The idea of mentorship is one that comes up again and again. It's one that has been brewing in my mind for the past little while. Last week I had the good fortune of attending an amazing event organized by New York Theater Experiment called The Generations Project. This event was an inspiring forum between generations on artistic vision, leadership, and of course mentorship. Anne Bogart, Seth Barrish, Virgina Louloudes, Beth Milles, and Maryellen Karnaghan all discussed their experiences as visionaries, as teachers, as students of the world, as mentors and as mentees. What I found interesting was that their definitions of mentors all varied. For them, a mentor could be a person who guides you one on one through rough learning patches. It could be someone who inspires you. It could be someone who comes and goes in your life. It could be a fleeting moment or an interaction or even a piece of art...not even a person at all! This idea comforted me. I have been searching for mentors ever since the notion of its absolute necessity in life came up!
What I realized after attending this inspirational evening was that I have mentors in my life-a lot of them, and they will continue to present themselves as my journey continues. Some of them I have a deep relationship with. Some of them I have only met once or twice. Some of them I look forward to meeting in the near future. So with that in mind, I want to acknowledge and thank my many mentors: Wynn Handman, Austin Pendleton, Tom Woodrow, Ted Hope, Robert and Michelle Colt, Bob Fraser, Dallas Travers, Anna Wood, Benjamin Salley, Oron Stenesh, Dawn Mora, John Mossman, Michael Forman, Dani Super, Marci Phillips, Betsy Capes, Mitzi Hamilton, Franny Liebergall, Donna Drake, Robert Tunstall, Paul Russell, Evan Cabnet, Philippe Ifergan, Teri Shulman, Robert McKee, Jody Austin, Robert Ian Mackenzie and the old PST clan, Andrew Pifko, Michelle Martin, Lisa Donadio, Kelly Gillespie, the folks at NYTE, Meghan Rafferty, Shirley Curtin, Steven Spielberg, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock, Julianne Moore, Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman, Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Jackie Earle Haley, Gosford Park, E.T., and of course, all the members of my family who have guided and will continue to guide me on my path. I am grateful to you all.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Resistance
Time and time again I've heard that success is just outside your comfort zone. As this keeps coming up in my reading, learning, etc, I made the following New Year's resolution:
Do 1 thing a day that scares me.
This can be something physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, whatever...so long as I am consistently putting myself in a position of discomfort. Call me crazy, but I believe in order to really achieve your dreams, you have to go there.
A little over a year ago I took a seminar called Acting Success Now led by the wonderful Robert and Michelle Colt. I didn't know much about what I was getting myself into, but I figured what the heck. I had signed up for a free introduction to their program and was intrigued. So I took 3 days off to delve into the unknown. What I learned is pretty eye-opening. The gist is that we as human beings are made up of a brain and nervous system (among other things of course). Our brain and nervous system functions to protect us, so if my brain, for example, perceives that I am in danger, it will alert my nervous system to react. That signal will manifest itself physically and prevent me from harm. Basically, we are hard wired to stay safe and in status quo. The very notion of this, however, goes against everything we need to attain success in the acting world. Think about it. We put ourselves "in danger" on a daily basis--we open ourselves to rejection, failure & humiliation. We expose our inner secrets and vulnerabilities. We constantly step into the unknown. So of course our system will react. It will make our palms sweaty. It will make our hearts beat in our stomachs. It will make our bodies feel heavy. It will activate voices in our heads. It will do everything in its power to keep us safe. So know that to feel these things is to be human. And to feel these things doesn't mean anything about how capable you are. It's just your system trying to keep you safe.
Michelle and Robert teach you a variety of simple techniques to handle what comes up when your system perceives that you are in danger. I won't go into them, as it is better to consult the experts, but I will say that they work. They pop you back into that place of quiet, spaciousness and relaxation--everything you need to really do your job as an actor.
Had it not been for Robert and Michelle, I don't think I would have set up an audition to study with the incredible Wynn Handman. And if I had not auditioned to study with Wynn Handman, I would not currently be doing the most rewarding, challenging, and inspiring work of my career thus far (and be getting paid for it!)
Which brings me to this point....fuck you fear and resistance! I know that you are just trying to keep me where I am. I thank you for trying to protect me, but I don't always need you. And so now when I feel fear or resistance, I know that whatever my brain/nervous system is trying to protect me from is EXACTLY what I need to be doing if I want to make leaps/bounds of progress in my life. I'm not saying that this is or will be easy, but I look forward to the challenge.
Do 1 thing a day that scares me.
This can be something physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, whatever...so long as I am consistently putting myself in a position of discomfort. Call me crazy, but I believe in order to really achieve your dreams, you have to go there.
A little over a year ago I took a seminar called Acting Success Now led by the wonderful Robert and Michelle Colt. I didn't know much about what I was getting myself into, but I figured what the heck. I had signed up for a free introduction to their program and was intrigued. So I took 3 days off to delve into the unknown. What I learned is pretty eye-opening. The gist is that we as human beings are made up of a brain and nervous system (among other things of course). Our brain and nervous system functions to protect us, so if my brain, for example, perceives that I am in danger, it will alert my nervous system to react. That signal will manifest itself physically and prevent me from harm. Basically, we are hard wired to stay safe and in status quo. The very notion of this, however, goes against everything we need to attain success in the acting world. Think about it. We put ourselves "in danger" on a daily basis--we open ourselves to rejection, failure & humiliation. We expose our inner secrets and vulnerabilities. We constantly step into the unknown. So of course our system will react. It will make our palms sweaty. It will make our hearts beat in our stomachs. It will make our bodies feel heavy. It will activate voices in our heads. It will do everything in its power to keep us safe. So know that to feel these things is to be human. And to feel these things doesn't mean anything about how capable you are. It's just your system trying to keep you safe.
Michelle and Robert teach you a variety of simple techniques to handle what comes up when your system perceives that you are in danger. I won't go into them, as it is better to consult the experts, but I will say that they work. They pop you back into that place of quiet, spaciousness and relaxation--everything you need to really do your job as an actor.
Had it not been for Robert and Michelle, I don't think I would have set up an audition to study with the incredible Wynn Handman. And if I had not auditioned to study with Wynn Handman, I would not currently be doing the most rewarding, challenging, and inspiring work of my career thus far (and be getting paid for it!)
Which brings me to this point....fuck you fear and resistance! I know that you are just trying to keep me where I am. I thank you for trying to protect me, but I don't always need you. And so now when I feel fear or resistance, I know that whatever my brain/nervous system is trying to protect me from is EXACTLY what I need to be doing if I want to make leaps/bounds of progress in my life. I'm not saying that this is or will be easy, but I look forward to the challenge.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
New Day New Way
My Red Oak Elementary School substitute teacher used to say the following which has stuck with me in my .....years of life: "New Day, New Way." And so I take that pearl of wisdom through me as I embark on my journey into 2010. With a very successful 2009 behind me, I ask myself, "how can I continue to break new ground in my life and in my career?" I already have some of the ingredients in place: A newly formed production company (LBM Productions, LLC), a new webseries (Missed Connections Live), and an ongoing theatre gig (The Giver, directed by Wynn Handman and produced by American Place Theater). But how can I approach these new things in a new way? How can I use my company, my series, my theatre gig and my brand new blog to perhaps effect change? To positively contribute to my personal and artistic communities? To inspire those in my constantly growing network? To gain financial freedom? I obviously don't know how I will achieve these things, but I look forward to the journey. And so I introduce myself to the world of eblogger on this new day: Wednesday January 6, 2010. Thank you for joining me on this ride!
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