By Guy Camilleri
Are you tracking how many hours this week will be spent being a spectator in life by watching or listening to what others are doing or what they are saying? Are you aware of how many hours this week are being spent as a participant in your own life; the act of literally doing something that engages the body to move?
With technology permeating our very fabric of being, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to notice what is happening in our bodies, and more importantly, to literally get out of our head and into our bodies.
The body needs to move! It is hard-wired to move, and because we are spending more hours per day being sedentary human beings, it’s no accident that SITTING IS THE NEW CANCER.
As an actor and acting coach, the idea of getting out of our head (the chatter of the mind), and into our body (using your body to perform an activity) is nothing new. The brain is continually seeking comfort whether it be the past or the future, and yet when the mind is engaged in completing a specific task that requires concentration, the frequency of the chatter seems to come down a couple of notches.
By lowering this frequency, the actor can now activate the body and simultaneously notice (and report back if necessary) what is happening in the body. Once this is occurring, the actor can begin to calibrate the body, complete the task at hand and accomplish the goal set out at the beginning of the scene.
When an actor is doing something, really doing something whether it be internal, external (or both), in my humble opinion, is one of the most fascinating things to witness. Because, at this moment, right before our very eyes, stands a living breathing human being. And, this becomes even more thrilling when the reality is heightened, and the personal stakes are high!
This is why I say regularly: “Acting is doing, and the doing requires practice.” In the doing of something specific, the mind is engaged, and nothing makes a mind happier than being involved.
I invite you to become aware of the hours spent being a spectator and urge you to get up, go outside, notice the world around you, the people in it and take that first step into a life that will include carving out time to honor what has always been and will always be true: WE ARE BODIES IN MOTION.
Guy Camilleri is a Venice-based actor, acting-life coach, and poet. His classes are packed with actors, writers, directors and creative people from all walks of life on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at the Electric Lodge, in Venice.
His private coaching specializes in building characters for film, television, stage, audition preparation, self-taped auditions, original reels and self-expression in any field of interest. To audit, enroll in a class or book a coaching session, visit www.guycamilleri.com. Be sure to follow Guy on Instagram and Facebook.
