My Current Networks

The word 'networking' usually sends shivers down my spine....it conjures up images for me of desperate actors standing awkwardly at parties trying to engage with casting directors, in the hope that it will help them to land their next job. I am certainly extremely fearful of networking for the sake of networking, and it doesn't feel like a talent that comes naturally. However, I am fully aware of it's importance in professional life, and of course, our networks cover all kinds of professional relationships, not just the act of trying to form new friendships at awkward press night parties! 


I had to rehearse on Thursday 17th March, so was sadly unable to attend the Campus Session about 'The Networked Professional'. With no-one to share thoughts with, i have found it tricky to begin to think about this third section of the course, especially as I feel that you could go on investigating Reflection forever and never run out of new ideas to explore. In a search for a starting point and to see whether I was on the right track, I looked at Mark Iles' blog, as I have formed an opinion of him as someone who's ideas I respect and trust. Interestingly, when I read Mark's blog about Current Networks, he had done exactly the same thing! Having missed the Campus Session due to work commitments, his first thought was to turn to a peer who he thought of as reliable and intelligent.  

"The first person that sprung to mind was Natalie, and I was right to think of her because she has written a really clear account of what happened at the campus session in her blog entitled 'The Networked Professional-campus session 10/11/10'." (Mark Iles, 2010)

I have included this link above in the hope that it will help some of us January starters to get a bit of inspiration. As there are fewer of us, we are a smaller network, so consequently I would argue that we need to think more about how we can help each other out by widening our network, to include people from other groups and from outside the course as well (adding more links, or 'nodes' to our network). I think I have been very aware of this since the beginning of starting on BAPP, but until looking at the 'Networked Professional' reader, I hadn't really thought of it in this way. I decided to follow the advice of Alan at this previous Campus Session and begin by creating a 'mind map' of my current professional networks.

Having mapped out my current professional network, the first thing that struck me is that some of my contacts are temporary (ie. the people I am working with right now, or have very recently met) and some are permanent (those that I am close to, or ex-colleaugues, teachers etc. that I have kept in touch with). It's a bit like the idea of having an outer and an inner circle - or you could imagine in as 2 columns. In order to successfully build upon my professional network, I need to move people from the temporary to the permanent column. These lasting contacts will hopefully then be people I can learn from, share ideas with, and perhaps most importantly become a link to a larger professional network. I have been offered auditions several times in this way, sometimes for projects I would have found it very difficult to get seen for otherwise. For example, an older actress whom I befriended whilst doing a play was kind enough to recommend me to her friend who is a well known tv producer and writer. This leads me on to the theme of co-operation, as I regularly do the same thing if I believe in someone's talent and come across an opportunity to recommend them for work. I believe it's a bit like 'networking karma'....if you think of others and send out positive messages about people, they are more likely to do the same for you.   


Looking at Joanna's blog, I really liked the way she had thought about her network from the point of view of those we give to, those we receive from, and our equals. 

People I receive from

More experienced actors

Directors

Ex- Teachers

Casting Directors

Academic Advisors

People I give to

Less experienced actors

Charities

Equals

Cast Mates (with my level of experience)

Performer Friends

Peers on BAPP course

Of course, as we are at a relatively early stage of our careers, we are likely to have more people that we receive from than give to, but splitting my network into these categories certainly made me think about how I can 'give' more,  and what the potential benefits of this are. In fact, one of my major frustrations that I am discovering through my journal is feeling that I would like to do more to be of worth in society, so it helped to flag that up for me. Again it brings me back to the idea of co-operation.....on Joanna's blog Alan made the following comment which I really identified with:

"My experience is that I often (but not always) reap what I sow. There are people that I will seek to help when they ask, sending them things I come across which I think will interest them. Now you cannot predict how and when they may help you. But I know I can rely on them to be thinking of me and what might help me." (Alan Durrant, 2010)

I think we have already begun to do this on the BAPP course, helping each other with problems and sharing links and thoughts that we think may be of help to each other, and I want to make a commitment to take this further in my professional life. Looking at the course reader for this section The Networked Professional, there are some quite complex ideas and theories to get to grips with, so let's embrace the idea of 'networking karma' and help each other out on the blogs! 

Revisiting Web 2.0

The more I have come to think about Web 2.0 platforms, the more I accept that we simply cannot choose but embrace them in our professional practice, or risk being left behind. To help me develop and order my thoughts, I created a meme diagram of my own concerns/perceived benefits. I found O’Reily’s meme in the reader really useful so I thought I would give it a try myself.

I still believe, as I stated in a previous post, that there is potentially a lot of damage that can be done to professional reputations through reviews and blogs. However, these problems are not exclusive to my industry. In a recent Radio 4 programme, ‘You and Yours - Social Networking’, one caller talked about the fact that companies used to have a period of 24 hrs to control the situation after a crisis, whereas they now have only hours. The caller pointed out that whilst this can create headaches for those responsible for maintaining the image of a company, it also has the positive effect of greater transparency and accountability.

The power of the produsage movement means that brands cannot control their identities in the way that they used to. In his BBC news article about ‘Hyperconnectivity’, Tim Weber stated recently that ‘...it means that companies can't control their brands anymore. At best, they shape them. Not by telling customers what to think, but through respectful interaction’. A performer or creative artist is their own brand, and must accept that we face the same problems as any other business. It is therefore vital, I believe, to monitor perceptions of our ‘brand’ online. Armed with knowledge, we can then adopt appropriate strategies. We may choose to actively ignore negative comments, perhaps opt to positively counteract by leaving leaving our own comments, as is sometimes done by disgruntled writers in response to stinging reviews, or maybe we will come across helpful information that can help inform professional choices or changes. I often see this in action when actors put their new headshots on facebook and request feedback from their peers.


I have already learned lots of new skills to give me the tools to create and interact with Web 2.0 sites. I have come to realise that whilst it is fairly obvious to see how we might promote ourselves/our business using the Web, there are also, perhaps more importantly, ways that we can utilise it to protect ourselves. I now feel that I am developing a greater understanding of privacy settings, sharing content, copyright issues etc. Rather than feeling overwhelmed, I actually feel reassured that I have more control over some aspects of Web 2.0 than I realised. For example, choosing to protect my privacy by making a you tube clip unlisted, being conscience of how using a person’s name could effect them through search engines, and the option to approve comments left on blogs.

On another BBC news article, I found this quote from Isabelle Ratinaud, of Monster.co.uk, a major online recruitment firm.

"There is no threat from social networks. The only threat is that if we did not know how to use it or how to embrace it and that could become a threat...But any company that uses it within their values, within the business that they have, will benefit from social networking.”

For me....this quote sums up my current attitude towards the use of Web 2.0 tools in professional practice, and although in the article it refers to a recruitment agency, I think the same applies to any business or self employed individual.

SOURCES

16 January 2011 Last updated at 16:36

Virtual job-hunting: Technology fills situations vacant

By Rory Cellan-Jones

Technology Correspondent BBC News

29 January 2011 Last updated at 00:02

Davos 2011: We're all hyper-connected, now what?

By Tim Weber

Business Editor, BBC News Website

NT live!

Last night was a first for me - I went to see Danny Boyle's National Theatre production of 'Frankenstein' at the cinema. For anyone that hasn't come across it, the National Theatre have now started something called NT Live, screening live performances of certain productions to cinemas around the globe - a brilliant way for more people to discover the plays and see what they are up to. Another great example of the use of new technology in the world of performance, pushing the boundaries between theatre and film.

I must say, I was dubious about whether a theatre production could transfer to the big screen, as they are obviously very different mediums with different acting requirements, but I must say I thought they did a great job. There were lots of different camera angles and close-ups, and I got a really good sense of the staging of the production. Not quite the same as being there in the flesh but the next best thing!

Have a look at the trailer for 'Frankenstein' below - I will be working on another production (The Cherry Orchard) at The National Theatre which is due to be screened in June, so keep an eye out for it on the website if you are interested in taking a look.

NT Live Website 

Journal Writing Experience

I found the journal writing task very valuable - having a framework to stick to helped to deepen my reflection in certain areas and avoid missing things out that don't sit as comfortably with me. Although I write in my private journal nearly everyday, sometimes it can be hard to get started, and using the framework certainly helped to spark of some thoughts. Using a structured method like the Reid and Moon frameworks was an aid to steer my thinking into certain areas, and as a result my journal for the day was more thorough, more honest and more insightful. 

Description
I chose a day at random to do the journal writing task, based on Reid and Moon's frameworks. I am currently doing a play in a fringe venue, so I was performing in the evening, but the rest of my day was spent in quite a leisurely way. I had a long lie in, which was much needed after a hectic week in which I was really quite run down. I then headed out around my local area for a coffee and a walk down the river with a friend, before having lunch at a restaurant and then returning home to do a few quick household chores before heading to the theatre. It was slightly different from other evenings in that we were unable to get into the theatre until 6:45pm due to another event, so we were slightly rushed for preparation time. After the show, I had hoped to go straight home for an early night, but a friend of a friend who works in the industry was in that night so we had to stay for a drink and a chat. After that it was home for a very late meal and then a film, so my day finally ended at about 3am.

Initial Reflection
This section sparked off a lot of responses within me. Although the majority of my day was spent 'relaxing', I realised that I generally find it very hard to actually relax. I found myself constantly thinking and worrying about all the productive things I should be doing, and actually felt quite guilty most of the time. Perversely, I even realised that I was worrying about how the worrying was affecting my leisure time - what could I do to 'switch off' from thinking about certain things and just live in the moment and enjoy myself. Moving on to the evening when I actually did the play, I felt quite tired and lethargic, not energised and rested as I feel I should after a nice day of leisure. I then felt dis-heartened as we had a very small audience in, and I did not feel that the show went well for me personally. So sadly, I realised that if I were to draw a graph, my mood probably went downwards throughout the day!

I went into quite a lot of detail in this section as this is an area of my life that concerns me often - the balance between work and social life. Asking myself the specific questions in the framework helped me to more thoroughly explore a subject that I would otherwise perhaps only have touched on, so the task has definitely helped me to identify this as an area that needs addressing.

List
Making a list of words that related to my day was quite fun, although I don't think I discovered anything particularly unexpected or new or this occasion. My words were a mixture of positive words like 'sunshine', 'contentment' and 'coffee' and negative ones such as 'guilt' 'lethargy' and 'out of shape'...which is kind of what I expected. I found it was a bit like doing the poetry writing task, I enjoyed the 'release' of not having to write in structured sentences and letting my thoughts flow. I think this is definitely something I would try again, and perhaps on another day I may be more surprised by the words that spring up.

Evaluation
My response to this section was surprisingly small, as sadly/interestingly it was not a day in which I felt I learnt anything much new, with regards to my professional practice. With the combination of the small audience and the lack of energy I felt that day, I think I turned in a pretty lazy performance that evening. Sometimes with runs of plays, there will be nights when you just 'don't feel it' and new stuff just doesn't seem to come up, and that was one of those days.
However, the task forced me to question what I can do about this, rather than simply accept it. I really need to be taking more care of myself in terms of the amount of sleep I get - it's easy to get into a very late night routine when doing a play, but it has a very negative impact on my energy levels. I also realised when writing my journal that I need to be more disciplined about warming up properly, especially on the days when I don't feel like it!

What if? 
I really enjoyed letting my imagination run wild in this section; there were some small practical things that I thought could have happened that would have improved my day, like fitting in some exercise or warming up more thoroughly. However, the most interesting reflections came out of imagining 'bigger' things. I really believe in the power of visualising positive things ahead for ourselves, and expressing that either verbally or in writing helps us to make those fantasies more real. I wrote about someone seeing the show and liking my work, and it leading on to another job, which has been how I have got most of my work in the past. Perhaps expressing these ambitions and desires means that when those opportunities crop up, for example for networking after a performance, we will be more likely to take advantage of them as we have already imagined the positive outcome. Imagining the 'what if's' is definitely something I will take and use again from the framework.

Another View
I tried writing from the point of view of my bag, a cast mate and then someone who saw the show that night, but nothing surprising really popped up on this occasion. I found myself being quite paranoid and negative about what the reactions of others could be towards me, which I am not sure was very useful. Of course we must keep in mind the responses of others towards our actions and our work, but for me personally, I tend to worry about this too much I think. I wouldn't want to hinder myself by going too deeply into this - even at auditions or in rehearsal, I think it's an easy mistake to try to become what others want you to be, rather than just being yourself. Nevertheless, a worthwhile question to ask - I imagine it's particularly useful for those working in a teaching capacity, as it's important to be aware of what your students are learning (for example, if they were confused etc.).

Themes
I was a little surprised at how difficult I found it to pinpoint things in the day that I had found of value, or that I got enthusiastic about, as the play was not particularly strong that day. However, I realised that I value the experience of doing fringe plays very much. I questioned what I get out of doing them and whether I still feel a passion for acting when working for such a small audience, as it's tough, but I realised that yes I do. Like any job, there are good days and bad days, but I would always rather be in a theatre than anywhere else. I like the way that in fringe shows I usually have a large and challenging role, whereas if I were working in a larger theatre in a small part, it might seem more glamorous but perhaps it would not be as valuable an experience? I concluded that it's important to make sure we keep 'exercised' as actors and I always try and do at least one fringe show a year, for this reason.

My apparent lack of new experiences on this particular day also led me to the conclusion that it was more a day of reflection, rather than a day of action or experience, and this is fine. If we take Kolb's learning cycle for example, there may be days (in rehearsal for example) where we seem to flow through the phases of learning very quickly and lots of new discoveries are made. However, I think it's perfectly valid to think that we may sometimes linger on one phase for an entire day - during a long run of a play I sometimes feel 'stuck' for a week or so before discovering something that feels really new, but perhaps sometimes it's a necessary stagnation and completely natural?

In the questions that I asked myself about the day, it was interesting to see which themes are recurring, as these must be prominent areas to explore for me. Some of these were almost identical to themes that came up in the 'Inquiry Task', specifically to do with exploring screen work, and creating my own work.

Creative Inspiration - Culture Fusion

I was looking at Sonal's blog today and she had included some ideas and pictures about exploring the 2 places she feels most passionate about, LA and India. I thought this was a great theme and could be very valuable stimulus material for any type of performance piece. Sonal was interested in exploring her heritage, but also in looking ahead to where she sees herself in the future. I think there is a lot of potential there for some really exciting fusion of styles - it made me think of this video I found recently on you tube, which is an example of fusion in music. It mixes Indian and British Folk...I thought I would share it with you to see if it brings up any ideas for anyone about how they might like to use 'culture fusion' in their own work.

Inquiry Task

Getting into the practice of daily reflection on myself and my career has opened up so many lines of inquiry for me already. I am being more honest without myself about what really inspires me and often surprising myself with the directions I am opting to go in. The stumbling block for me is honing in on things and narrowing lines of inquiry, but there is still plenty of time for exploration and hopefully this task will help to solidify some thoughts I have been having.

So, the big questions...


.....................................................................................................................................................................


What in my daily practice gets me really enthusiastic to find out more?


Spontaneity in performance really excites me, whether I am performing or watching a piece of theatre or screen work. I am enthusiastic about acting work that is truly 'in the moment' and genuine; I enjoy rehearsal and performance the most when I feel that anything could happen and I am surprised by my responses and those of my fellow actors. 


I am interested to find out more about practitioners/performers that seek to explore and increase this level of spontaneity, particularly through improvisation. I admire film makers such as Shane Meadows and Mike Leigh, who use improvisation as part of their process; I find that their work has an amazing sense of realism and truth. Below are some links to interviews I found where both discuss improvisation as part of their process:


Mike Leigh
http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2002/10/03/mike_leigh_all_or_nothing_interview.shtml
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2008/feb/17/mikeleigh.berlinfilmfestival


Shane Meadows
http://www.lazaruscorporation.co.uk/articles/shane-meadows


The theatre director that I am currently working with likes to improvise, to help her actors create a past for their characters and really inhabit the role they are playing. As not all directors work in this way, I am interested in finding out "how can I further my training and experience to enable me to act more spontaneously?"

KEY THEMES: Improvisation, Spontaneity 

Whats gets me angry or sad? Who do I admire and who shares your feelings or has found a way to work around the sadness or anger?


Not working makes me sad! It seems obvious but I think all actors feel that the unhappiness of not acting, can be one of the biggest struggles of acting. Even very successful actors can have long periods out of work, and for the majority we must find other ways of earning a living, which we do not necessarily enjoy. If we choose to remain on the path of an acting career, we must find a way to deal with this.


Some of the people I most admire are those who have been able to remain creatively or 'spiritually' fulfilled all of the time, by doing other things that stimulate them. One of these people is a friend of mine who is an actor, but also a successful folk musician who plays several instruments and tours all over the world.


I found this interesting article in the Evening Standard magazine titled 'The Return of the Renaissance' that refers to these multi-talented multi-tasking creatives as 'Polymaths' (the word polymath comes from the Greek polymathēs, "having learned much"). It lists several actors, writers and singers who do more than one thing. Two examples are playwright Polly Stenham, who also runs an art gallery in Camden, and actor James Franco who "...has also published a collection of short stories...and was at one point pursuing four graduate courses: creative writing at Columbia, fiction at Brooklyn College, poetry at Warren Wilson in North Carolina, and film-making at NYU" (Goodwin & Nathanson 2011).


Now these are pretty extreme examples and most of us have financial constrains that would make some of these things difficult. But I like the essence of the Polymath idea, which for me is about continuing to explore your creativity, not sitting waiting for the phone to ring! I would love to begin to take my photography more seriously, for example, and possibly explore how I could earn part of my living in that way. 


So I suppose one question to myself is, 'What other 'jobs' or skills do I want to explore & what are the factors preventing me from doing so?'


I also really admire people who have gone out there and created their own work. As performers, we can be very much at the mercy of directors, producers and casting directors, who employ us. I know of several theatre companies that were set up by actors with a view to creating their own work, for example a friend of mine is currently producing her own play at Riverside Studios through her theatre company Jagged Fence.

KEY THEMES: Multiple skills, producing

What do you love about what you do? Who do you admire who also seems to love this or is an example of what you love?


Total Immersion in another place and time is what I love about what I do. I love the way that each production offers the chance to learn about a world other than my own, explore the way different people live, and find out more about the human condition. I find it very liberating to discover this through the eyes of someone else, which I suppose is one of the major attractions of acting for me.


I think all actors enjoy this and strive to immerse themselves in the role that they are playing, but I particularly admire those actors who truly seem to 'become' someone else and transport us to another world. There are many examples of actors who I feel manage to achieve this, but two particular favourites of mine are Daniel Day-Lewis and Paddy Considine. Daniel Day-Lewis famously employs an 'immersive' approach to acting, preparing for film roles by living out the life of the character before filming. Whilst this approach is certainly not for everyone, and some would argue it is potentially unhealthy, it's inspiring to see an actor with such commitment to discovering the truth of a character, and his performances are hugely captivating because of it.


Each actor must find their own path and ways of creating characters, which can only we formed from their own experience; The type of training that they have had, what they have learned from other actors and directors, and most importantly their own personal instincts. We never stop learning as performers and I think it's important to remember not to be lazy as an actor - it's often easy to fall back on old habits or tricks. I want to make sure that I seek to constantly involve and improve my processes, and see as much as possible of other's work to gain inspiration and fresh ideas.      

Key Themes: Truth in performance 

What do you feel you don't understand? Who do you admire who does seem to understand it or who has found a way of making not understanding it interesting or beautiful, or has asked the same questions as you?


Screen acting is something that I feel I don't have a full understanding of, as I have predominantly worked in theatre. Although I am confident that my training and experience has prepared me for work in any medium, I need to learn more about the technique of working on camera, and the differences in comparison to theatre.


There are lots of courses and workshops in screen acting for professional actors, such as this one-week intensive at The City Lit. Sadly I can't attend any this term as they all clash with the play that I am doing, but perhaps this would be a good way for me to build up my confidence in front of the camera. Like any skill, I think the most effective way to learn is through doing (concrete experience). I need to try and use my professional network to get involved in as many short film projects, workshops etc. as possible to build on my skills and create a showreel that will hopefully lead to future work.   


"How can I most effectively seek to develop my screen acting skills through further training and experience?"

Key Themes: Screen Acting

Has an event, experience or incident prompted questions that you would like to find out more about?

Marathon training has been one of the major things that has shaped my life over the past year, and raising money for the charity Mencap. They do amazing work for people with learning disabilities. It's all been in memory of my Nana who passed away last year, as her son (my uncle) was born with profound learning disabilities. She was very passionate about people like her son having a voice and as equal a chance in life as possible...through the work that I have been doing this has also become a major interest of mine.

I began thinking about how I could use my skills and contacts in my industry to raise awareness of these issues, which led to thinking about organising an evening of short plays or making a short film in aid of Mencap. This would have the aim of including actors with learning disabilities and hopefully act as a forum for issues that effect them to be explored.

This is a project that has remained as yet in my head, as it would be a big undertaking. There would be plays/film scripts to commission, equipment to borrow, actors & directors to find, a space to rehearse and perform in - not to mention trying to get all of this for free! Aside from all the practical issues, I have to admit I feel daunted by the question, 'When should an actor with a disability perform on stage and when is it appropriate/necessary for a non-disabled actor to take the role?' I passionately believe in disabled performers being represented, but of course there are cases (like my uncle) where the disability is so severe that person does not have the level of comprehension or control by which they could play themselves. But I really believe their stories should still be told....so the director has no choice but to employ a non-disabled actor. I have a feeling it would be a bit of a minefield of political correctness - but this is one line of inquiry I am very interested in at the moment....

.....................................................................................................................................................................

Traveling to New York earlier this year was also quite an important experience for me - it was my first trip ever outside of Europe. I have always been very interested in travel and experiencing different cultures, but have had precious little opportunity to do this because of prioritising my acting. I have become increasingly frustrated by this over the years and New York was a confirmation for me of how strong those desires to 'see the world' are.

So.....the questions the experience has left me with are 'How does theatre differ in different parts of the world? To what extent is it valued by different cultures?' and 'How can I shape my own career so that I am able to travel, whilst maintaining my professional practice?'

KEY THEMES: Charity, Learning Disabilities, Travel

Video Diary Summary

Keeping a video diary has been very interesting and in some ways challenging. My initial aim was to to record my reflections at the end of everyday, for 5 mins, for a week. However, given my current schedule with the play, I found it very difficult to record at the end of everyday, as it was often so late and I felt so tired (see Video Diary 2). Having thought about this and discussed it with Nicole Carmen through these blog comments, I decided to change my brief, as I felt the pressure I was putting on myself was counter productive. So, my video diaries ended up spanning a period of 2 weeks, rather than 1 as originally intended. Although I felt slightly disappointed with myself for not sticking to the task I set myself, I think that in the end this longer time period probably turned out to be interesting as it covered more events.

I feel very mixed about how useful the video diaries were as an effective tool for reflection. I enjoyed the challenge of having to orally express myself and thinking on the spot, and was certainly surprised by how difficult I found it simply to talk for a few minutes about my thoughts, as I normally won't shut up! I think the main issue was that of self-censorship - I knew that I was going to post my video diaries on the internet, so I therefore felt it would not be appropriate to mention people's names or be too negative. There were days when I was feeling very frustrated and wrote lots of strongly worded comments in my private journal, but these would nto have been suitable for the video diary. This led me to question 'Is there any point in reflection if it is not fully honest?'. In many instances I was thinking one thing, but saying another, or censoring myself so much that the thought got a bit lost.

Having said that, I have enjoyed watching the videos back, and looking at other people's video journals. Nicole made a comment that one of her friend's said she had a very expressive face, and they got far more from that than just words; this is certainly true and it's fascinating to see the way our whole energy can shift on a certain day, depending on how we feel. I suppose it's very useful for those of us who are performers to have an awareness of how we present ourselves and come across.

So ultimately, a valuable experience but probably not something I would keep up, unless it was intended for the purposes of entertaining others rather than personal reflection. What does anyone else think? Has anybody else had a similar or contradictory experience of making a video diary?   

Video Diary 7

The last Video Diary!

Wikis

I think I have now understood the use of the Wiki - it's basically an online place for us to store documents (writing, photo etc.) that can be accessed, edited and saved from any computer in the world. Other members of the Wiki can also go in and edit, making Wikis very useful tools for any group of people who are working together, or even as a tool for planning social events.

I wasn't sure exactly how we were meant to be using the Wikis within this module, but I have found that it's a great place to group together and store blog posts that run along the same theme - it should make it easier when we come to the end f the module to pull stuff how for my final written piece and see how my thoughts progressed. It can also be a space to store thoughts, collecting information and research together before writing a blog piece.

If you haven't already, check out Nicole's post about Wikis. She includes a great you tube video that explains really clearly how to get going with Wikis.

Reflective Theory Task

My professional practice requires constant reflection; in the rehearsal process for a play, our ideas are constantly evolving and the way in which we play a scene will shift and alter each time we do it. With the help of the course reader and some further reading, I have deepened my understanding of reflective practice by drawing on the theories of various philosophers and academics. This is an initial exploration in which I hope to identify areas for further study.

Art as Reflection

One could argue that theatre, by it's very nature, is reflection. Plays always seek to tell us something about society or the human condition, even when they are not overtly political. I would agree with John Dewey's school of thought discussed in Adesola's reader, that art can help us to engage in society more effectively. I think art helps us to question our thinking and morals and stimulates us into becoming more active thinkers. I believe that learning is something that continues throughout life; watching or participating in art causes us to constantly re-evaluate what we know, and stops us being complacent.    

Reflection in/on action & Tacit Knowledge

Actors reflect in various ways; we respond to our surroundings and the other actors around us; indeed one of the first things an actor will be taught at drama school is the widely used mantra, 'Acting is Reacting'. Donald Schon would describe this type of responding as reflection-in-action, responding 'in the moment' whilst the event or experience is happening.

Whilst I was, of course, aware of this process occurring, I had never really considered the distinction that Schon makes between reflection-in-action and the reflection-on-action we do after rehearsing a scene. We may receive formal notes, either written or verbal, from our director, or engage in an informal discussion about the experience. This helps us to develop ideas to explore the next time we rehearse the scene and allows us to ensure that the whole creative team are 'on the same page'. If we engage in a collaborative creative project, reflection cannot be a purely solitary exercise; we need to be able to communicate our reflective thoughts to others and begin to interpret their reflections too. For this reason, I have come to agree with the notions of Karen Osterman (Osterman & Kottcamp, 2004) and Jennifer Moon (Moon, 1999), amongst others, who "have argued the importance of finding ways to articulate tacit knowledge and experiences...because they have understanding and meaning in them that are important to access" (Akinleye, 2010).

I certainly believe in the existence of tacit knowledge (see my previous blog); a type of instinctive knowledge that cannot be expressed in words. In his book, Tacit Dimension, Michael Polanyi states that "...we can know more than we can tell" (Polanyi, 1966). I believe this is particularly true for creative artists, as so much of what we do is based on visceral, instinctive feeling. However, I strive to develop good communication and a rapport with the other creative artists that I work with, and I also hope to teach in the future. It is therefore vital for me to keep searching for ways to access and express my tacit knowledge so that I can pass this on to others.

Creative collaborators often develop long-standing relationships, for example, I know of several directors who will always use the same lighting designer, or like to work with the same actors. This leads me to believe that there may be people who share tacit knowledge, although they may not be consciously aware of the fact. When a director comes across an actor who just seems to 'get' what they want, who has all the same natural instincts about what is needed, they are likely to want to hold on to that actor. I find it extremely exciting to work with people when, having explained our artistic visions as far as we can in words, the other person is simply and inexplicably able to 'fill in the gaps'.

Learning Styles


Looking at learning styles through the work of David Kolb & Howard Gardner has brought me to some conclusions about the ways i which I engage with learning. I have explored these in my previous blog My Learning Style. Having realised that I most commonly enter Kolb's Learning Cycle at the stage of 'reflective observation' & tend to learn best through visual means, I wanted to find out to what extent this knowledge is useful to me in my professional practice.

Many leading psychologists and scientists have questioned the existence of 'learning styles', and their usefulness within a educational environment. In an article with the Daily Telegraph, Susan Greenfield and Frank Coffield raise some interesting and strong criticism of learning style methods as a concept. 

"The rationale for employing Vak learning styles appears to be weak. After more than 30 years of educational research in to learning styles there is no independent evidence that Vak, or indeed any other learning style inventory, has any direct educational benefits."

                                                                 Susan Greenfield, Director, Royal Institute (2010) 

"We do students a serious disservice by implying they have only one learning style, rather than a flexible repertoire from which to choose, depending on the context."

                                                              Professor Frank Coffield, London University (2010)

The criticism of learning styles that I have come across seems to centre around Professor Coffield's belief that students are pigeon-holed and limited by being assessed as one particular type of learner. I agree, to a point, that there is a danger of learners limiting themselves and not reaching their full potential in this way. However, I think it is important to recognise that Gardner did not intend to make people feel that they can only learn in one way, rather that his theories "can be used as a tool for your understanding of how you and others learn" (Akinleye, 2010).

I have found the greatest value in researching these theories comes not from simply understanding the ways in which I am naturally inclined to learn, but in experimenting and challenging myself to try other ways. Every theatre director has their own way of working, and will require different things from their actors. For example, one director might like to do a lot of table work and discuss the text in lots of detail; a kinaesthetic learner might find this difficult and frustrating, they would rather be up on their feet. However, if they want to work well with that director, they will have to step outside their comfort zone and try to engage in a more audio learning style, and make use of their Verbal-linguistic intelligence (one of the 'multiple intelligences' identified by Garner in 1983).

Reflective Tools


Although reflection is a daily part of my professional life, I have until now not been aware of how possible tools or more structured approaches to reflection might help me. I have often kept notebooks during a rehearsal process that include notes from my director, a few of my own thoughts about how I need to progress, and various sketches and pictures that stimulate ideas about the character I am playing. Without consciously meaning to, I have kept reflective journals.

Jennifer Moon has written extensively about the value of journals in reflection, and argues that they can help the learner to "deepen the quality of learning", "understand their own learning process" and "enhance creativity by making better use of intuitive understanding" (Moon, 1999a). Even in the short amount of time I have been keeping one, I have noticed a profound effect on my thinking. I have been able to identify and better articulate my reflections, understand where the major gaps in my learning or experience are, and develop a clearer outlook for the future. I liken it to the process of developing a performance for theatre in rehearsal, we may feel muddled and inconsistent in the character we are playing until we find our 'journey' or 'through-line' through the play. For me, journal writing links together my daily experiences allowing the 'journey' to become clear.
  

Video Diary 6

The play I am currently in...

Love on the Rocks - Drayton Studio Theatre

"Mel Raido stars in the The Largest Room's re-working of Arthur Schnitzler's "Anatol" by Hilary Wood. Alex loves women. All of them. A dreamer and a poet, he just wants to find the perfect girl. Max loves women too, but unlike Alex he also loves their imperfections. From the succession of beautiful girls that pass before them, who will succeed on the slippery rocks of relationship?"

Video Diary 5

Video Diary 4

Video Diary 3

Poetry Task Summary

I have now come to the end of my week of writing a 10 minute poem a day.
If anyone hasn't already come across this on the blogs, this was an idea of a way to 'play with reflection' suggested by Adesola, which I previously shared on my blog.
(http://stephaniethomas-blog.blogspot.com/2011/02/playing-with-ways-to-reflect-adesola.html)


I chose not to publish my poems on my blog, as I think my poetry leaves a lot to be desired! However, I realised that you don't have to be the world's most eloquent writer to benefit from this task. I found that limiting myself to 10 mins to write the poem stopped me agonising or questioning what to write, and I just allowed myself to freely associate and let my stream of consciousness pour out. 


What I found most interesting was the way in which it really helped me to see exactly what my dominant thought or reflection on the day was, and a lot of these feelings recurred throughout the week. My thoughts seemed to be dominated by worries about the obstacles that get in the way of my professional practice, rather than the actual work. This concerns me, as I feel slightly disappointed at my lack of creativity - my life appears to be more just like a daily battle to stay on top of things and not fall behind. However, it's got to be a good thing that I am now more aware of this and can seek to rectify it.


To help me consolidate my thoughts from the poetry task and give a sense of the week in retrospect, I have written down what I consider to be the dominant topic/mood of each day and listed a couple of quotes from the poems below. The topics seem quite negative, which I suppose they were, but it's perhaps not as bad as it seems! For example, my poem exploring guilt was actually written the next day when I hadn't done my poem the night before, but was really about the fact that I didn't feel guilty - in fact I felt quite liberated. It's important not to forget that these reflective tools are meant to help us, not just add to the pressure. 

Day 1 - Insomnia...

"Thoughts, go away and come back tomorrow

You have kept me awake for too many nights now

Come instead in dreams and settle on my pillow

But do not wake me, please"

Day 2 - Self Analysis...

"I am that girl

Full of enthusiasm but always going wrong"

Day 3 - Guilt...

"I lay down on my bed with the alarm not set

And I loved it "

Day 4 - Lack of Inspiration...
"Oh god
I am boring myself"

Day 5 - Procrastination...

"Give me back those 24 hours"

Day 6 - Passions...
"I could have been a lawyer

I should have been a teacher

I would have been miserable"      

Day 7 - Distraction...
"Distraction comes in the form of a tasty meal, a bottle of wine, a better offer"

For other examples of reflective poems and some thoughts on poetry as a tool for reflection, check out these posts by Adesola & Mark. Interestingly, and I didn't realise this until afterwards, Mark has a similar experience to me in that he found he was writing quite negative poems, especially at first. I think I have a slightly self-depreciating attitude sometimes but it my poems it was mostly not particularly serious, but rather taking the p**s out of my flaws, which I think can be quite a healthy thing to do. My conclusion is, recognise your problems and downfalls....acknowledge them, learn from them and let them go, don't allow them to drag you down.