Actors as Trendsetters

One of the reasons actors have so captured the imagination of our time (if you disagree, go to your newsstand and see whose picture is on most magazine covers) is that we are aware of one of the great secrets in life – that emotions are fluid and we can move in and out of them with ease. We know that we can experience feelings fully without owning them and allowing them to take over our lives. We do not define ourselves by our feelings or our roles. I think this is why people are so fascinated with us, and look up to the profession.
Technically, we create the intellectual beliefs, expectations, personal history, etc. for the given circumstances to effect us (with the resultant feelings). When ‘it’s a wrap ’ is yelled, or the curtain comes down, we can move back into our own lives without needing to swallow anti-depressants or plot the death of our enemies. We can even see the illusion of what an enemy is (someone who doesn’t do what we want them to, or behave the way we want them to behave)!
Most ‘civilians’ actually believe that they are their feelings and their opinions. We, as actors, see that our feelings and opinions can change from role to role – sometimes even changing us as individuals by expanding our awareness into possibilities that we may not have considered before. We don’t allow ourselves to be boxed in.
If you would like some pointers on how to let go of emotions that you no longer want to carry around, please check out my prior blog on ‘self protection’ at http://bit.ly/a3n0vh.