I finished my first MFA year in June, and then took several months to process the experience - hence my long break from blogging. But, I'm back! And, here are some of the new lessons I learned - or old lessons I rediscovered - after year #1 of acting school.
UCSD MFA Class of 2013
1. A good friend told me once that one of the worst things in the world is to feel insignificant...true. And one of the worst things to DO to someone else is to make him/her feel insignificant...also true. And yet, the truest thing is, in the larger scheme, we are all terribly insignificant.
2. To some kids, wheelchairs are entertaining playground equipment that transport fascinating passengers. To some adults, they are scary, inexplicable, dangerous impediments that elicit recoiling uncertainty or emotional walls. To OTHER adults that allow themselves a child-like expansion of the mind, wheelchairs are engineering delights, movement marvels, interpersonal architecture, and endless sources of intrigue.
3. The corner-dweller on the freeway off-ramp holding a sign that says "SMILE!" may just be the most enlightened genius of us all.
4. Sometimes people just need a bit of space to be pissy. And, it's helpful when they have the ability to communicate that they need some space to be pissy, rather than letting you wonder if it's about you.
5. It's not about you. Really. Don't take it so personally. (Oh, and if it IS about you, it's up to them to tell you. But, again, it's not.)
6. There are two choices with bullshit that arises in life: address it, or let it go. Okay, I guess three, because you can also address it and then let it go.
7. Beauty, talent, and sanity are contextual. So, if you're feeling like you're not beautiful, or not talented, or not sane, maybe you're just in the wrong environment. Go somewhere else and be with someone different - you'll feel better.
8. Frozen yogurt shops that put toppings UNDERNEATH yogurt rather than on top are not just selling a gimmick...they are promoting a genius strategy of enhancing frozen-artificially-flavored-milk-water that leaves the consumer talking endlessly about "what a great idea it is!" while enjoying a mess-free lap or table area.
9. Even with abounding technology that supposedly helps us to stay connected to other people, it really is difficult to stay truly connected to someone in the absence of semi-regular human-to-human in-person contact. (Hmmm...I sense a lesson here about social networking...)
10. There is no absolute definition of "good" acting. My present opinion is that "good" acting requires a strong sense of self, a willingness to share oneself honestly, and being lucky enough to material that suits you.
11. People are different. Period. Some like to get naked. Some prefer sleep over food. Some enjoy In 'N Out over Five Guys. Some speak Chinese. Some leave social situations abruptly and inexplicably. Some run at midnight. Some detest playing board games. Some like the elephant-like texture and intricacies of aged skin. Some love Disney. Some hear harmony before lyrics. Some are obsessed with football, others like horror movies, others thrive on intellectual sparring, and still others enjoy design concepts of food plating. All DIFFERENT. And it's okay for everyone to be different as long as we respect others' differences. Different strokes for different folks.
12. Humans in the first years of their lives are brilliant and awesome, and those of us who have lived multiple decades should make it a point to garner wisdom from the "newbies" on a regular basis.
13. We should also garner wisdom from humans in the final years of their lives.
14. Yet, being old, famous, or accomplished shouldn't necessarily give you license to be verbose, conceited, or patronizing...we all have more to learn, no matter our age.
15. It's okay to NOT like something...you can still respect its existence and learn from it.
16. People from Denver can be "smiley," which makes it harder to form long, open "ahh"-like vowels in speech. Still, I'm happy to be smiley. :-)
17. You can know people so deeply and intimately that you can predict their emotions, and yet simultaneously know them so little that you're unaware of where they grew up or how many siblings they have. Weird.
18. Even the most solid, refined, and sacred life truths have the potential to be challenged and refuted.
19. Life is like one big improvisational theatre game, and perhaps we should live it with the improvisational philosophy of "yes, and...", and just go with the flow.
20. Science and art are on the same quest: to create, discover, or assign meaning to the inexplicable elements of life. They just embark on the quest using different languages.
21. SO many challenges in life are largely based on people's reluctance to communicate openly and honestly. If people would just get their junk on the table, minimize their egos, and talk it out with love and respect, I bet would could achieve the greatest of feats (including getting more people with disabilities into entertainment, and world peace).
22. Meerkats - as well as other animals - naturally embody the principles of Alexander technique (whole body, lengthen and widen, letting go) that human performers strive for years to attain. Fascinating.
23. Start with #1: care for yourself so you can care for others. And, hold yourself accountable before you move to hold others accountable.
24. Baby steps.
25. I'm alive, and therefore I can.
I think 25 lessons is plenty, even though I could write 1,000. There are more to come.
UCSD MFA Class of 2013
(photo credit: Manny Rotenberg)
2. To some kids, wheelchairs are entertaining playground equipment that transport fascinating passengers. To some adults, they are scary, inexplicable, dangerous impediments that elicit recoiling uncertainty or emotional walls. To OTHER adults that allow themselves a child-like expansion of the mind, wheelchairs are engineering delights, movement marvels, interpersonal architecture, and endless sources of intrigue.
3. The corner-dweller on the freeway off-ramp holding a sign that says "SMILE!" may just be the most enlightened genius of us all.
4. Sometimes people just need a bit of space to be pissy. And, it's helpful when they have the ability to communicate that they need some space to be pissy, rather than letting you wonder if it's about you.
5. It's not about you. Really. Don't take it so personally. (Oh, and if it IS about you, it's up to them to tell you. But, again, it's not.)
6. There are two choices with bullshit that arises in life: address it, or let it go. Okay, I guess three, because you can also address it and then let it go.
7. Beauty, talent, and sanity are contextual. So, if you're feeling like you're not beautiful, or not talented, or not sane, maybe you're just in the wrong environment. Go somewhere else and be with someone different - you'll feel better.
8. Frozen yogurt shops that put toppings UNDERNEATH yogurt rather than on top are not just selling a gimmick...they are promoting a genius strategy of enhancing frozen-artificially-flavored-milk-water that leaves the consumer talking endlessly about "what a great idea it is!" while enjoying a mess-free lap or table area.
9. Even with abounding technology that supposedly helps us to stay connected to other people, it really is difficult to stay truly connected to someone in the absence of semi-regular human-to-human in-person contact. (Hmmm...I sense a lesson here about social networking...)
10. There is no absolute definition of "good" acting. My present opinion is that "good" acting requires a strong sense of self, a willingness to share oneself honestly, and being lucky enough to material that suits you.
11. People are different. Period. Some like to get naked. Some prefer sleep over food. Some enjoy In 'N Out over Five Guys. Some speak Chinese. Some leave social situations abruptly and inexplicably. Some run at midnight. Some detest playing board games. Some like the elephant-like texture and intricacies of aged skin. Some love Disney. Some hear harmony before lyrics. Some are obsessed with football, others like horror movies, others thrive on intellectual sparring, and still others enjoy design concepts of food plating. All DIFFERENT. And it's okay for everyone to be different as long as we respect others' differences. Different strokes for different folks.
12. Humans in the first years of their lives are brilliant and awesome, and those of us who have lived multiple decades should make it a point to garner wisdom from the "newbies" on a regular basis.
13. We should also garner wisdom from humans in the final years of their lives.
14. Yet, being old, famous, or accomplished shouldn't necessarily give you license to be verbose, conceited, or patronizing...we all have more to learn, no matter our age.
15. It's okay to NOT like something...you can still respect its existence and learn from it.
16. People from Denver can be "smiley," which makes it harder to form long, open "ahh"-like vowels in speech. Still, I'm happy to be smiley. :-)
17. You can know people so deeply and intimately that you can predict their emotions, and yet simultaneously know them so little that you're unaware of where they grew up or how many siblings they have. Weird.
18. Even the most solid, refined, and sacred life truths have the potential to be challenged and refuted.
19. Life is like one big improvisational theatre game, and perhaps we should live it with the improvisational philosophy of "yes, and...", and just go with the flow.
20. Science and art are on the same quest: to create, discover, or assign meaning to the inexplicable elements of life. They just embark on the quest using different languages.
21. SO many challenges in life are largely based on people's reluctance to communicate openly and honestly. If people would just get their junk on the table, minimize their egos, and talk it out with love and respect, I bet would could achieve the greatest of feats (including getting more people with disabilities into entertainment, and world peace).
22. Meerkats - as well as other animals - naturally embody the principles of Alexander technique (whole body, lengthen and widen, letting go) that human performers strive for years to attain. Fascinating.
23. Start with #1: care for yourself so you can care for others. And, hold yourself accountable before you move to hold others accountable.
24. Baby steps.
25. I'm alive, and therefore I can.
I think 25 lessons is plenty, even though I could write 1,000. There are more to come.
The Threepenny Opera (UCSD, 2011)
(photo credit: Jim Carmody)
Thanks, as always, for reading.
