Hello Strasberg Actors. We hope that you are all well and safe in your homes. Just a month ago we would have never thought to find ourselves in a similar situation. If someone would have told us that all schools and shops would be closed, that we would spend hours doing our weekly grocery shopping, that hand sanitiser would be sold at the price of gold, we would have considered that someone a bit over the top. And yet here we are, during this apocalyptic historical moment that will certainly be remembered in the years to come.
But not all evil comes to harm, and while we don’t really know what is going to happen, and pray and hope for the best for those who are infected or see their income disappear, we see less planes in the sky, clearer waters and a drop in the carbon dioxide emissions around the world. We also have more time. More time to think, to rest, to create. More time to look at our lives and really realise if the path that we have chosen is the best for us. In these tragic times we should really take the opportunity to work on ourselves and our skills and maybe write that book, learn a new language or learn to play that instrument. YouTube is there to help you out! There are many free tutorials and cheap online courses out there right now. Including our Skype Screen Acting course and our Skype Private Sessions (first one free, following ones unbelievably cheap)!
Surely though, it can be hard to keep the mood up while locked into your house, that is why is important to keep certain rules in place, in order to avoid the creeping in of the inertia that comes with working in a very familiar environment and without a schedule. Which brings us the point that: you need to write down a schedule for yourself, so that you know what you are supposed to do and at what time of the day. And make sure to stick to it! Don’t be tough on yourself now, give yourself time to daydream and brainstorm, as well as schedule time to work on your projects and skills. We talk more about timekeeping for artists here.
Very important is also to keep the mood up with daily exercise (fitness social media influencers and bloggers are really giving their best right now and it would be a shame not to take advantage of all this amazing and free opportunities to workout). Let’s not underestimate what the boost of serotonin from a good workout can do to your day and productivity. Also make sure to eat fresh and healthy food, to keep the brain bright and the body (and immune system) strong.
This is also a great time for online networking! Pretty much all casting directors and industry people are behind their computer right now, thinking ahead about their projects once all this is finally over. Definitely a good time to get in touch with writers and directors, and send showreels around or your late blogpost or late YouTube videos you've made! Check this blogpost about Keeping in touch with casting directors for more tips. You can also check out our weekly Pills of Wisdom, Talks and Q&As live on our Facebook page.
We cannot leave out a strong spiritual practice. Of course people will have different beliefs and opinion on this, but it has been scientifically proved that meditation soothes anxiety, lowers levels of cortisol and adrenaline, improves concentration and general wellbeing. And as you know by now, whenever we mention meditation we’re not referring to sitting on a rock in silent for an hour and with your legs crossed. It can be any kind of meditation practice done for a few minutes everyday in your bedroom or living room to do the trick. See this blogpost to learn how to meditate easily.
And if social distancing is making you sad, you can always join the trend and have a happy hour with your friends on Zoom, that for some reason, is a lot more popular than Skype these days and must have made a fortune since the beginning of all this saga. Of course there’s a conspiracy theory down the rabbit holes of the internet that states that Zoom biologically modified the Coronavirus to skyrocket its revenues… well, it clearly worked then! But let’s focus on the lovely meetings we can have from our living rooms with all those friends, that mostly end up in drunken conversation and annoying hangovers the following morning.
Here you can find some more ideas of things you could do if you're not working.
If you are in search of new inspiration, there's also lots of time to read up and decide whether you want to try new methods and approaches for crafts you already hone: check out a touching and powerful story regarding a girl conscious about her body and with a past of eating disorders, and how the Actor's Intimacy Training has helped with this as she trained as a Strasberg Actress.
Whatever you’re doing during this lockdown, remember that we’re all in this together and this too shall pass. But, to avoid saying goodbye with a cheesy commonplace that, like all commonplaces, will reveal itself to be true, the Strasberg Campus Team would like to remind you all that it is always a good time to create and to let imagination run free, during, before and after times of curfews and crowd-controlling measures in supermarkets.
Always in the Art!
Your SC Team