How many times a day do you get stuck? In your acting, in class, at work, in your decision-making? ALL. THE GODDAMN. TIME, right? I think the more we try to “solve” something, the further away from a solution we begin finding ourselves, simply because we are so zoned in on getting a result. It’s annoying as shit. Which is why I am presenting The John Rosenfeld Studios Blog Imagination Workout!
Just like working out physically for better agility and health, we should be shaping and developing our imaginations to stimulate our creativity and strengthen our ideas, two of the most important ingredients of badass acting. That being said, I am hereby challenging all of us to tackle the unpredictability of whatever comes our way, because that’s what happens in this business, right? And we have NO. CONTROL. OVER. THE RESULT. We have to be able to use nothing more than what is right in front of us and have no expectations of ourselves to be “the best.” It’s all about telling a story, that is ALL that matters! So—
Here is your very first Imagination Workout!
(Ladies and metrosexuals, ya might wanna pinch your nose and have the Purell ready for this…)
AT RANDOM, pull out five objects from the trash can. Ask yourself: what can be made using all five of these random objects? Can they be assembled into a car, a dog or cat, or a replica of Mount Rushmore? A velociraptor? How many different ways can they be arranged to form another creation?
This will completely change your focus! You are being forced to see a pile of randomness in a way that only YOU can see it! Does the term “threading” ever pop up in class and during rehearsals?? This is threading! You are being forced to solve a random creative problem using only your creative energies and you’ll probably find yourself being distracted from the frustrating, infuriating (and many times painful!) stress of having to “get it right” and “be the best.”
SEND ME PICS!!! Send me pics of your dumpster-diving masterpieces! What are they? What’d you think when you were putting it together? Were you stressed out? Did you feel stupid? Was it fun? It’ll be AMAZING to see what look like piles of garbage become a story as everyone explains what it means to THEM. THAT’S the point of this- storytelling. NO ONE BUT US CAN TELL OUR STORIES. If you can make someone see how an apple core, a toilet paper roll, a soda can, an old toothbrush, and a wadded up kitty litter bag can turn into the Griffith Observatory, YOU GET THE JOB!
Ya feelin’ me on this??? I call it ‘The Imagination Workout.’ And we’ll be doin’ a lot of them here on the old JRS Blog! Get ready!
SEND YOUR PICS AND STORIES TO: [email protected] – we’ll share ’em here!
– Scott Borden, JRS Blog Editor
