Two things.
- A video from the Creative Invincibility course I taught in Venice, Ca. Pre-pandemic.
- An entry from my journal. I feel naked sharing this – but this is what came out of me as I put pen to paper yesterday.
The video and the journal entry seem to be connected – in that they are both about what we must do, and not do, as we invite creativity and the unknown to engage an audience.
JOURNAL ENTRY:
Feb 16th, 2021. Sag Harbor. Kitchen.
Energy pulsing through my arms and chest. I want to define it. As anger – and then focus that energy into thought and blame. Yet – truth be told – it is energy. Indefinable. Raw. Purposeful. Out of control. I sip another sip of the chocolate hinted, slightly burned deliciousness of my special blend of coffee ordered from Seattle where supposedly Bill Gates gets his coffee. Monastery Blend. But is it rage burning through my veins? Caffeine? Or inspiration? Is it the creative impulse – my passion for my art – my life – those I love?
This energy is aliveness and yearning for wanting more creative output and engagement with fellow artists. Within the energy to DO is also a passion and a deep desire to DO absolutely nothing but sit and look at the plants that surround the house I have built – the house that the characters that have come through me have built. To sit doing nothing – with no guilt – no “I should be doing something else.” Just be. That is what I want.
This life flies by towards death. Death becomes a reminder to live fully now. My mind loves the illusion that everything is constant and stable. Yet it is within instability and the unknown that creativity yearns to come alive. The snow falls from the roof as the weather warms past freezing for a day before the next storm.
Now…
A segment from Creative Invincibility.
COMMENT: The idea of creating within the unknown can be confused with doing nothing. That is not what creating within the unknown is all about. It’s more about having a structure – and allowing for the unknown within that structure. THAT IS WHAT THE AUDIENCE WANTS.
It’s often scary to allow for the unknown – have you ever felt that?
How did you create fully anyway?
What questions do you have about this?
It’s an important discussion to have.
We have these discussions in Committed Impulse acting classes all the time.
As always – I love hearing from YOU!
Leave a comment below.
Now, today, make some art – however small – however grand.
Feel the creative force yearning to come through you and let it breathe into the light of day.
Your Pal
Josh Pais
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