure is that it is only the absence of success. In itself it is powerless. It requires you to keep it in control. Success is created by action and action is a fundamental reality of a life journey that is positive and fulfilled.
The process of success comes from being willing able to control your thinking process, clarify your desires, learn from your experiences and create different approaches to your goals when a certain action appears to yield negative results. You already know that if you really want something you’ll do what it takes, learn what you must, focus and create the actions to make it happen. Dedicate yourself to this effort. Action is the key factor in really wanting something. If the actions you’re taking are ineffective, change your actions. You must be willing to change course. By learning to become aware of your true desires and your thoughts you can tap into your ability to be all that you can possibly be. Your goal to become a successful professional actor is really going to be up to you. And, you can make working toward a professional acting career a thrilling ride.
Avoiding mediocrity is important to your process. Learn how to stay clear of mediocrity. You do this by recognizing it in your thoughts and in your actions. Often we are unaware of the mediocrity of our existence because so many around us are in the same place. It is not normal for a successful actor not having an agent. It is not normal for a successful actor not to be a member of any actors’ union. Complaining about your circumstance is a path paved by mediocrity and must be avoided. Your thoughts will tell you to what degree you are responsible for your own circumstance of mediocrity. Your internal dialogue or thinking process guides your actions. You control those thoughts or you do not. If you don’t then you must discover what is getting in the way of your growth. Mediocrity loves company just like it’s friend misery. Stay clear of others who find excuses easier to support than action.
In order to guide yourself toward success you must define what that term “success” means to you. A definition of success related to money earned is the most limiting of all possible definitions of success. Unfortunately, the vast majority accept this definition for success. Success must be based on the feelings that you get with the results of your actions. Most working actors find a certain degree of financial success. The degree of that financial success is based on the arena with which your talents are used. Being a professional actor in relation to finding employment in academia or non-profit circumstances can be a choice. That choice must come with the agreement of the income the circumstance can generate.
For our purposes we are going to follow a path toward being a successful professional actor. That will result in celebrity both financial and personal. This does not mean that pursuing a career in the theatre must be guided by this expectation. It does, however, mean that you are clear as to your choices as to pursuit and acceptance.
Every other art form has a science. Dance has names for the individual steps that combine together to form a choreography. Fine art also has different strokes, brushes, mediums, textures. Art, dance, music all have objective techniques that can be taught, learned, and mastered. They have a science. So does acting. The difference lies in the distribution of the knowledge of that science. The knowledge of the science does not guarantee success but it does put a point of reference toward expectation of success.
You want to know what is in the way of taking actions to improve your chance of success. You want to know what things you can do on a daily basis that will insure you a successful future in acting. You want to discover and practice those daily exercises to make the growth happen.
First you must define the knowledge and skills you are trying to enhance and secure. Next you must secure those skills necessary to perform and maintain an upwardly mobile career as an actor. You are going to acknowledge what it takes to make acting as a career support your happiness and well being in all areas of your life.
By working on a daily basis, you’ll improve the quality of your life and the power of your talents. Your ‘stick-to-it-tive-ness’ through discipline (use of time) and your desire to follow the rules of this successful strategy are key. It is important to identify your existing talents and how they can be practiced on a daily basis. This awareness of your existing abilities and talents will enable you to then identify other talents that you currently need.
By working on a daily basis, you’ll improve the quality of your life and the power of your talents. Your ‘stick-to-it-tive-ness’ through discipline (use of time) and your desire to follow the rules of this successful strategy are key. It is important to identify your existing talents and how they can be practiced on a daily basis. This awareness of your existing abilities and talents will enable you to then identify other talents that you currently need.
Start the activities to create actions that propel you toward the destiny that you expect for yourself. On a daily basis empower yourself through motivation and new specifically designed strategies. Be determined (resolute) to dedicate (commit) your desires (wants) to becoming realities through discipline (controlled use of time). How you think and how you use your time are choices that you make. Let's start making choices that give us power over our personal destiny.
Have a great day.
Russ
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