Resources Shared by the Panelists
“To BFA or Not To BFA”
Shared by Cloteal Lee Horne
Radical Wholeness: The Embodied Present and the Ordinary Grace of Being
Written by Philip Shepherd, forward by Jeff Brown
“There are qualities we all yearn to experience in our lives—peace, simplicity, grace, connection, clarity. Yet these qualities evade us because each of them arises from an experience of wholeness, and we live in a culture that enforces divisions within each of us. In Radical Wholeness, Philip Shepherd shows the countless ways in which we are persuaded to separate from the body and live in the head. Disconnected from the body’s intelligence, we also disconnect from the wholeness of the present. This schism within us is the primary source of stress not just in our personal lives, but for the systems of the planet. Drawing from neuroscience, anthropology, physics, the arts, myth, personal stories and his experiences helping people around the world to experience wholeness, Philip Shepherd illuminates what true wholeness means and offers practices designed to help readers soften into the intelligence of the body. Radical Wholeness is a call to action: to recover wholeness and experience a new way of being.”
Shared by Dylan T. Jackson
A quote from Letters to a Young Poet
Book by Rainer Maria Rilke
Quote: “You ask whether your verses are any good. You ask me. You have asked others before this. You send them to magazines. You compare them with other poems, and you are upset when certain editors reject your work. Now (since you have said you want my advice) I beg you to stop doing that sort of thing. You are looking outside, and that is what you should most avoid right now. No one can advise or help you – no one. There is only one thing you should do. Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart; confess to yourself whether you would have to die if you were forbidden to write. This most of all: ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself for a deep answer. And if this answer rings out in assent, if you meet this solemn question with a strong, simple ‘I must’, then build your life in accordance with this necessity; your whole life, even into its humblest and most indifferent hour, must become a sign and witness to this impulse.”
Shared by Cloteal Lee Horne
Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art
Written by Stephen Nachmanovitch
“Free Play is about the inner sources of spontaneous creation. It is about where art in the widest sense comes from. It is about why we create and what we learn when we do. It is about the flow of unhindered creative energy: the joy of making art in all its varied forms.
Free Play is directed toward people in any field who want to contact, honor, and strengthen their own creative powers. It integrates material from a wide variety of sources among the arts, sciences, and spiritual traditions of humanity. Filled with unusual quotes, amusing and illuminating anecdotes, and original metaphors, it reveals how inspiration arises within us, how that inspiration may be blocked, derailed or obscured by certain unavoidable facts of life, and how finally it can be liberated - how we can be liberated - to speak or sing, write or paint, dance or play, with our own authentic voice.
The whole enterprise of improvisation in life and art, of recovering free play and awakening creativity, is about being true to ourselves and our visions. It brings us into direct, active contact with boundless creative energies that we may not even know we had.”
Shared by Reynaldo Piniella
The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
Written by Julia Cameron
The Book's Website, Order the book or Free PDF
“Since its first publication, The Artist's Way has inspired the genius of Elizabeth Gilbert, Tim Ferriss, Reese Witherspoon, Alicia Keys and millions of readers to embark on a creative journey and find a deeper connection to process and purpose. Using techniques such as Morning Pages and Artist Dates, Julia Cameron guides readers in uncovering problems and pressure points that may be restricting their creative flow and offers techniques to open up opportunities for self-growth and self-discovery. A revolutionary program for personal renewal, The Artist's Way will help get you back on track, rediscover your passions, and take the steps you need to change your life.”
Shared by Eden Ohayon
Breaking and Entering: A Manual for the Working Actor: From Auditions to Agents to a Career
Written by Philip Carlson
“Philip Carlson was the first agent to sign Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Billy Crudup, Liev Schreiber, Claire Danes, Idris Elba, Kyra Sedgwick, Adrien Grenier and Paul Giamatti. He has represented Viola Davis, Kathy Bates, Brian Dennehy, and W.H. Macy among many and gifted others. He shares his practical trade secrets in this extraordinarily comprehensive guide on how to get into show business. Topics include: The Schools • The Business • Showcases • Casting Directors • Agents • Auditions • Which Coast? • Producers • Staying Real • Negotiating 101 • Where Do I Fit? • Movies • TV: Where the Real Money Is (These Days) • and more!”
Shared by Carlos Fruzzetti
Fear and the Creative Process: A Manifesto for Creative Survival
Written by Valerie Curtis-Newton
BREATHE./Find the Fear in the room and face it./Its presence says the work is important./Everyone is afraid. It is nothing to be ashamed of./Things that make you afraid reveal your heart./Scared is OK. Paralyzed is not so much. Do what you must to move—to take even the smallest step forward each day./You are not your work. The things we create are not who we are./BREATHE./Leap, if you hope to fly./Do the hardest, scariest thing first. No matter how badly it may go, you won't die. You’ll learn something about the work and about yourself./Practice compassion for yourself and for others./Stay open. Listen. Don’t be so afraid of hearing the worst that you don't stay present to the possibility of hearing the best./Be willing to deal with the consequences of your choices./Be humble enough to ask for support./Cultivate Courage, Confidence, and Compassion. Commit to physical, spiritual, and intellectual practice./Enter the work boldly believing that there are 1,000,000 ideas in the air./BREATHE./Don’t drink the Kool-Aid of approval seeking. To hell with what others might think./Burn the tape that plays “I am not good/not smart/not worthy enough to be among the good and talented. I deserve to be left on an ice floe to die.” Melt the Ice Floe./Try on as many ideas as you can. Be artistically promiscuous./Practice healthy detachment. Lower the stakes—not the bar./Tenacity is showing up. The willingness to show up changes us. Be tenacious./Equivocation is poison. Have something to say. Be brave enough to say it./Use your art to change the world one project at a time./Give what you have./Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Start with what you have to offer today. It will be more than enough./Don’t erect altars to your failure. Police your self-talk. Root out: “I can’t . . . I’m not . . . I’m afraid that . . . ” They are fear words./Make a choice. And act./Prioritize Joy in the doing./Expect miracles every day. You are built for Success. Know who you are at your core—courageous, competent, strong, free./Celebrate the opportunity to shine. BREATHE. Then, leap again.
Shared by Eden Ohayon
The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide
Written by Jenna Fischer
“Jenna Fischer's Hollywood journey began at the age of 22 when she moved to Los Angeles from her hometown of St. Louis. With a theater degree in hand, she was determined, she was confident, she was ready to work hard. So, what could go wrong? Uh, basically everything. The path to being a professional actor was so much more vast and competitive than she'd imagined. It would be eight long years before she landed her iconic role on The Office, nearly a decade of frustration, struggle, rejection and doubt. If only she'd had a handbook for the aspiring actor. Or, better yet, someone to show her the way—an established actor who could educate her about the business, manage her expectations, and reassure her in those moments of despair. Jenna wants to be that person for you. With amusing candor and wit, Fischer spells out the nuts and bolts of getting established in the profession, based on her own memorable and hilarious experiences. She tells you how to get the right headshot, what to look for in representation, and the importance of joining forces with other like-minded artists and creating your own work—invaluable advice personally acquired from her many years of struggle. She provides helpful hints on how to be gutsy and take risks, the tricks to good auditioning and callbacks, and how not to fall for certain scams (auditions in a guy's apartment are probably not legit—or at least not for the kind of part you're looking for!). Her inspiring, helpful guidance feels like a trusted friend who's made the journey, and has now returned to walk beside you, pointing out the pitfalls as you blaze your own path towards the life of a professional actor.”
Shared by Cloteal Lee Horne