1. Presence:
For athletes, it’s being in the zone. For geeks, it’s being wired. For us
actors, it’s being present. Dare I say this is my favorite quality in an
actor? Being completely in the moment, awake with all your senses; just being. Easier said than done, presence requires a lifetime of study. Trust me, I know! It is the combination of sharp focus and soft gaze, and full
awareness with your entire being. This sort of openness and availability is a pre-requisite to creativity. For those of you who are skeptical, I’m pretty sure you’ve been there at least a few times yourself. Who doesn’t remember a first kiss? I bet you can still recall the details. It is the clarity of mind and engaging all of the senses that heighten the experience. You’ll find yourself in the moment and almost outside of yourself watching. And things will flow very easily and effortlessly. Creativity loves to accompany this kind of availability.
2. Empathy:
This is what we actors call “wearing someone else’s shoes”; sometimes
the shoes pinch and sometimes they will be 2 sizes too big, but you wear
them without pride or prejudice. Far beyond the ability to read another’s
emotional cues, you have to actually feel what the other person is feeling
to empathize. It works on two levels for an actor:
1. Empathizing with
your character:
Whether your character is an innocent victim or an axe murderer, you have to empathize with them to be able to portray them truthfully.
2. Empathize with the world: It makes you understand and
connect with others, deepens your perspective of a person or an event.
The more you can relate to someone or something, the more your
knowledge and awareness will increase, which directly influences your creative output. I am a big believer of the overall empathy and
sensitivity of the actor contributing greatly to her emotional intelligence,
and fueling her creativity in return.
3. Trust:
Trusting yourself (confidence) and trusting others is another must for an
actor.
Confidence:
I can’t imagine having continued on my artistic path without believing in myself first. Of course, there can be doubts and hardships along the way, but confidence -not to be confused with cockiness!- and “I can do it!” attitude can move you forward to
accomplish your creative goals. I realize it doesn’t come overnight. You
just need to step outside of your comfort zone a bit and be willing to take risks. Willingness to take risks, is one of the major contributors to
creativity in general, with the pre-requisite being trusting yourself.
Trusting others: As an actor, I always had to trust my partners, know that
they had my back, and have them trust me in return. Whether it’s your
spouse or co-worker, it’s not that different. You might have heard of this
simple acting exercise: one person falls backwards eyes closed, while
her partner catches her. You don’t know if that person will be there, you
just have to trust that she will be. This is usually the first exercise actors
in a project will do, for immediate bonding and setting up a safety net. It
is the kind of trust that makes you feel free to share and experiment
creatively, without the fear of being criticized or conforming to others.
Mistrusting your partner(s), however, will likely sabotage your ability to
speak your mind or to take risks, and in turn will hinder your creativity.
4. Authenticity:
As an actor, I always strived to be respectful of the playwright’s work
(it’s called “nominal authenticity”), but even more important is
“expressive authenticity”, which means the creative expression should
be “personal, with originality, honesty and integrity”. It should be reflecting you and your unique point of view as its creator. Think of your favorite actor(s) -well I have a few!- and the odds are they’re your favorite, because they’re so unique in what they do. They may not necessarily even be the original inventor of a particular style, but theyare authentic in their representation. It is incredibly challenging to stay true to yourself and I know first hand the difficulties of nonconformity,
but that is exactly where you can make a difference in your creativity.
Take Frank Sinatra’s example and do it your way!
5. Discipline:
I always liked calling myself a student of acting for life. I am a big fan
of education and I trained in different techniques of my craft in a very
disciplined manner for years, but it doesn’t stop there. To me, discipline
is a certain mind set of will power, hard work and persistence in the
mastery of one’s passion. Discipline will set your internal motivation
clock to acquire the skills you need to accomplish your goals. It will
teach you self-management and self-competition. A professional career
in acting, or any artistic medium for that matter, will almost be
impossible without a certain level of
self-discipline. No wonder intrinsic
motivation and persistence are now considered to be one of the most
important factors in fostering everyday creativity.
6. Imagination:
The most fun aspect of being an actor is the complete freedom to
imagine. A lot of actors, myself included, employ pretending, narratives, fantasy and “what if” to come up with alternatives to reality. I know many non-actors who use the phrase “if only” to exercise their own
imaginative powers. We all have plenty of curiosity and imagination
when we’re little. We start to lose it as we grow up and face the harsh
realities of life; where our imaginations are locked away in dreams that we don’t even remember. Creative people tend to be different in that they retain a considerable amount of their childhood curiosity and imagination. Letting your “mind’s eye” wander around is a wonderful
and fun way to unlock your creative sources.
7. Intuition:
“Listening to one’s gut” is one of the most distinguishable qualities of a
good actor. It takes an extraordinary amount of courage and vulnerability in the face of public criticism to continue to trust your intuition. Acting is very much about making choices; and although the analytical abilities of an actor will help in the “understanding” of a character, her intuitive abilities will make it “believable”. It makes the
work genuine and transparent. In the intuitive state, the “ands, ifs or
buts” don’t really exist. Of course, trusting your gut is not achieved
overnight either, but it can most certainly be practiced. Increasing your
intuitive repertoire will certainly benefit your creativity in wonderfully
surprising ways.
8. Passion:
I have not yet met an actor who was not passionate about their craft;
regardless of if they made it big or not. I know most actors would come
across as fiery people (I know quite a few that would be considered shy),
but passion for what you do has very little to do with being extraverted
or introverted. It is a deep yearning within your soul that keeps calling
you to do what you really love. If you’re afflicted with such intense
emotion, I am thrilled for you. If you’re not there yet, don’t give up, and
keep searching within. Cause nothing else will affect your creative
powers as much as being passionate for what you do.
9. Commitment:
My first acting teacher told me that commitment to the craft was
everything; “you have to marry your craft”, he used to say. I took his
advice to heart; and for as long as I was acting I was deeply committed
to all of its ups and downs. Now I’m not suggesting you to drop your
partner or your life, but if you’re pursuing something that you are
passionate about, you do need to take the next step and be really
committed to it. That means you fully commit to the creative choices
that you make. You do not give up on your creativity when the times are
tough and you do not take it for granted when everything is grand. Just
like in a committed relationship, you’re devoted to it till the end. I will tell you from experience that all my successful actor friends are the
resilient ones; the ones that stuck it out during the bad times and not
caved, even during immense monetary pressure. Never give up, never
surrender!
10. Talent:
I’m fairly certain that anyone who has an opinion on the subject would
mention talent. Indeed, “the natural ability to perform” seems to be a
common denominator for all good actors, even when the definition of
talent varies from person to person. To me, talent is fluid, just like
intelligence. It is the culmination of all the things I have listed above and
more, which can be acquired with time and practice. I sincerely believe
everyone has an inherent talent, though they may not be aware of it
(yet). True, artistic or sports talent has the physical visibility factor that
gets noticed when one possesses it, but what about the talent to teach, to
cook, to write code, or to take care of other people? Creatively speaking,
there is talent in all of it. Sometimes it goes unused, unappreciated, or
unnoticed😍😘