Creativity is King!

Before taking the leap into the full-time world of being a working actor, I worked professionally developing leaders in a number of different spheres (from corporate to non-profit to public safety). One of the key areas in which I was often contracted to coach leaders was in the area of creativity. And it was one of the aspects of their work with which many leaders struggled. I had many approaches to help them open up and become, if not more creative, at least more comfortable with attempting creativity, personally and professionally.

So, it's not particularly surprising that being creative is where I eventually moved my professional focus...in fact, it's what I choose for myself now 100% of the time. Whether acting in a project, conceptualizing and actualizing a situation for an audition, writing my own material, producing films, or even just reading and watching others' work with an eye to the creativity it engenders, it's where I get most enjoyment in life these days.

Most actors recognize that the world of film and television is not always consistent. By that, I mean that there are times of feasting and times of famine; one often has multiple gigs lined up for a period of time, followed by periods of relative paucity. That's just how it works. For some, those breaks allow time to breathe, recuperate, and relax after the work involved in a recently finished project. And I would agree that it's important to take breaks, to be sure. But for me, shifting my creativity from preparing and executing in front of the camera to writing, brainstorming, and envisioning new stories to tell is part of that regenerative process.

I'm often asked how much of what I write I have plans to produce, to eventually see on the silver screen. It's a tough question, both because it implies that my writing always has an end result in mind and because it presupposes that everything I'm writing is of a quality that it would be suited to be shot as a film. Neither would be accurate, though. I write because it's a creative outlet. Often even the worst of my writing will spawn something far better down the road, either when it's reworked or simply as a spark for another still unforeseen piece. In fact, I don't tend to write well for deadlines, nor, as I've discovered, for others' ideas or passions. My writing has to be deeply personal, a topic or scenario that speaks emotionally to me...even if it holds nothing for anyone else. So, that becomes my initial focus when I write...just as it does when I am engaged in an actual acting project. If I'm not connecting first and foremost to the material at hand, if the meaning isn't primarily tied to my own values, perspectives, or way of seeing the world (even in scenarios I'd never have imagined before), it will never mean much to someone else....whether that person is reading a screenplay I've written or watching me as an actor on the screen.

In short, I've come to a point in my life and my career where everything I enjoy doing has an element of creativity. It's the process of being creative on which I focus...whether that's working to better understand myself genuinely within a particular situation in front of the camera, exploring specific ideas for films, or simply seeking to write a funny, entirely personal short story that no one else but me will ever read. It's this focus that gets be out of bed each morning and keeps me going throughout each day. Today, it was writing and talking with other creative people about a few projects. Tomorrow, it'll be back to auditions...then more writing....and a late acting class. Wednesday....could be more of these, or more. We'll see!

What creative outlets do you have? When one isn't possible, do you have a go-to backup? Where do you find yourself tapping into your creative reserves best?