Monday 9 June 2014

Quote of the Week - Fonda


"Ask questions, stay curious. It's much more important to be interested than to be interesting." 
~ Jane Fonda, AFI Lifetime Achievement Awards


This is great advice for any artist, well, for anyone.

When I was doing experimental theatre in college (oh yeah), my teacher gave us this one:

"When you're bored, you're boring. When you're interested, you're interesting."

Thank you, Peter B. Cucich.

Whether on stage, or making a film - whatever art form - this is the core, the way to open doors to creative solutions. In her book, Directing Actors, Judith Weston talks about listening, and how important it is in the process. The more I work with Judy, the more I realize that listening, in a non-judgmental way, isn't only the key to clear performances - it's a key to life.

And what is listening in a non-judgmental way, except being interested - truly interested. Asking questions is a way of engaging, of becoming interested; everyone and everything has a story.

Being interested, instead of interesting, as Fonda points out, is taking the focus off self. Whenever you can do this, life becomes richer. When life is rich, when inner and outer life is rich, creativity is fertile.


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