Applying Acting to Everyday Life/ Creating Reality on Stage

Category: Soul-of-Thought Revival

Journal: Venus-lit Vixen: Keep the Change

Date: May 12th, 2004

applying acting to everyday life
 (2004)

not lying. acting. there's a difference. to me.



focus your energies on a specific situation. you know what you want to achieve, you are aware of what is standing in your way, and you perform an action to obtain your goal. in it's most fundamental form, that is what acting is.



realize that much of our behavior in social situations is not acting, but it can be. the important difference is the degree to which you control and alter your behavior, modify your actions, and adjust your choices. 



when we realize, before we say a truth, the potential for a conflict in an answer...when we consciously select a specific goal or outcome, when we willfully modify our behavior to achieve that goal, then we are acting.



but acting is not designed to make you a dishonest person. in a real sense, acting in society is not an exercise in dishonesty...it often is really nothing more than being tactful, diplomatic, or discreet when dealing with others.



but acting on stage is something more complex. i find that becoming another character is a very healthy way of trying out other modes of thinking...reaching goals that i might or might not want to reach one day...but trying it out in another's body first. to see if i like it. for example, i quite liked being a dog. and i learned a lot about myself just from portraying sylvia. but you can't act like a dog just anywhere. though i've pushed the limits of where i can. hee hee.



for future reference, denny's will serve a dog-like girl anything she wants. as long as she pays. and uses her utensils.



so, about self-delusion. you know, lately...i've been feeling, not thinking, that pretending to be happy while you are unhappy can sometimes lead to actual happiness. at least, for me. i am banishing negativity from entering my body...or my mind rather. because my heart...oh, my heart...it knows i'm happy regardless of what my head tries to confuse me with in all its grandiose and incessant thought.



not that i am discounting thought. just negative thought. it doesn't do anyone any good. and it keeps you from that all-important goal of happiness. negativity is the obstacle. 



but it is SO easy to negate ourselves into the ground. SO easy. because happiness is a difficult goal for us humans. but it's such a universal goal. everyone wants it. and the ones who say they don't have just given up. and in my opinion, to give up on happiness...no matter how disillusioned to it you are...is just laziness. LAZINESS, i say!



and i'm done with second guessing the good things in life. done with losing hope. hope is there. it's there, my friends. but none of these things are just going to fall into your lap.

Creating Reality on Stage: Act One (2010)

Acting, to me, has always been about doing and being while showing and telling. This is the art that imitates life in the clearest terms. The human element is present in the show. We are meant to relate dramatically.

In my experience as an actor, there have been directors and teachers of theatre whose words of encouragement were imperative phrases like 'show me more' or 'make me cry'. We don't just agree to be in the show, we are to work together to become the show. And we are art that is meant to create a response from our observers. The best shows attainable come from the integrity and co-creation of every element.

Some shows will strip you down and bear your soul...others will show you what it feels like to be something you are not. While some will feel like stepping into another's shoes and becoming someone new for the rest of your life.

Acting is not just a frivolous pursuit fueled by a need for attention or affirmation of talent. Not for me, anyway. I find great wisdom in it. You not only learn about others, but also about yourself. You have to want to work toward this, if you're going to be an actor. You can't be afraid, there's no time for that. What there is time for is building upon your knowledge of this art...and you not only do this on stage, but also in everyday life.