Actors and Thought Work

Why  should I coach myself?

In this post, we'll go over the premise of self coaching, and give you some ideas for how coaching can work for you.

As with directors, there are as many approaches to coaching as there are individuals.  This is great news because there is a path for everyone, no matter your preferences.

Some people prefer a little (or a lot) of tough love.

Some actors prefer hand holding.

Some want to relate to their coach.

Some need help coaxing out their vulnerabilities.

Some want Results Now!!

It's all good.  

Because you can learn to Coach Yourself.  

The ActorSelfCoach philosophy looks at why we feel the way we do.  This work is not about band-aids, which temporarily help but don't solve problems. 

With these tools, you will know when you are getting results you want in your life, and when you aren't.  Learning to coach yourself means that no matter what life 'throws at you', you have a place to start so you can circumvent the feeling of overwhelm or indecis...

Time is so very Mental.

Really.  This Most Valuable Currency is a 'made up' construct so that we humans can communicate.

Show up at the same place together.

Different families, and indeed cultures, treat time with exactitude or indifference.

How does Time Flow for Actors?

It can be helpful to think of the Work Lane first - more on that in a different post.

But the short version is, you are either in

Production (working)

Booked (you know when your next job starts, but it is at least a week away, usually more)

Ready (not currently booked but available to audition/accept offers)

Time will flow differently in each of these "lanes" of work.

None of this means you aren't in control of your time!

No matter how much 'work' you do or don't have, no matter what your family dynamic is, you have the same amount of time as everyone else.

If you see Time as limited, you will have limited time.  Your brain, believing you don't have enough time, will seek evidence for that.

If you can wo...

Stop Waiting for Everyone Else to Change.

Truly, everything you need to know about Relationships could be summed up in that sentence!

You can choose to change.

You can change your thoughts about the Relationship.

You cannot expect Anyone Else to Change!

Really.  How many times has that worked for you?  If, in fact, your partner, mother, brother in law, scene partner changed because you wanted them to.... did it last? 

If so, it worked because they wanted to change.  They got something out of it that made it worth it for them.

But most of the time, the change isn't real.  

You spend so much energy around this.  When you could be working on yourself!

Some of the time, the build up of tension we create while waiting for someone to disappoint us.... Again.... is exponential.

Try this.

Pick the person in your life that you 'want to change'.  You may tell yourself it is for their own good.  But really, you want them to change so you can have a different feeling about them.

So. Ha...

Most Actors maintain a Love/Hate relationship with Time...

When we have a show booked, we can organize our life around a schedule someone else sets.  

We embrace the 'free time' allotted us. We fill it with workouts, time with our friends and loved ones, squeezing in errands, or lessons, or sleep around the production schedule.

And that seems to work for many of us.

But let's think about the 'rest of the time'.  

Actors are Experts on Uncertainty.  

We live our professional lives knowing the show may close early, may recast, may not sell.  We may love the role, but can't accept the offer because... we have a conflicting job, or we need a more lucrative job because we have to pay off student loans, or put a deposit down for an apartment or house, or our child's college tuition.

Or we promised we'd officiate a friend's wedding.

Or. You know.

The best jobs can be offered and whisked away with no warning. 

They 'went another way'. They recast a family member and need to take anot...