Dig In to Work Deeper

Hi There,

Autumn is here—the air is crisp in New York City, and for many it’s the best time to stroll her streets, free from the humid, oppressive heat. Along with this invigorating weather shift comes the feeling of a “fresh start”—something that magazines and blogs remind us about every year: It’s fall! Throw out your old self and start over!

Fresh starts sell magazines and get clicks – but we all intuitively know that a new season, by itself, changes nothing. A new season is external… it doesn’t change what’s going on inside us. So instead of starting over, what if we honor the seasonal shift by making a shift of our own? Maybe it’s time to shift focus and dig deeper. Rather than abandoning where we’ve been, maybe, like a seed seeking nutrients from the cascading fall leaves, we use this time to reflect, rework, reimagine, and renew.

Be well,

JC

It’s easy, in our consumer culture, to believe the answer to what’s missing (in our work, in our art, in our lives) lies somewhere else… somewhere brighter, prettier, somewhere new. Somewhere more extreme. More exciting. More… more. Sometimes, I work with clients who interpret roles in a way that results in a performance that is “pushed”. It’s hard to describe what that means—but usually, it’s when an actor artificially “performs” a predetermined emotional result that they themselves are not experiencing within the role. “I should cry here.” “I should shout here.” “I should laugh here.” You get the idea. When this happens, I am reminded of this quote from Stella Adler:

“Work deeper, not broader.”
—Stella Adler, “Adler on Ibsen, Strindberg, and Chekov”

In other words, to get to the good stuff, to what really matters, ignore the impulse to leap to the obvious and instead dig into the source material. Dig into what you already know but haven’t fully explored. And then trust what you’ve explored and let what happens happen.

What if that advice for scene-work also applied to our approach for living an artistic life? How do we stop “pushing” in our lives? How do we dive into the source material of ourselves?

There are many ways to work deeper—to dig into your own life, pay attention to what grabs your curiosity, enrich your relationship to what’s around you, and cultivate an approach to your art that engages you every day.

Here are a few things that have been helping me work deeper.

When I started The Dialogue, I created a bookmark in my web browser for things that piqued my curiosity. I thought it would just be a good place to keep things to write about. Over the last two years, I’ve amassed a long list of books, interviews, podcasts… Recently, when I’ve needed something to spark my imagination, it’s been an invaluable resource to get me thinking more creatively.

If I were still acting, I’d create a swipe file full of performances I’d want to steal from, stills from cinematographers that moved me, music, interviews, poems… there’s no limit to what inspires.

Developing your taste is a big part of an artist’s work. And when you keep your inspirational materials in one place, patterns emerge. What better way to know yourself?

This was the article that helped me create my own Swipe File: https://copyhackers.com/2019/11/swipe-file/

*Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

This great read investigates the current state of our education system and how it may inhibit students’ creativity. The author’s core argument is that our school curriculum promotes conformity, rather than the creative thinking required in our modern age. And because educational standards in our schools were crafted to meet the needs created by the Industrial Revolution, it’s now letting down graduates.

Ken Robinson makes a compelling argument for expanding education beyond the realm of academic subjects. His work explores how students benefit from a variety of nontraditional subjects, from ballet to modern art.

The final chapter of the book focuses on learning how to think creatively through three tenants: encouraging, identifying, and fostering. If you’re wondering why you just can’t be as creative as you’d like, perhaps considering your past education is a good place to start.

Purchase on Amazon:
https://jamiecarroll.me/Out-of-Our-Minds-AMZ

Purchase on Barnes & Noble:
https://jamiecarroll.me/Out-of-Our-Minds-BN

Purchase from an Independent Bookseller:
https://jamiecarroll.me/Out-of-Our-Minds-INDY

Or, check the stacks of your local Public Library.

In just two and a half minutes, the wonderful late actor Alan Rickman distills this ambiguity into what it means to lead an artistic life.