“Practice is the best of all instructors” - Publilius Syrus

Day 15

I wanted to write this earlier, but auditions were first priority, more on that at a later date. But, something happened today that really hit me for some reason, so I'll focus on that tonight.

We had classes today, and in my period styles II class we were focusing on breathing exercises and the proper way to breathe for the stage. Our professor told us that if we practice it everyday, our lung capacity would increase tremendously. But the thing that he said that stuck out to me was, "We aren't like a conservatory that meets everyday, so you have to make your own conservatory." When he said that my mind just stopped. It's such a profound statement. I never thought of it before, but it makes me feel dumb because I should have been thinking about school that way since I started.

I'm always jealous of the conservatory type institutions other other artsy colleges that have acting classes that meet everyday because they get to work on their craft all the time. We don't get that luxery here, which really isn't anyone's fault. It's just the way the system is set up by the school. But, to become a better actor, we needed to put into practice all these things we learn in class everyday, not just on the days we have that class. This makes perfect sense. I'm sad to say that I don't do this, and I really should. If I'm writing this blog as an acting journal in order to think and work on my craft everyday, why shouldn't I do everything else along with it? I take the time to sit down and write a blog. I know this is easier to do since it involves the computer and I can multitask while doing this. But, again, I take the time out of my day. Why can't I take some more time to do the exercises?

In a way it's like working out. You have to go to the gym or run around the neighborhood or just find something to do to work on your body. You take that extra effort because you want to physically look good. I want to become a better actor, so I need to take that extra effort outside of class to do that; whether it be doing these breathing exercises or working on a role. I need to implement this into my life.