Abel Brainz Digest, Vol. 2 (from May 16, 2023)

Hey all!

Thanks for reading the first newsletter. I'm proud of myself for actually sending it out! And here I am sending one out two weeks in a row. It's almost like a winning streak!

Let's get into it! 

Books!

Over the years, I've read a few books that have helped me on my journey as an actor and as a teacher. Here's a few:

Sacred Hoops by Phil Jackson. Yup, the basketball coach. It's a great read that sheds light on how being connected and invested in the moment allows for success amidst failure. 

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki. A lot of acting is repeating the same process over and over again. This book brings a sense of peace to the process. 

True and False by David Mamet. Mamet has fallen off the deep end as of late. This work was written before he took the plunge. 

If you like to listen to someone reading, Spotify now has an audiobook section. If you have a library card, you can check out audiobooks through the app Libby. 

I'm currently reading What Happened to You? Conversations on trauma, resilience and healing.  It's pretty heavy, but man, is it good. Not surprisingly, there is some interesting information that gives some insight to our process as actors. 

Something I encountered recently:

In discussing improv, specifically an improv game/exercise, a student was pretty insistent on what would make the game "work better." He and others also wondered about things like "tilt" and "conflict." At that moment, I wanted to go back to their first experience with improv and tell them, "it's art. There are no rules."* Sure, there are guidelines and ways to approach creating. But why is there an emphasis on "better," or "worse?" Don't we (teachers and students) have an opportunity to question that? 

*The only real rule is to just be cool. And by cool, I mean be a decent human being. If we're not making it safe to create and make mistakes, then what's the point?

Ask Abel-

Send me questions about improv, acting career stuff, movies, music, books... all of it! I'll answer it!! 

Please feel free to forward this to those who might be interested in it. 

Ok, that's it for now. This wasn't bad for the sophomore effort. 

-Abel