Whether an actor is a professional entertainer, a captain of industry, or a political leader, he or she captivates through the effective portrayal of a character. Your actions, deliberate or unconscious, are critiqued as an act by those who feel they can be critical of you. Learning to organize and deliver your persona in line with your intentions is a skill that needs to develop through practice.
How people perceive your “act” determines your social value. If you have your act together, you will be collected and focused. Both engagement and confident actions impart a credible reflection of your commitment to yourself and your ideas. If you are expected to Lead, a high social standing greatly increases your probability of achieving your vision so you must take into account your composure. High social value individuals understand their roles and play them effectively.
SELF-CARE is both functional in terms of addressing the role you play (SELF), and the form by which you act (CARE). The question is whether you perform your act purposefully, or not. Some individuals develop themselves to play a role subconsciously by adapting to their interpretation of mentors or role models. Through imitation, they assume the mental projection of the character they imagine themselves to be and then play the part as best as possible. Is this the best approach possible?
There is a third component to SELF-CARE in the “-” symbol which connects SELF with CARE and serves as a connector, but this symbol is also an operator. The subtraction symbol is about negation, and signified that when both SELF and CARE are equally represented in the effort that you put forth, nothing is left on either side of your internal state or external expression.
How does negation come into play? You must methodically eliminate any negative emotions such as fear or falseness to bring about your truest expression. If you truly embrace the role you must play without the falseness or interference of your ego, and act without the false affectation of influence, the real you can captivate an audience and suspend their disbelief that you are another version of someone else. How can you adopt this ideal?
Method Acting, a school established by the late Konstantin Stanislavski has 3 foundational books on what an actor must do in order to portray a part effectively. It is more than likely that your favorite actor from the last century to the present day is a graduate or student of the Actors Studio in New York where this school of acting is based. According to the founder, an actor must prepare, build a character, and create a role. The motive of the founder was to establish the natural order of theatrical truth.
In preparation, an actor challenges their personal assumptions and any subconscious motives to purify from anything that stands against a true portrayal of a role. The creation of the character is an actors true projection of how they envision playing a part. Both steps are consistent aspects of the SELF-CARE process, adapted to the theatrical work that an actor must organize in order to focus their efforts on the role and play the part to the best of their ability. In creating a role, the actor practices playing the part they will eventually play publicly.
In addition to the earlier example of entertainer, business person, or politician, there is also another practitioner of the art of fulfilling a role that cannot endure the false idea of acting in the performance of their activities, and this is the role of the warrior. Much has been romanticized of the mindset, psychology, and physical prowess of the warrior as played by theatrical actors, business leaders, and politicians. The difference is in how the performer would actually handle the real challenge where the stakes are greater than superficial losses.
To prepare for the battles that may or may not arrive, warriors, aspire to develop the presence of mind required to face uncertainty and death. In preparation for this possibility, the process requires confronting and eliminating their false selves through rigorous training, followed by meditation as practiced through drills that require discipline as in marching in unison or handling a weapon. Some traditions also practiced meditation in the form of zazen breath meditation to increase self-control. These observations are universally true of the organized military of eastern and western cultures.
The presence of Mind practice enables an individual to access their subconscious mind without interference and hesitation. There is a process to arriving at this state of mind, similar to how Stanislavski organized the path of the theatrical actor in terms of preparation. The work may be different, but the aim is to bring out the potential of the practitioner toward a practice that ultimately delivers an excellent effort when it counts. Negation, therefore, means to increase self-awareness.
In cultivating self-awareness, we identify the assumptions, false ideas, and affectations that confuse our effort. Method Actors since Stanislavski diverged into 2 different paths, one where an actor accesses their personal emotional state in a past experience to bring a personal element to their performance, or a divergent path where the actor immerses themselves into the character and its role in the context of the scene and story.
Both of the Method Acting approaches that have evolved since the founding of the school diverge around the creation of the role. However, the SELF-CARE process as defined on this platform enables the fundamental aspects of preparing the actor and building a character.
SELF-CARE is also valid as it relates to the practice of any art, including martial arts. An incredible example of this philosophy is held by the 16th century Japanese Swordsman Musashi Miyamoto when he was quoted as saying: “Thus the science of martial arts involves the presence of mind to act as the sea when the enemy is like a mountain and act as a mountain when the enemy is like the sea.”
Musashi trained privately, diligently, methodically testing his skill and tested through 60 life and death battles against the most accomplished rivals of his time before he composed his exceptional book, “The Book of 5 Rings.” His strategy, style, and practice of martial skill entail self-awareness and the elimination of non-essential habits and ideas that interfere with life and death battles.
When real opportunities surface, there is rarely if ever a rehearsal provided to refine your skills and perform. In anticipation of the opportunity that will come to you, exercise your best efforts on a daily basis through a deliberate sharpening of the mind, conduct in your relationships, and the productive use of your time to create your role.