Get Educated: Continuous Learning Takes on Dramatic Changes in Career and World

Who ever said that once college has come and gone, learning should vanish as well? Shakira, a well-known dancer and singer, has taken it upon herself to put her career on hold for a summer in order to take a course at UCLA for “her own enlightenment and enjoyment,” said her Western Civilization professor, Robert Cleve. This news may appear to be quite astonishing, especially since she is already viewed as highly successful. However, for performers it is essential to
continuously educate the mind and stay on track with worldly news on a daily basis. The performing arts is a representation of life itself, and to remain ignorant of culture, history, and the world today, the career as an artist can only go so far. Becoming well-rounded and versatile will increase the likelihood of success, because people scout for those who work hard and have an extensive repertoire of talents under their belt.

Dating back to the mid 1800’s, famous performers such as Benoit Constant Coquelin gives the very same advice. Throughout his career, he studied this art immensely and wrote a number of essays about this subject. In his essay titled The Dual Personality of the Actor, he states that “The dramatic art is…the art of humanity, and this is what makes a play of the highest pleasure…” He too believes that “Art is…not identification, but representation.” If actors are to imitate life, they need to absorb themselves in it. Drawing from historical and successful actors such as Coquelin goes to show just how crucial it is in be an observer in everyday life. It is a method that has worked for centuries and is taught to those who aspire to be elite performers.

One might wonder just how to do get involved with the world and become an avid observer of life. There is, after all, and unlimited amount of activities and studies to inquire in ones archive, and where does one begin? Extracting guidance from yet another historic master of theatre is a man by the name of David Garrick who strongly advices to get in touch with nature. In his essay titled An Essay on Acting, he mentions that “the only way to arrive at great excellency…is to let nature herself sit to the artist: would a player perform equally excellent in his profession, let him be introduced into the world…” It is of high importance to dive into life by allowing nature sink into personal life. Understanding nature is equivalent to understanding the world. If an actor relies on the power of nature rather than the power of oneself, representation of life can be accomplished on stage, on camera, or on a canvas, but only with great study and practice. By no means can this goal be reached over night.

The world famous Konstantin Stanislovskii, as shown in the image to the left, gave great advice on how to begin to allow nature seep into one’s life. Within his writings, he mentions that all masters of art should write, and keep a daily journal of every performance seen, little gestures people made on the street, etc. On top of this, he advised his students, from experience, to read voraciously, whether it be newspapers, novels, anything in print. Stanislovskii urged his students to visit museums daily, as well as concerts and art exhibits. In short, it is imperative to “develop your experience of the world and your ability to empathize with others through a broad liberal education.” With this in mind, recall certain moods from memory, and begin to take into consideration how the body is reacting and feeling in these certain moods. Once this is established, the actor will have a better grasp of how to represent that action or feeling on stage.

Becoming aware of the world within and around the actor will not only launch personal improvement, but can also make the world a better place to live. Performing can be a very selfish career, especially with constant self improvements and practices. However, with constantly surrounding oneself with current events, it is becoming increasingly common for actors to reach out to certain organizations that are designed to shape the world into a healthier, safer planet. Brad Pitt, to name one, has teamed up with an organization called Global Green in the hope of rebuilding destroyed houses from Hurricane Katrina. Pitt has taken it upon himself in understanding the high costs of energy use in homes, and with this knowledge he has been able to build low cost, energy efficient homes along the Ward, and is offering the homes to the families who lost theirs at that location, as shown in the image above. He is now highly aware of the damages the city caused, and he is extremely focused on providing families with a better, sturdier home compared to the shelters the government has temporarily provided.

Observing and taking initiative on life and what it has to offer will only provide greater opportunities for career advancement, and once performers dapple around with activities and education, nothing but improvement on self as well as inspiration to better the world will come about.