MILESTONE

And just like that, I’ve been taking acting classes for six months!

…except, no. Not just like that.

Because after that first workshop, I wasn’t sure if I’d keep going. Not because I was asking myself “Is this for me?” as much as I wondered “Am I good enough?” Which in hindsight is hilarious, because facing that question and putting it to rest is what acting classes are all about.

In the end, the question that won out was “Do I enjoy this?”

Because, despite the nerves and the discomfort of just being in front of people, I found that magical and elusive feeling. It reminded me of when I was on my study abroad trip in college, surrounded with illustration students rather than my usual animation cohort…

“I’ve found my people.”

Anyway, here’s a peek at my class notes and takeaways from the last six months:

• DON’T EXHALE YOUR FEELINGS!
• There’s no anger without care.
• Is it a wound, or is it a scar? If it’s a wound, you can still get hurt. If it’s a scar, it just feels uncomfortable.
• Sometimes it feels like you’re walking in circles when you’re actually making your way up the mountain.
• When you focus on manufacturing the feeling, you’re not focusing on a connection. Find it in the person across from you.
• Learn how to tell your body that it is safe.
• Don’t worry about what you’re giving to the other person. Worry about what you’re receiving and you will be giving them something to work with.
• Like in music, you need negative space in acting (but make sure it’s there for a reason!)
• If it’s going the way you imagined, it’s probably not going well.
• Changing tactics makes the scene a dance.
• No one lies or steals to get something they already have.
• Listening is (also) being aware whether your tactics are working.
• If you’re not able to feel your feelings in real life, you won’t be able to feel them in the scene.
• You’re the only one who can give yourself permission to understand what your feelings are trying to tell you.
• Set experiments instead of goals.
• BREATHE!
• Trial and error doesn’t mean trial and failure.
• It’s only awkward if you’re not fully committing. There is (self) judgement in awkward.
• Don’t say the line until it feels truthful.
• There’s often another person in the room, even if they’re not physically there.
• Business need not happen for the sake of business.
• Rip yourself out of watching yourself.
• Part of being generous is not giving your partner what they want.
• Bypass any need to process and REACT!
• Your job as an actor is to be an emotional narrator. If you want to tell the story, you have to be inside it.
• When you’re simple, you’re profound.
• You have to have a proclivity towards danger, to being the version of you that you don’t want seen.
• The need to casualize things will not get you far.
• Playing with objectives is the key to being present.
• “That was really honest” versus “That was really good.”
• A scene can scream an idea or a dynamic, but exploring it from another angle will give it so much more dimension.
• Don’t force it to make sense.
• Surprise your partner. Surprise yourself!
• Take advantage of the fact that class is not storyboarded.
• Acting is having an opinion.
• IF THIS ISN’T FUN, THEN DON’T FUCKING DO IT!