10 Tools for
Dealing with Criticism and Rejection - by Linda Dessau
Whether it's feedback we've asked for, an unsolicited remark
called out from the audience or a simple "no" result of an audition,
criticism and rejection are a huge part of our
lives as creative artists.
Actors
and Addiction - by Douglas Eby
Best Actor Oscar nominee
Philip Seymour Hoffman [“Capote”] admits he
used drugs and alcohol earlier in his life. A lot. "It was anything I
could get my hands on. I liked it all." He got sober, he says, because
"I got panicked for my life." An
exceptionally talented actor, Hoffman is far from alone.
Addiction
to Fame and Celebrity by Sam Vaknin, PhD
Being famous encompasses a
few important
functions: it endows the narcissist with power, provides him with a
constant
Source of Narcissistic Supply (admiration, adoration, approval, awe)
and
fulfils important Ego functions.
|
 Many
talented film actors report they don’t watch their own
movies.
When you can be seen in
close-ups on
twenty foot high theater screens,
it may be especially hard not to criticize your appearance and
performance. Joaquin Phoenix has said he doesn't like how his teeth
look, or his lips. ///
Geena Davis, playing the
lead in the tv series
“Commander in Chief” thinks “you could
scratch the surface of most actors and find insecurity played a big
part in their drive to become successful."
> from article Being
Creative and Self-critical - by Douglas Eby
|
Break
Through Self-Doubt and Fear - by Simma Lieberman
Self-doubt and fear interfere with our ability to achieve or set goals.
Self-doubt and fear are the voices in our head telling us, "You'll
never succeed, so why try?" and "who do you think you are?" Self-doubt
and fear are also what make us listen to those voices and decide to
give up before we get started. While self doubt and fear can come in
different forms and from different sources, we can learn to break
through them.
Breathing
Out Stage Fright - by
Linda Dessau
Stage fright comes in many different forms... and has huge
repercussions to the health and well-being of the performer. Dr. Louise
Montello of Musicians Wellness, Inc. has worked with injured, blocked
and anxious performers for many years, and has developed a rich set of
tools that we can use in moments of stress and anxiety.
The
Dark Side of Beauty - By Douglas Eby
A number of women have said that it can be a liability, and a new
Psychology Today article says that ”very attractive kids may grow up to
be insecure adults, especially if they were praised solely for their
appearance.” ... Actor Evangeline Lilly [of “Lost”] admits, “I spent
many nights crying myself to sleep wishing I was ugly because of the
way men leered and disrespected me, because they assumed things about
my mental capacity or my physical willingness based on the way I look."
The Dark
Side of Fame - by Douglas Eby
Many creative people actively pursue fame, or at least endure it, as a
way to advance their careers. But fame may also be driven by hidden
emotional needs, and can lead to harmful expectations and distorted
thinking on both sides.
Ego
and
Creativity
by Douglas Eby
Hollywood
is Hard - by Amber Tamblyn
"Honestly, I am not trying to
discourage
anyone from becoming an actress, but if you want to become one be
prepared
to face everything that comes along with it. There are two different
types
of people who want to enter the business: those who want to act because
they recognize their natural talent, or believe they can learn the art,
and then there are those who desire fame. If you think you have what it
takes, then get your butt out there, and go for it!"
The
Inner
Critic (an issue of Living The Creative Life
newsletter - includes book references on dealing with destructive
self-talk)
Kids
On
Stage
by Douglas Eby
"Children seem to be born
actors,
to love playing parts, even ones their parents would just as soon live
without : "I was an ugly little kid with a big mouth, an obnoxious
show-off".
That is a recollection from someone who not only learned better parts
to
play, but has inspired many of us with her power to act : Meryl Streep."
Negative
self-talk
by Douglas Eby
"When
negative self-talk robs us
of our enthusiasm for our dreams,
we're suffering from the classic creative block... Self-criticism can
seriously injure potential talent that wants to be expressed."
Performance Anxiety
- by Margaret
Paul, Ph.D.
Beverly
had suffered from anxiety most of her life. As a child, she slept
poorly and often had nightmares. ... What was causing her anxiety as an
adult? Beverly had never learned how to be a loving parent to herself,
because her parents had not been loving to her or to themselves. ... As
Beverly slowly learned to be a loving inner parent rather than a
critical one, her anxiety gradually diminished.
Preparing For Performance - by
Linda
Dessau
Stage fright can be an incredibly debilitating condition that can keep
artists locked away in their own homes, carefully guarding their
creative gifts. Then those gifts never see the light of day, and
they're never seen by the world. And stage fright doesn't only inhibit
performing artists. If you're not a performer, you can substitute the
word performance with any creative situation that really scares you, or
puts you in a position of feeling like you have to measure up or get
out of your comfort zone.
Sexing
Up Little Sister - Why TV Child Stars Fail As Adult Actors By
Jess Barron and Allyson Krieger
"The recent death of former
"Diff'rent
Strokes" child star Dana Plato highlights again the issue of including
children in the competitive (some might say cutthroat) entertainment
industry.
Although there have long been questions about ethics and exploitation,
one remains especially intriguing: Why can't television's child stars
find
success as adult actors?"
Soul
Workout - By Laura Weinert [Backstage]
Psychologist Marilyn Jacovsky, Ph.D. says "We all start at a place of
being different. It's just an affection for that difference that allows
you to call yourself an artist." That affection, said Jacovsky, can
take actors a lifetime to cultivate. It's no easy task to arrive at a
healthy sense of self-acceptance, and yet without it, it can be hard to
maintain the confidence to hang in this business long enough to find
work. It can also be hard to do the work itself.
Supporting
creative achievement - an interview with therapist Lynne Azpeitia
"The people I see are
multitalented,
creative and artistic high-achieving persons. ... "People are capable
of
being expressive, but often they
are
interfered
with or misinterpreted in these areas. So my job is to help them
identify when they are in that fluid
and
creative
state, and help them look at how they got there, and on purpose how to make those
things happen."
Tips
of the trade / Audition Angst - by Margie Haber [posted on her
site - reprinted from Backstage West]
The Vision Thing - The Actor's
Way
by Karen Kondazian
"After working with creative people for
years, psychologist
Dr. Robert Maurer advises actors to remember the grandeur of their
calling and enjoy their everyday triumphs." - from Maurer's site /
media section: scienceofexcellence.com
'To be or, or... um... line!'
[press release]
"How do you learn all those lines?" It is the question most asked of
actors and their art. The ability to remember and effortlessly deliver
large quantities of dialogue verbatim amazes non-thespians. Actors
often don't consciously try to memorize lines at all. What gives actors
their seemingly effortless memory capabilities? Could acting teach us
something about memory and cognition, and could acting principles help
those with memory problems?
The Vision Thing - by Karen
Kondazian
“The people who love their craft and see themselves as artists, and
carry that identity through and study each day, who use walking down
the street as a place to study and observe, who absorb every person
they meet because they don't know when that person might show up in an
artistic endeavor, are the people who thrive. To me, that's the only
definition of success that matters.” Psychologist Dr. Robert Maurer.
Warrior
Women On Screen
by Douglas Eby
"If you read a lot of
Chinese
literature,
there have always been very strong women figures -- warriors,
swordswomen
-- who defended honor and loyalty with the men." Actor Michelle
Yeoh
The way that we say
things often masks the anxiety that we're feeling - by Eric Maisel,
PhD
We have our little linguistic tricks that help us avoid the experience
of anxiety, but those same linguistic tricks keep us from doing the
work that we hope to do and prevent us from achieving our goals.
[examples:] "I have this screenplay I want to write but I don't know
how to begin it." / "I could make a short video but a long one feels
too difficult." / "I can't see the point in auditioning for that - I'm
just not the type."
Women and Violence On
Screen by Douglas Eby [also at WHOOSH]
Actors
have found some of their juiciest and most pleasurable roles in playing
the bad guy or tough guy, or someone willing to use a weapon to protect
or avenge. More and more, those actors are women..
~
~ ~ ~
> more Articles
on acting article
pages index...article
authors / titles
~
~ ~
also see actor
interviews - about
their films [several years ago] & personal / career
development
and more
talent/creativity interviews
~ ~ ~ ~
related
pages:**The
Inner Actor blog.....acting:
page 1.......acting2.......acting3.......***
.......*books:
acting ***
*acting:
teen/young adult**
*acting :
teen/young adult: resources: articles,
interviews, sites
*filmmaking: resources: interviews,
articles, sites****books: filmmaking
****nurturing talent.........nurturing talent :
teen / young adult.........coaching
** **home page :: -Talent Development
Resources.........site
contents****
**books etc
~ ~ ~ ~
|
|