It's been a while hasn't it?
Life after the show has been interesting, and I've been fairly quiet these last few months. A lot of people have asked what I've been up to. To tell you the truth I've been incredibly busy. A lot of good things are on the horizon, and while some of it is beyond the scope of this post, be rest assured I'll share the details in the coming weeks.
I've been doing a lot of learning. At the end of the day, your success is determined by the quality of your work, and since the play I've focused on becoming a better artist. Some of you may be curious as to what this entails. I certainly don't have all the answers, but I compiled a list of what I've been doing, and hopefully it'll be of some use.
Reading Great Plays. If you want to be a great writer, you would be wise to study those who have come before you. As such, I've been reading a lot of classic plays and trying to figure out what exactly makes them a classic. I've found some real gems along the way. Check out Anna Christie and Beyond the Horizon by Eugene O'Neil (both plays won the Pulitzer), Orpheus Descending and Sweet Bird of Youth by Tennessee Williams, and The Rainmaker by Richard Nash. Phenomenal examples of dramatic writing.
Reading Books on Writing. The craft of writing is an arcane one, and anyone who claims to have a "magic formula" is a charlatan and a liar. With that said, there is a craft to it, and many a good book has been written on the subject. Two that I've found to be particularly useful are The Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell and The Writer's Journey by Christopher Volgar. The former takes classic myths and fairy tales throughout history and provides a deep literary analysis, and the latter is a good textbook on plot structure and character archetypes in modern dramatic writing.
Writing Material. You learn by doing. You can read all the books in the world, but you're only going to get better if you pick up the pen and begin to write. A lot of writers are scared that they'll sit down and nothing will materialize. Force yourself. Some of my best writing came when I wasn't in the mood, but I forced myself anyways. Look at it this way, sitting around and doing nothing certainly won't get you anywhere, so what do you have to lose?
Learning to Concentrate. Ever have one of those days where you feel you can't focus? Of course you have. If you didn't, you wouldn't be human. Concentration is particularly important to great acting (and useful for every other facet of our lives as well). We live in a fast paced world, and exposure to modern media has destroyed our ability to focus. Fortunately, there are exercises and techniques that can strengthen concentration, and anyone in the performing arts would be wise to do so. I've begun the study of the art of meditation for this very reason. Meditation (like acting) is one of those thing you have to "do." Reading a book is not going to help much, but if you want to know some good exercises that will strengthen your ability to concentrate check out Concentration by Mouni Sadhu.
Reading Books on Marketing. If you plan on producing in any capacity, you need to have a good understanding of how marketing works. And even if you don't produce, you need to know how to market yourself as an independent artist. Marketing is an exact science, and basing your campaign on "instinct" is like taking an SAT test and guessing on the answers. A few recommendations: Scientific Advertising by Claude C Hopkins, Commonsense Direct and Digital Marketing by Drayton Bird, Purple Cow by Seth Goodin, and Influence by Robert Cialdini.
By the way, I plan to update this blog on a regular basis. Once every other week. Next time I'll talk about some of my upcoming projects.
