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rs will open where you didn t know they were going to be if you follow your bliss doors will open for you that wouldn t have opened for anyone else joseph campbell stories are my bliss more specifically the act of telling a story when i was 15 years old i appeared as don pedro in shakespeare s much ado about nothing my initiation into theatre live storytelling unearthed a desire that had been with me since before i can consciously remember the desire to be heard and understood to be felt to be connected to create empathy empathy it turns out is the key to storytelling whether it was the mythology of old spoken through flickering flames around a tribal campfire or a big budget marvel movie exploding across a silver screen these stories share common universal qualities we love a good story because we can t help but be caught up in the adventures of the other who it turns out is not so unlike ourselves by telling stories we find ourselves i was reminded about campbell and his description of the hero s journey by someone i met today he shared many powerful ideas with me including a link to this video produced by the future of storytelling if ever i doubted the impact of story no more what amazed me most about this video is the scientific proof of just how powerfully storytelling impacts our minds our actual brains and neurochemistry profoundly influencing our choices and motivations when i hear successful artists describe their origin stories there is always a personal memory or formative experience spearheading their creative life a school play a wise mentor the day the circus came to town reading huckleberry finn and so on these artists who can belong to any profession or calling tell stories not because they simply decided to they were compelled to follow their bliss and individuals i know who are unhappy with their career choices or the pattern of their lives and i still find myself there more often than i d like perhaps they haven t recognized the power of story in their lives their story i don t fully understand my potential as a storyteller but i know that the journey will continue doors will open posted in a day out of the ordinary a story life experience musing of the moment tags bliss empathy follow your bliss joseph campbell marvel much ado about nothing mythology neurochemistry storytelling the future of storytelling the hero s journey why i tell stories acting is truth telling april 25 2015 leave a comment i ve heard actors referred to as professional liars this description bothers me because it seems blind to the purpose of art not to be confused with artifice which i consider to be art made for the wrong reasons acting just like any form of art should serve the opposite purpose to reveal the invisible to make the unknown or the ignored real and relatable as michelangelo freed a statue from the marble so an actor reveals the character who already exists inside of him inside all of us and like sculpture or any form of creation acting is a craft concerned with patience discipline and observation incredible observation here s another tale from the renaissance brunelleschi s dome brunelleschi was a talented young italian architect who had designed an unusually large and top heavy dome for the florentine cathedral the city officials requested to see his model but he refused them instead throwing down a gauntlet that whosoever could make an egg stand upright on a flat piece of marble should build the cupola since thus each man s intellect would be discerned taking an egg therefore all those masters sought to make it stand upright but not one could find a way whereupon filippo being told to make it stand took it graciously and giving one end of it a blow on the flat piece of marble made it stand upright the craftsmen protested that they could have done the same but filippo answered laughing that they could also have raised the cupola if they had seen the model or the design and so it was resolved that he should be commissioned to carry out this work source and brunelleschi s vision remains untoppled to this day brunelleschi saw something that anyone could see if only they were to look for it but process of creation requires discernment choices must be made what separates brunelleschi from his peers is what separates a charlatan from a visionary great artists have a knack for making choices no one else considered it s so boldly original so truthful it can feel like magic but it s no illusion only revelation art finds a new path through a familiar world leave lying to the amateurs acting is truth telling posted in musing of the moment tags acting actor amateur art art and artifice artifice brunelleschi michelangelo professional liar renaissance truth telling truthful stand gather deliver december 10 2009 leave a comment some thoughts for the actor upon entering the performance space 1 stand don t sit crouch hide or otherwise distort or minimalize your presence own the space adapt your needs to its requirements be sincere but command attention by standing firmly with strength of purpose 2 gather don t create don t try and build things that are far away pick things up in the room and suit them to your context instead of envisioning a space use the space you already have to give you clarity of vision 3 deliver don t blurt stumble or apologize no beginning said with strength of purpose or clarity of vision is bad let the words flow off your tongue like a waterfall not fall like hastily maneuvered tetris blocks let the body lead the words let the words speak for themselves and don t ever second guess the choice you made in the moment because the greatest moments in theatre are frequently accidental give this a quick review in your mind before an audition i think it might help posted in life experience musing of the moment tags accidental actor adapt your needs audition be sincere clarity of vision deliver flow gather let the body lead let the words flow let the words speak for themselves minimalize your presence own the space performance space quick review second guess stand stand and deliver stand gather deliver strength of purpose tetris tetris blocks theatre thoughts for a new season november 26 2009 leave a comment having just enjoyed a fantastic turkey feast and a good beer i ve plonked down on the sofa in the company of family music and some long desired moments of care free thought i like this time of year even though a lot of people consider new year s a time for contemplation and change i find that winter is naturally my favorite and most thoughtful season and it usually begins for me around thanksgiving this holiday as i mentioned in my previous entry lends itself to taking a moment for contemplation but not in a sad way in a joyful way i m contemplating right now as i look out the living room window at the beautiful mountains calmly fading into night just how much i have to be grateful for so much has gone right for me and i know despite inevitable setbacks and challenges i have a bright future maybe someone older or more experienced would consider that a naive sentiment or even unrealistic but i think it is probable and born out of a healthy optimism oftentimes if we believe the positive reality we create in our minds we will bring that reality into existence in our lives and the lives of others be the change you wish to see in the world is perhaps an overused quotation easier said than done but if i put those words into practice on a personal level i believe i will reap the benefits in the long term it is certainly easier to criticize what we see wrong with the world and in our own lives than to enact change but if we take the time to consider where we are and where we could be if we are willing to work i find myself pleasantly surprised to find there are far more dreams within my reach than i ever realized before but more importantly i am grateful for what i already have to be in a place of contentment and yet still yearning for new adventures and discovery in life is a fine balance for me it provides me with satisfaction with where i am but encourages me to never settle for what is easily attained when some of the greatest experiences in life can be achieved by those who push their boundaries posted in a day out of the ordinary musing of the moment tags be the change be the change you wish to see in the world bright future contemplation contentment dreams healthy optimism holiday inevitable setbacks naive sentiment new year positive reality push your boundaries satisfaction season thanksgiving thoughts for a new season turkey feast winter rest thanksgiving and art for art s sake november 24 2009 1 comment a bit of a gap again since my last entry but better late than never peace at last it s almost the end of the fall semester of my junior year and thanksgiving break is finally here it is a special holiday for me not so much because of the founding fathers but rather because it is a reminder in my personal life of all the blessing i have received and this thanksgiving was no exception having gone through arduous auditions callbacks and a 2 week waiting process for the final cast lists i have managed to be cast in two of my university s departmental shows which is a great honor indeed i have two great parts in two great casts and it really is a wonderful feeling to be rewarded with results like this in a business that constantly dismisses the talent of an individual and now i can enjoy this five day break back at home with my family and with a reassuring blanket of certainty keeping my ambitions safe at least for the next few months then who knows what actors live very transient lives i realize as a student i am only just beginning to grasp how fleeting the nature of my work will be shows hold auditions are cast produced and closed within the blink of an eye and consequently it can be tempting for me to dismiss the lasting impact of my craft but i suppose memories and emotions last longer than the final curtain even if they are less tangible measures of enduring value for me thanksgiving is a time for rest but it is also a time for contemplation as i look back on what i have in my life and where i plan to go from here sometimes i question my contribution to society what good is acting for the world one of my professors thankfully helped me to reexamine this notion he talked to us in class about how we should never treat our chosen field in the arts and humanities as somehow inferior to the sciences or social sciences yes the world will always need scientists doctors engineers creators of the practical but to create art is of no less importance science should not be compared to art and vice versa because they are incomparable after yo yo ma finishes a concert one would not ask him what s the point of playing the cello a better question might be what compels you to play the cello or when you play the cello what do you feel art is not and should not be a product that can be bought and sold like a plastic toy off a production line it does not necessarily feed us clothe us assist us in the practicalities of day to day life or answer the deeper problems of our existence but for anyone who has seen a beautiful painting heard a moving composition or experienced the enchantment of a sublime piece of literature or theatre they know that art is an essential part of being human and enjoying our lives to the fullest and so i realize that art for art s sake is more important that art for the sake of practicality art can be practical but it must exist for itself first we create art because we are inspired and we go to art because it inspires creation within us art can give us solutions but more often i think it raises questions and i am a firm believer that it is just as important to be able to send a man to the moon as it is to inspire the hearts of men and women through the mystery of art happy thanksgiving everyone may it be filled with rest peace and good art posted in a little bit of background life experience tags actors art art for art s sake art for the sake of practicality auditions blessings callbacks cello contemplation departmental show junior year mystery of art practicality rest thanksgiving thanksgiving break transient lives yo yo ma absence and practicality november 15 2009 leave a comment hello all or one or whoever might happen to read this first of all my apologies for my lack of updates recently i suppose it is not very professional to leave one s blog un updated for so long and i enjoy writing it gives me a release valve for all the built up pressure of words and thoughts and ideas that accumulate in my brain over the course of the day or in this case weeks but as with so many things i enjoy it still requires practice and practice requires a certain amount of discipline i would consider myself a person of grand ideas but with sometimes unrealistic expectations or patience for such ideas ultimately i have a persevering personality so good and even great things do get done but they do not always happen when i want them to nor do they always attain the level of achievement i desire for the past few weeks i have had auditions callbacks classwork and other personal goings on that have distracted me from this blog but fortunately they have also distracted me from myself instead of constantly raking my mind for new grand schemes that are inevitably overambitious i have become preoccupied with the demands of the current moment because the current moment has required it in others words i ve finally had a dose of practicality thank god that really is what the last couple of weeks have taught me simple practicality as one of my acting professors told me on friday during a class improv just work on the simple stuff you can break the rules once you ve learned the simple stuff so if i m worried that i m not extending myself enough knowing me i m probably overextending less is more quality not quantity find something to do and do it well practicality this is a good thing for me to learn posted in a little bit of background life experience tags absence acting blog break the rules discipline less is more overextending practicality practice pressure quality not quantity release valve simple stuff un updated unrealistic expectations work on the simple stuff writing bring honesty to the stage october 27 2009 leave a comment i ve been thinking a great deal lately about honesty and what it means in acting and life sadly i don t think we live in a culture that values honesty as much as we should but i believe that many people still greatly appreciate honesty when it is shared with them but in acting honesty is not merely an act of kindness or respect it is essential you must be honest with your audience and you must be honest with yourself this might be confusing since the nature of theatre is often compared to a lie what is happening on stage is not really real actors are portraying characters but i don t always like ...