Thursday

I was thinking this morning how the debriefing sessions remind me of Stanislavski's "An Actor Prepares," with his questions to his teacher. There's a newer version of it out now, because his teaching evolved over time, and what was being taught in the west no longer matched his teaching, and the newer translation is closer to his later philosophy (I think he went back to include the physical work.) I'll have to check it out again, I've always had a hard time getting through it, because I want to get to the practice itself...last time I skipped to the exercises in the back, and I think I want to revisit those since I now have people to work through them with. I think it lives at my local library branch.

Maybe some truths are momentary, but make such a strong impression that they guide our actions for years to follow, even long after their moment has passed. Maybe we need to revisit them and decide if they are true now, instead of following them without question in perpetuity.

Took another stab at the text for class. It's a little better in the middle. He talks about breath, about getting into a meditative state so that there is flow. And how in that state, your art and you become one and the same (I think, I get lost sometimes.) And how it's important to have mastered both the art and the process of getting to that state, so that you are ready for the inspiration when it comes and don't need to think about it. (He also mentions how difficult it is to stay in that state. How thoughts of completely unrelated things invade it and try to distract you.)  I always feel like I'm going to hyperventilate when I concentrate on breathing, and my nose gets sore: I have a lot of sinus issues. Obviously, something to work on. There is a definite appeal of getting to the point of flow and not over thinking everything; to get there, I need to do the work to the point that I don't need to think about it anymore. That's the point of studying, I suppose. The meditation is a practice to master outside of class, in hopes that in the future the two things will mesh, the responses will be in the moment and real. Sounds like it should be easy to do:) though it's not for me.