Have you ever seen a jellyfish move through the water? There is something amazing and effortless about their self propulsion. It’s like an inner pulsating that just carries them forward as they glide through the water rhythmically. No struggling or pushing. It looks like they are just breathing themselves into motion with pure ease. Hmmm, maybe it’s because they don’t have a brain.
I was thinking about this in terms of my acting. Okay I admit it, I am a worrier. I brood, get uptight and stressed out when it comes to my work. I begin to fear that I can’t understand this person, or that I’m not doing enough. Well, that was how my process used to be, but something just majorly shifted recently!! I started shooting this feature last weekend. I prepped less than usual, but felt okay about that and then just showed up to set and performed. No stress. No anxiety. No pushing or creating. My work was coming from body and gut and a place of relaxation, more than mind or muscle….kind of like how I described my last performance. With another part of me just stepping in and taking over, my mind could take a backseat and just watch. It’s really cool. Like being hypnotized, take my world for it.
This new way of being with myself oncamera and onstage could be just the thing that takes my work to the next level. It feels very compassionate, and completely natural. We are shooting again this coming weekend and I am excited to see how this experiment unfolds.
Tags: acting career, Actress, ease, Feature film, jellyfish
