Acting, Auditioning, Camera Preparation
The Essential Morning Exercise for Actors: Morning Pages
Embarking on an acting career is like navigating a sea of both opportunity and adversity, where resilience becomes your most valuable skill. For those of us in the industry, it’s a familiar cycle: celebrating the occasional win while learning to cope with numerous setbacks. Embracing this reality and finding effective ways to maintain your equilibrium is crucial to your success. In this feature, we introduce a simple yet powerful morning routine that can help you maintain your balance and navigate the industry’s ups and downs with poise.
The concept of Morning Pages originates from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, a seminal book that champions creativity as a daily practice. This technique is designed to foster a deeper connection with your inner creative self and to silence the internal critics that often hinder actors’ progress. In an industry marked by frequent rejections and uncertainty, cultivating resilience and a positive mindset is indispensable.
If you haven’t yet explored The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, consider it a must-read addition to your personal library. The exercise we’re discussing here is just one of numerous strategies from the book that you might incorporate into your acting methodology.
Confronting the Inner Critic
After leaving drama school, the realisation that endurance is key in acting was eye-opening. More often than not, we are our own greatest adversaries. The inner voice that critiques:
“You lack the talent/charm/intelligence/wit to succeed in acting. Why even try?”
This voice grows louder with each audition that doesn’t pan out:
“No callback? Even Sally got one, and she’s barely experienced. Why bother?”
It’s easy to cheer for Sally’s success, yet difficult to silence the doubts this brings about in us. Overcoming this internal critic is essential.
Understanding The Censor and The Artist Brain.
In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron names this self-sabotaging voice ‘The Censor’. Located in the logical side of the brain, The Censor aims to protect us from emotional pain by discouraging us from taking risks. However, for those committed to an acting career, avoidance is not a viable option, making The Censor an obstacle rather than a helper.
Opposite The Censor is ‘The Artist Brain’, the source of our creativity and imagination. Activating this part of the brain is crucial for actors, as it enables us to inhabit our characters more fully and creatively.
Morning Pages: A Daily Ritual
The solution to mitigating The Censor’s influence is a practice known as Morning Pages. By writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts each morning, you allow The Censor to express itself fully, thereby reducing its power over you for the rest of the day. This process clears the way for The Artist Brain to emerge and thrive.
The Value of Morning Pages
Julia Cameron developed Morning Pages during a period of personal and professional stagnation. This routine not only helped her reconnect with her creativity but also led to significant breakthroughs in her work. Her commitment to this practice has lasted over twenty years, illustrating its effectiveness and value.
While Morning Pages may not lead to an epiphany every day, they consistently offer a pathway to creativity, self-awareness, and unexplored solutions.
Wrap-Up
In summary, Morning Pages are worth incorporating into your daily routine. Approach them with curiosity, especially if you’re skeptical about their benefits. The key is regularity—make no exceptions or shortcuts. The impact might be subtle at first, but the cumulative effect can be profound.
We hope you find this technique beneficial in your acting journey. Until next time, keep nurturing your craft!
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