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Accessing my fears with "Skeleton Key" was a lot easier than when I have to deliver a punch line or be always up. Because I'm always not up. Whereas my fears are always somehow underlining everything, everyday. You always have something that you're afraid of. It kind of fuels you... it fuels me. So it's easier to tap into those than to have to be up or happy. Kate Hudson .. [Boston Herald bostonherald.com August 10, 2005] > photo: as Caroline, a hospice nurse, in "The Skeleton Key"

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Owen Wilson : I remember thinking when we started shooting [Wedding Crashers], Gosh, this girl has a real point of view about her scenes... David [the director] and Vince [Vaughn] and I had all worked together before, and some people would have been intimidated by that, but you didn't hold back. Rachel McAdams : I always feel incredibly intimidated, so I kind of kick myself in the ass and give myself a pep talk. I'm like, "Okay, go in there and say what your mean and mean what you say. And be brave." That's something I learned doing "The Notebook."

Nick Cassavetes [the film's director] taught me how to be brave by sort of kicking me in the ass. ... He would take me to places I had no idea I could get to, and he just wouldn't take no for an answer. I really enjoy working with directors who have more faith in me than I have in myself. When you're vulnerable, especially in front of a bunch of strangers, you automatically try to protect yourself -- the flight or fight kicks in, and without knowing it, you back off. That is what's so hard about being an actor. I guess when that response kicks in it's the director's responsibility to push you back out on the stage. Interview, July 2005 / photo from Red-Eye (2005, DreamWorks Pictures)

> related pages:......anxiety.....anxiety relief : products / programs......courage / confidence.

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Sandra Bullock is only interested in risky film parts after becoming disillusioned with the romantic comedy roles she is normally associated with. She refuses to live in a comfort zone and is relishing the prospect of challenging herself with roles audiences wouldn't normally associate her with. She says, "I don't do anything anymore that feels safe. If it doesn't scare the crap out of you, then you're not doing the right thing..." imdb.com 22 Mar 2005 / photo: on the set of Miss Congeniality 2

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How many goals have you set, how many affirmations have you set... and they've not materialized. YET. When it comes to walking the walk, it ain't so easy. FEAR raises its ugly head. And if you don't fully understand what's happening to you, then your dreams for a better life filled with happiness will remain where they started. Inside your head. Now, new powerful knowledge about fear is available. You can discover how to handle fear as easily as you handle driving a car.

You will make fear your most powerful weapon, a weapon which will help you make previous impossibilities a reality. You will engineer the life you were truly born for, on your terms and for your happiness! This book will reveal the knowledge you need to BLAST through any challenge to accomplish your goals. You'll understand why fear has played a destructive part in your life till now and you'll see how you can use it to your advantage from now on. Chris Green - about his book - on his site : Conquering Fear

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.. .. Embracing Fear: and Finding the Courage to Live Your Life -  by Thom Rutledge > from foreword by Oriah Mountain Dreamer : In addition to being the kind of writing I like -- wisdom born of experience from an author who does not seek to hide his or her human foibles -- it was useful. I found myself using Thom's insights and meditations in my own quest for self-knowledge and in my work with others. ... Thom has included.. many stories and suggestions that can help us find our own way out of the fear that often unconsciously dictates our choices. ...

The Native American elders with whom I have studied say that the only real freedom is the freedom from fear. ...  Maybe you -- like myself -- just want a break from the voice in your head that is forever giving dire warnings, predicting possible disaster and making it nearly impossible to simply be in the present moment. ...  If you find the courage to act despite your fear there is no guarantee that the raise you ask for will be granted, the woman you invite to have dinner will say yes, the creative work you long to do will be greeted with wide acceptance, critical accolades and monetary reward.  But as Thom says in one of my favorite parts of Embracing Fear, you can learn to say to the voice of fear that threatens to paralyze, "I'll risk it" and live your life fully. > Oriah Mountain Dreamer is author of The Dance : Moving to the Rhythms of Your True Self > quotes from thomrutledge.com

 
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As we learn to bear the intimacy of scrutiny, and to flourish within it, as we learn to use the products of that scrutiny for power within our living, those fears which rule our lives and form our silences begin to lose their control over us. Audre Lorde - "Poetry Is Not a Luxury" in her book Sister Outsider

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.. .. Strategies for Overcoming Fear by Judith Orloff M.D. 1. Try not to obsess on fear -- we are addicted to fear. Replace it with a positive thought or action.  2. Avoid energy vampires, people who suck you dry with their fear or doom and gloom attitude. Be around optimistic friends who’re trying to make a positive difference -- not people who are in the poor me, victim mode. 3. Take a News Fast -- Taking breaks from violent television images can increase your positive energy and will prevent “technodespair,” exhaustion from information overload. Go out for a walk, breathe fresh air, feel the sun on your shoulders instead.

4. Meditate to stay positive. For three minutes, meditate quietly on a positive image such as your daughter’s face, a flower, a beautiful sunset, world peace. This will build positive energy and decrease fear. 5. Laugh at something -- a funny movie, jokes, life- -- or just be plain silly. Laughter increases positive energy, elevates the immune system and endorphins, and decreases depression. 6. Anonymous giving builds positive energy. Giving to another person shifts negativity and fear -- especially important during these stressful times. Help an old lady across the street. Hold the elevator for someone. Bring a friend a peach. 7. Spend time in nature and breathe in the beauty. The power of nature will replenish you. 8. Practice Self-Compassion. Be kind to yourself during the week of 9-11 especially. Practicing self compassion dissipates fear, negativity and builds positive energy. **from book : Positive Energy : Ten Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress,  and Fear Into Vibrance, Strength and Love -  by Judith Orloff M.D. image from THX 1138 (The George Lucas Director's Cut) (1971) DVD

The most important thing for me as an actress... is to be fearless and to challenge myself, Acting in TV and film forces me outside of my comfort zone.. Audra McDonald from interview by Benjamin Ivry, The Christian Science Monitor , November 22, 2002 photo by Pamela Springsteen

 
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It seemed to me that much boiled down to the relative absence of fear. Self-Actualizing people seemed to be less afraid of what other people would say or demand or laugh at...  Perhaps more important, was their lack of fear of their insides, of their impulses, emotions, thoughts.  Abraham Maslow [1908-1970] - from movie review of "Frida" -  on page: nurturing mental health: films / filmmaking  > book: Toward a Psychology of Being -- by Abraham H. Maslow

*related pages:.......social reactions / interactions

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.. .. Fast Company magazine : The empty studio. Is that terrifying to you or thrilling?  Twyla Tharp : It's both. It's a matter of discipline, of not distilling exhilaration from terror. Because terror, loathsome as it is, is very energizing. To channel that, to call it excitement, enthusiasm, curiosity, maybe that's not a bad thing.

Over a 40-year career, Tharp has created more than 125 dances, many of them landmark departures from the art's mainstream. Last year, she birthed Movin' Out , a narrative dance set based on the music of Billy Joel that has won two Tony Awards and months of sold-out theaters. Tharp, 62, is famously tireless and demanding -- not least of herself. For her, creativity is a discipline, a function of relentless preparation and hard work. from article 60 Seconds With Twyla Tharp -  by Keith H. Hammonds, fastcompany.com Oct 2003 **The Creative Habit : Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp

 
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A lot of decisions (in Hollywood) get made based on fear. It's something that I try really hard to not buy into... (but) I'm often attracted to projects that scare me in terms of what they're about, because it challenges who I am and who I think I am and what I think the world is about. I'm interested in drama, and I'm interested in why people are as crazy as they are, and why I'm crazy, and those are the things that I get to learn being an actor. So, you know, I'm not really doing it to be on the cover of Vanity Fair. Molly Parker ... [Edmonton Sun, March 22, 2001] More quotes by Molly Parker on sexuality

*> related pages:.........identity........mental health perspectives........fame / celebrity

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.. .. One day about two years ago when my husband was speaking on the phone to his accountant, he mentioned that I was putting the finishing touches on a book called Fear of Writing. "That's me!" the CPA exclaimed. My husband put me on the phone and the CPA's story tumbled out. He had left home heartbroken at the age of thirteen and lived on a knife's-edge for the next several decades.  As an adult, he lived not just a double but a triple life, and his adventures -- hair-raising, tragic, often bizarre -- belong in a movie.

He's long wanted to write the story of his life as a fictional novel, but could not bring himself to write more than the opening paragraph.  "If I can't write like Wally Lamb, it's too scary to even begin," he declared in his heart.  The years ticked by and the CPA felt unfulfilled.  "I'll write my story when I retire," he promised himself.  When I heard this, I couldn't rest.  "Don't wait until you retire!" I said. "You may just put it off forever at that rate." I knew this truth intimately because of the years when painful hormones surging from my fear of writing gene caused me to hide from my own creativity. from article Fear of Writing: Is It A Gene? - by Milli Thornton **Fear of Writing by Milli Thornton

*related pages:*****self-limiting.......writing

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Tell us about a time when you were in fear about your creative career journey... Rhonda Britten : Pre-Fearless Living there were many times I felt like I was spinning my Wheels and not getting anywhere. I questioned every decision I made and every step I took.  Since creating the Fearless Living Program, fear no longer holds me back instead it has become an affirmation of my growth.  When fear arises, now I just acknowledge myself for risking and risk! I no longer have a gigantic debate with myself about "why" I am doing something. I just do it and know that it will lead me somewhere if I listen closely to the voice of freedom. from Awakening Artistry interview Rhonda Britten is author of the books Fearless Living and Fearless Loving - and founder of the Fearless Living Institute

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"When you are running an institution, you are  always scared at first. You are afraid you'll  break it. People don't think about leaders  this way, but it's true."  -- Jack Welch, former CEO, General Electric "Going on stage is part catharsis for me, but it is  always trying to work out my own fears."  -- Robin Williams, comedian/actor Why do these successful guys use the word "fear" rather than "stress" when describing the same emotional responses we all share?  Being scared is the language of children, but they're not afraid to use it. This isn't immaturity or weakness; it's honesty. Children never say they're "anxious about the bogeyman" or "stressed about thunder."

.. .. Rather, they recognize they can't control the world, and they acknowledge the resulting anxiety for what it is: fear.  To learn how to handle fear better, they engage it by watching scary movies or dressing as monsters on Halloween.  Rather than push the emotion out of their minds as adults often do, they learn to understand and, ultimately, handle it without being enslaved by the thing that scares them. from article Why Stress Doesn't Exist - by Robert Maurer, Ph.D. in media section of his site scienceofexcellence.com a related article about Dr. Maurer: Writers can use fear to advantage - By Victor Inzunza

"The great thing about dangerous situations is that you are so alive," Lauren Hutton says. "I can remember every day of all my hunter-gathering trips -- every single day -- better than I can remember what happened on any day last week. You're learning. You're totally aware and you're fantastically young.  "You're five again. Everything is brand new. Simply travelling does that -- as long as you find places without lots of tourists -- and those places are harder and harder to find." Hutton has hung out with nine different hunter-and-gatherer tribes. ("Everything important that I've learned about life, I've learned from them.") from article: Walk on the Wild Side by Martha Sherrill, AARP The Magazine, Nov/Dec 2003] photo from Lauren Hutton Makeup site

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There are four basic human emotions: joy, anger, grief and fear. They say, of all those, nothing clouds your reason like fear. I've never had that problem.     Gaia Moore - played by Rachael Leigh Cook "Born with a genetic defect, Gaia, 21, lacks the basic instinct her partners Ryan and Harmony must fight to control: fear. Whether Gaia's handicap is an important asset or a deadly liability for the unit remains to be seen..." The WB series "Fearless" [text from WB.com / photo from fearlessonline.com **based on the book Fearless -- by Francine Pascal

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"Everyone thought I was bold and fearless, and even arrogant - but inwardly I was always quaking. I've never cared about how afraid I may have been inside - I've always done what I thought I should." Katharine Hepburn  ... [news.bbc.co.uk] Me : Stories of My Life -- by Katharine Hepburn  //  Kate Remembered - by Scott A. Berg

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If you're not scared, you're not writing. Ralph Keyes. The Courage to Write : How Writers Transcend Fear

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Nicole Kidman: Do you feel the pressure of recognition?   ..... Michael Cunningham: Yes. NK: It can be stifling. MC: Yeah. It would be crazy to complain about all this good fortune, but it makes the writing... well, if not more difficult, differently difficult. I wonder if that's true for you. NK: Yes. It comes down to expectations. Success, I think, breeds fear. You suddenly say, "Oh, can I do it again?" And once you start to ask questions like that, you throw your creativity into the wrong sphere. So you just have to walk away from it. I've said, "OK, that was that year, and next year's going to be completely different." Interview mag., Feb. 2002 - Cunningham is author of the novel "The Hours" -  basis for the film starring Kidman as Virginia Woolf

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Who we are as individuals, as communities, as nations, and as a species is predominantly determined by how we deal with fear. Fear is universal.  Natural, healthy fear is the best friend we will ever have, and neurotic fear is the arch-villain of our existence. Beneath every troubling thought and emotion we have ever had and will ever have, in the deepest part of any psychological wound, there you will find it: fear. Thom Rutledge - author of Embracing Fear: and Finding the Courage to Live Your Life

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