What Actors Know, Self-With-Others & Other Writings
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Surviving Crisis
‘In the event of an emergency, put your own mask on first….’ You know the story. Remember the second half of it though: ‘…….before you help others’. Not ‘instead of helping others’. ‘Put your own mask on first’ is not about being self-centred. It’s a call to service. In times of catastrophe stay healthy –…
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Creativity Saved My Life
I fell in love with painting when I was in hospital. I’d had a heart attack. I was confused, scared, angry. My life-trajectory, and the assumptions I’d lived by, were shattered. Instead of being on a plane to run a residential performance workshop in Greece, I was surrounded by people wheezing and coughing – all…
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Rules
Rules stimulate. In creative work, rules don’t limit, they provoke fresh responses. Rules stop us doing what we always do, and force us to discover new possibilities. I often paint in red, white and black. If I decide I’ll only use green and blue in a new work, I have to lay aside my habitual…
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Perfectionism
Perfectionism ++++++ What’s the perfect relationship? What’s the perfect job? What’s the perfect family? What’s the perfect painting? Where is the perfect holiday destination? Who is the perfect guitar player? What’s this ‘perfect life’ people promise you (usually if you buy their latest product)? Absurd questions. Every one of them. My ‘perfect holiday’ might be…
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Details
Details: +++++ The soul sickens. Colour drains from life. Weariness creeps into each day. The spring is gone from your step. The air tastes of broken promises. Dante wrote: ‘Midway through the journey of my life, I found myself lost in a dark forest…’. Just after that, he started his journey through hell. We can…
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Distraction
Distraction: We live in distracted times. It’s a curse. It makes us scattered, unfocused, spread-too-thin. It deprives us of the joy of getting lost in something: a book, conversation, landscape, creativity. You can learn to focus better. I write about this in my book ‘Presence’. But before you ’force’ yourself to focus, observe your distraction.…
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Tiredness
Tiredness: When I’m tired, I get irritable. I try not to, but it’s overwhelming. Small things seem like big things. Innocent remarks seem like attacks. Everything becomes too much effort. The same is true when I get hungry. I’m diabetic. I’m get ‘hangry’. The solution? I must give myself what I need. Good food. Proper…
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Disillusionment
Disillusionment. It’s a bad thing right? You’re disillusioned with your job, your relationship, your life-choices. Things have lost their sparkle. That’s bad. Right? It would be much better to remain ‘illusion-ed’. Right? . It would be much better to fool yourself that the job, relationship, community you’ve settled for is ‘perfect’, though the evidence to…
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Nourishment for the soul
Nourishment. Without it we sicken. All our three aspects need it: body, mind, soul. Without our three aspects, we’re not whole. We’re a fragment of who we might be. The body is nourished by clean air, good food, fresh water, regular exercise. When it sickens it needs specific remedies, Good health needs regular nourishment. The…
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Living The Full Catastrophe
Have you watched ’Zorba The Greek’? Or read the book? If not – do either. Do both. They’re amazing. (Side note – Anthony Quinn as Zorba will break your heart and, while recovering, why not watch ‘La Strada’ where, as a strong man in love with a clown, he’ll break your heart all over again).…