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I originally wrote this piece when Mercury was in retrograde last year, but guess what? It’s in retrograde again! And the lessons seem just as timely as they did last fall. Now some of you may think it’s all astrological hogwash, and that’s fine, but as a metaphor for challenges in creating and communication, IRead more

You’re never going to have it all figured out. There is no magic formula. You’re trying to define something that, in its essence, is indefinable. You figure it out while you’re doing it. You don’t figure it out and then do it. If you approach creativity that way, you’ll never do it. (The thing youRead more

If you’re going to reach your full potential as an actor, it’s important nothing gets in your way. 1. Don’t make what’s in the way…the way. If you want to get to the Golden Globes or any other awards show, you don’t get there by talking about how you’re not there! That’s what’s challenging aboutRead more

Gearing up for pilot season, actors always have hundreds of questions. Here are a few with some simple, straightforward answers-answers that always bring us back to self and what it is that we have to contribute as artists, storytellers, and people. The most important thing to remember is that it all comes down to trust.Read more

I think being an artist is inherently risky. It’s dangerous. To create is to face what scares us-step into the unknown and be brave enough to tell stories that no one may be interested in hearing. Since the new year is upon us, what better way to take inventory of what we can generate moreRead more

I was recently teaching at David Lynch’s Master’s of Filmmaking Program in Fairfield, Iowa when someone asked me if I had ever heard of Shadow Work. I hadn’t, but apparently, that’s what I was doing with the graduating class of directing students in getting them to understand how to work with actors. The groundbreaking therapist,Read more

“Acting is a lot like dating,” I’ve been known to say. I mean, it’s true. When it’s good, it’s really, really good. And when it’s bad…well, if we’re willing to get the lesson, it can also be good. But even if in the short term, it feels really bad. New studies (from San Diego StateRead more

Bill Nye the Science Guy recently said, “We are made of the stuff of exploding stars. We are made of stardust, so then we are at least one of the ways the Universe knows itself.” It’s indeed a way for creation to know itself but it’s also a way for us to know creation-who weRead more

  The image of the Phoenix rising from the ashes is powerful. It’s about transcendence, transformation, overcoming obstacles, victory. But you can’t rise above your circumstances without being in your circumstances first, and you can’t be in your circumstances if you don’t allow yourself to feel through them. And not pick-and-choose feeling. I want toRead more

It’s show business. It’s not just show. I think actors sometimes feel that if they focus only on the creative side, things will fall into place. But sadly, we’re not living in a meritocracy where the most talented or creative person gets the job. There are so many factors at play that influence why oneRead more