Creativity in acting

A few random thoughts about creating and acting:

I’m currently in a production of “It’s a wonderful Life.” I have one of those wonderful bit-character parts that I love to do. I think I enjoy character acting so much because it involves more personal creativity. I have so much more of an opportunity to “make” the character into a creation of my own. I think I would die in a romantic lead or any other stereotypical acting role. I couldn’t enjoy playing he role as much, because I would be constrained by what people expected.

Some Observations on acting:

Acting is the most fun when the lines are memorized, the blocking is done, you put on a part of your costume and just have fun. It is just like being a kid again.

Most of what successfully happens on stage for me is not planned in advance. It comes from “being in the moment” and listening. These are the actor’s number one tools. Occasionally, an eureka moment will come and I’ll try it out on stage, but most times it doesn’t work as you had thought. It often it still takes a lot of pushing and molding to make it fit the character.

Acting seems to be more like working on a potter’s wheel than working in paint. There is a change in acting that comes when you finally know the character that I would liken to throwing a pot. The clay really does speak to you in a way that you just know how to form the shape. So, too in acting, once you get to a point, with the character, that you know him well enough, the character starts taking shape. A nudge here and a poke there, just a little at time and shape or character starts to form.

Acting involves a lot of drudge or boring work. Memorizing lines, standing offstage waiting, sitting and waiting for the director or someone else to finish. It is hard to fill the time reading or playing a game, because you have to keep your concentration on being ready. There is a month of preparation before you ever get to do the “art of acting”.

Once a show starts and adrenaline kicks in it can be a fun ride or it can be a nightmare. Applause is nice, but you don’t really get to hear it or not as long as the audience hears it. It is a quick moment in time. If you are acting for the applause or recognition you will be disappointed. I have to force myself to take compliments after a show. Barb, the director, makes the cast stand in the lobby after a performance to receive the patrons as they leave. I hate this, but do my job. Sometimes you go away feeling pumped up and sometimes you feel sucked dry. No doubt the fun is being-in-the-moment while you are onstage.

A funny thing, it always seemed to me that after a show was over there was no tangible evidence of your artwork left. It almost seems like you have nothing to show for your time. Yet, I have had more post reaction to shows that I have done than I have had to my artwork. Except maybe for Heart of a Cobbler. Maybe theatre has more impact than artwork in a gallery. Just a thought I’ll have to explore more.

I’ll write more as the show progresses.

Purpose

The following is copied from a note I sent to John Stanko. He does a great Monday Morning Memo that I would highly recommend. http://www.purposequest.com/mmemo.htm
This note was in response to a series he did on creativity.

Ok, on to creativity. I have discovered two recurring themes in my personality/purpose, compassion and creativity. When I work in either of these areas, I feel alive/ plugged-in and on purpose. I have been interested in art, since grade school. I have always been "creative". But in the last five-ten years I have grown and nurtured my creativity in watercolor painting and photography. I started with a couple of seminars and grew more and more. I have been in several local art shows in the last three years. I recently won Best of Show at the Quad States Art Show, which includes entrants from Chicago, St. Louis, and Indianapolis. My submission was three photos I had taken while in Zimbabwe. (I won a $1,000 prize, which I donated back to Sue Mbaya at Compassion Ministries for use in their orphanage work.)
Wow, what could be better, as I followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and responded to the compassion God gave me, then God also gave me the desires of my heart. The desires that He had placed in me. I can tell you it feels pretty good to be obedient to God and then see Him work through me, accomplish some awesome work and as a kicker win an award for it. (That is really what this entire message is about. Go back and read it again.) I can tell you story after story about how God has used my creativity in the last year. Some very amazing things have happened, but I'll try to be brief. Ok, here are some things I have learned, especially since Zimbabwe.
1.) Don't discount the desires in your heart. If your desires line up with God's word and they will Glorify God, then go for it. Oh, and Glorify God here doesn't mean they have to win ten million people to Christ, it can be as easy as WWJD.
2.) If you keep God first in your life, then fear of success and "fame" is unfounded. Yes, fear of success limits more Christians as artists than does fear of failure. We fear "pride" and wallow in false humility. I'm guilty.
3.) Creativity comes more from trusting that God is using you and stepping out and trying, than it does from waiting for a lightning bolt from heaven. Just DO IT applies to artists as well as it does to athletes.
4.) Talent is over rated and misunderstood. It is impossible to judge or compare, but is the number one thing people talk about. When you realize that God gives you the talent to do exactly what He needs you to do, then it frees you from asking am I talented or not? Woo wee, that will free you up from asking "Am I talented enough?" The answer is YES, so stop asking. The question is will you allow God to use you.
5.) Fear is the great killer of creativity. Start small, take baby steps, whatever you are comfortable with, but START.
6.) Starting is the hardest part of being creative. So, take the pressure off of yourself that you have to "create now". The best thing is just to start simple. Make yourself do something every day, even if just for 5 minutes. Soon the pressure of trying to create "a masterpiece" leaves and a funny thing happens, you start creating work you really enjoy and like. It becomes fun.
7.) Follow your passion. This is where creativity looks similar to vision. Passion drives you and shows you the way when you get lost along the road. The passion about the subject that you are conveying, not the passion of doing the work. These are too separate things. Don't confuse loving what you do with loving
8.) Stopping to look and reflect on what you have done is a must. Step back and look at it. Art is about seeing. It is too easy to get into mechanics and forget what you are doing or your purpose. You have to be open at this point to accept change. You may get back and look at the piece and what was a boat may now look like it should be a building. It is only when you see the whole that the parts make sense.
9.) Don't over reflect or over-think. You must be able to start again, even when you are not sure about what to do next. Never be afraid to "ruin" your work. From what you learn you can start again. An unfinished piece stopped from fear is just as ruined as if you tried and failed. Only difference is you failed to learn.
Well, there's a few ideas for you. It sure isn't all-inclusive, but that's another fear, eh?
I highly recommend the book "Art & Fear" by David Bayles and Ted Orland. This book has freed up more of my artist friends than anything else. It is a must read.
Also "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamot is a good creativity book. She does use some vulgar language in her writing. The language makes me question it as a recommendation. It is about writing instead of fine art.
Also as a note about I read what you and some of the people you quote say about creativity, You seem to limit creatively to oblivious things like painting, dancing and drawing. The recognized fine arts. But I can tell you I use creativity just as much in fixing a pair of shoes as I do in painting. Often even more so. Creative thought is more problem solving than inspiration. Doing a painting is constant problem solving. How do I mix this limited paint palette to get the color I see. How can I use my brush so that I can fool the eye into seeing what I want it to see. The eureka moment is not the original idea that inspires you to do something new that has never been done before. It comes when your mind shuts down and you flow in your gift. Then when you stop, look back and say "Wow" I did that, that must have been God. Hmmm, kind of sounds like that could happen whether you are a speaker, a writer, a missionary or a housewife. It is more about learning to listen to the Holy Spirit than it is about magic. Here I am, God, use me.
Ok, now as to you not being able to draw. If you can hold a pencil, you can learn. Ok, so maybe you won't be Van Gogh, but drawing is a skill not a talent. You probably have the same lock-up that most adults do. You tried to draw as a kid, it didn't look like what you wanted it to and swore to never do it again. Too bad you fell for the talent lie. With just a few easy tips. You can draw at a level you would enjoy. (Seeing is what is hardest to learn for artists and you already do that pretty good.) So, get the book by Betty Edwards called "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain". She has a couple of easy lessons that will free you up and surprise you in minutes of how easy it is to draw. Try it, the experience will at least teach you something. Art is all about learning and growing.

Mission Statement of a non-club? Hmmm

Art & Soul... Hmmm where do I begin. It started with several of us who were former Rose Camastro-Pritchett art students. (Rose, formerly Rose Mentestti, was my high school art teacher. How that's for weird?) Anyway, when Rose left town and went to Chicago, we found that none of us were doing any art anymore. So, we started meeting together for the sole purpose of encouraging each other to work. So, I guess our unofficial mission statement is "Encourage each other to DO the work we love and help each other grow as Artists." We meet once a month, in the summer, we meet at Madison Park and in cooler weather we tried to meet at each other's house. We dropped meeting at each other's house because we each tried to "entertain" to much and have "tea" parties. We have cut all that and focus on the work now. We show up with a couple of recent works we have done and we will critique each other, focusing on the why and not the "how to" in our work. Our group now consists of Bev Ward, Jacque Kirlin, Jewel Gwaltney and myself.

OK, now here is the honest part, we have never had any intention of "growing a club" or creating a new guild or something. It's all about "us." This may be purely selfish and self serving, but not all groups need to be for "everyone." Sometimes, us four and no more is OK. If we stay small and grow ourselves, then we are more able to go outside and help others grow. I see this as a small cell group that could splinter into other cell groups, but works best by staying small. this keeps the group free of club rules, dues, meetings, committes, and other non-productive, time wasting stuff. We are free to do our real mission, "Encourage each other to Do the work we love and help each other grow as Artists." Simple.