By Guy Camilleri
The journey of an actor (human being) is a solo-journey. This journey (the practice) is something that only you can do, (thank god for that). And at times, as much as we may wish that someone else would do the necessary work for us, we would (will) be depriving ourselves of the very thing we are here to do; experience what it means to be a human being on planet earth.
The art of making movies, television and performing in plays is collaborative in nature. One of the best ways to get there is to learn how to be alone. What you do with your time alone and the results therein can deepen your experience of creating art. To many actors are relying on others to pave the way for them and missing the opportunity to be a trail-blazer.
Trail-blazing is hard work and like any good day of hard work, you are exhausted and more times than not, will sleep well. You sleep well because you have earned it… and when you are alone and putting in the work, you can show up to work (with others) bringing something to the table and to the experience of collaborating in place of showing up empty handed.
“The art of making movies, television and performing in plays is collaborative in nature. One of the best ways to get there is to learn how to be alone. What you do with your time alone and the results therein can deepen your experience of creating art.”
Showing up empty-handed repeatedly to auditions, call backs, the set and stage is a cop out. At some point, you may tire of copping out and agree to come clean and be accountable going forward. This part of the practice sometimes includes making a public-declaration to your tribe to be accountable and also to being called out when you are not. The act of being accountable to yourself and those that are relying on you is an act of self-love. Being accountable to oneself sometimes results in leading by example, which can be downright scary at times.
Who am I to lead by example? Why do I have to be the one to lead by example… when following is so much easier (see hard work above). Also, leading by example tends to weed out room for victimhood!
The practice, (with repetition) tends to find its way toward the act of loving oneself. Loving oneself deepens the experience of what it means to be human.
How cool is that!
Guy Camilleri is a Venice-based actor, acting-life coach, screenwriter and surfer living in Venice Beach, CA. His acting classes are packed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at the Electric Lodge with actors, writers, directors and creative people from all walks of life.
His private coaching specializes in building undeniable characters for film, television, stage, auditions, self-taped auditions, original material, solo shows, reels and self-expression in any field of interest. To register or audit a class or to book a coaching session, visit www.rawactingstudio.com. Follow Guy’s column on Yo! Venice and RAW acting studio on Instagram and Facebook.
