"Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you've got to go deeper. Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They're huge and abstract. And they're very beautiful."
                                                                                                                                                                                          ~David Lynch


I'm reading a great book by David Lynch called "Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity".  It's a short collection of essays by the brilliant film director and screenwriter that gives the reader insights to Lynch's thoughts on writing, inner peace, creativity, and life in general-and it's wonderful. It's a short easy read that is full of food for thought no matter your field.  David Lynch is someone relatively new to me, and I'm having a great time working my way through his decades of interesting work. 


Below is a short clip of Lynch talking about creativity and meditation...recorded at the Majestic Theatre at Emerson College, of all places! 

Do you have any suggestions for good books you've read about creativity, mindfulness, or the like? I'm always looking for things to add to my "To Read" list!

I have been a craft nerd for years, and find endless joy in anything DIY (Do It Yourself)-knitting, sewing (though don't ask to be able to properly wear a shirt that I've made), baking, painting, little woodworking projects, jewelry making, herb gardens, heck, I even baked 17 pies for my own wedding instead of buying them....the list go on and on. I'm all about not asking permission and just ding, making.

I was at an open call audition the other day for student film projects at Boston University, and as I was sitting in this big room with dozens of other actors waiting for their call time, I suddenly wanted to laugh. Here we all were, with a passion for acting, for storytelling, and the courage to show up and be seen. And yet, and YET- we were all there because we were asking someone's permission to be granted a part in a creative project. That's what auditioning is, essentially, right? It's showing up, doing your best, all to try and convince a director or casting team that you have the talent and work ethic worthy enough to be chosen to play the part. Right? This doesn't sound very DIY to me.

Don't get me wrong. I like auditioning, and have all the respect in the world for the skills it takes to walk in, nail an audition, and book the part. But I am becoming more and more aware that auditioning seems to go against what I truly believe about being a creative being: that it shouldn't involve waiting to be granted permission to practice your craft. That being creative is a right all of us are entitled to, and expressing ourselves shouldn't require a "Pass Go" card. Think about it in a different context: if you found yourself wanting to learn to bake the best apple pie you could, would you wait to be called by the Food Network executives? Or would you roll up your sleeves, gather your ingredients, and dive in?

I had a small theatre company in Virginia, an all women's troupe who performed regularly at a local art gallery space we got to use for a very low cost. It was scary and thrilling to dive in, to not wait for permission, to essentially, DIY. The troupe was small, but our enthusiasm was unmatched, and it remains one of the most meaningful creative experiences of my life so far. 

Now, I know I have read many articles and opinion pieces discouraging theatre folk from forming a new company or making your own work. "Not being able to get cast in anything doesn't justify starting your own company", or "This city has enough companies, who are you to think you have something new to offer?"  I respectfully and passionately disagree with the sentiments above for many reasons. I have been cast in many roles over the past decade, but you know what? I've ended up turning a number of them down because they aren't the kind of material I feel deeply invested in; they lack a certain something I feel that I need in order to do my best work. Secondly, who says there needs to be a limit on the number of creative ideas floating around out there? We would never tell an aspiring musician not to bother writing his own songs because "There's enough music out there already".

All this is to say: Do It Yourself. I have been so inspired recently by the number of amazing artists I have the privilege to know that have started Doing It Themselves. This kind of courage has resulted in new companies being formed, self-published novels, small businesses, variety shows, musical gigs, you name it. Hats off to you. I hope you know who you are; you keep me going on this creative climb every day!

Creativity doesn't color inside the lines all the time, so stop waiting to be given permission. DIY!

What are you waiting for permission to do? Alternately, what have you taken the DIY leap with and how did it feel?

This post has been swimming around in my head for a few weeks now, and I avoided it for so long because it seemed like a dangerous Pandora's Box to open, but I can't stop thinking about it, so here goes. 

We spend so much time these days (and rightfully so) trying to understand who our audience members are. Who is in the audience watching theatre? There are meetings, entire committees even, dedicated to getting to know the community, the audience that a particular theatre company serves. Along with examining who a theatre company's season serves, we also begin to get an idea of the communities that not served by the work that is produced, who are often ignored and pushed to the fringe. A fair portion of the theatre that I have seen during my lifetime reflects similar stories about similar people dealing with similar problems. No doubt they are meaningful productions for the audience members who connect with the content of the play, but what about the members of that community that are waiting to be engaged, to encounter people onstage that they recognize, that grapple with the same struggles they do?  According to the Broadway Theatre League's website, the average household yearly income of a Broadway theatregoer was reported to be $186,500. Although this statistic specifically applies to Broadway theatres, I think it's pretty safe to say that it represents a nation-wide issue with who can attend the theatre.  It is a complex issue, one stoked by all kinds of factors: political, cultural, and economic. Almost every theatre I have worked with is asking itself the question "How can we diversify our audience? How do we attract more young people? How can we provide lower cost tickets?" All good questions, no easy solution.

So. The theatre has yet to find a way to diversify its audience sitting in the seats. That we know, However, I think that there's also a problem backstage, which leads to my question....

Who's making the theatre that the audience watches?  I believe that just as we need to be mindful of inviting the entire community as our audience, we need to take a closer look at who is being invited to take part in making the theatre they come to see.  I am worried by the fact that the pool of actors, designers, writers, and teaching artists in this field seems to be one that feels uncomfortably small. I know many hardworking peers who are incredibly talented and passionate about the work they do, that are finding it hard to afford to work in the theatre. Anyone who has tried to land a job in the theatre is well acquainted with the amount of internships, many unpaid. While these opportunities will no doubt be an invaluable learning experience, they won't pay your rent. Being someone who has had to turn down half a dozen teaching artist gigs since graduating with my Master's degree two years ago, I am familiar with the frustration many of you might feel. We have the knowledge and experience for a variety of jobs in our field, but simply because we have rent to pay, we carry school loan debt, or have families and children whom we would like to care for as best we can, we don't get to play the game? It seems a shame and a massive systemic problem that so many artists are not given the opportunity to make a living in the arts simply because we cannot afford to work unpaid or take a position that is only ten hours a week. I know a few people as well who have gained an impressive amount of footing in the theatre, and while they have undeniably worked hard for the successes they have, they have also had the luxury of being able to afford to take an unpaid internship or a part-time job. Don't mistake me, I'm not asking for a free pass, I'm only asking for equal opportunity to get to work hard and prove myself. 

I don't know the solution, but I do feel that funding, both public and private, needs to be part of the solution. I don't know the first step to take, but I do know that I am starting to focus more of my energy in this field on fighting for equity for everyone. I don't want to call the theatre elitist, but I do know that we need to establish a new model for the arts, one that practices what it preaches: that we are all human, our stories are all worthy of being told, and we all have a place at the table of the human experience. 

Anyone else struggling with being able to afford to work in the theatre? Maybe more importantly, any ideas about a new model for the arts in this country? 

Check out a few links below, all interesting takes on who is making and attending the theatre in the U.S:

http://theabundantartist.com/unpaid-internships-theatre-the-arts/ 
http://www.broadwayleague.com/index.php?url_identifier=the-demographics-of-the-broadway_-audience
http://harvardmagazine.com/2012/01/the-future-of-theater