Loosen Your Grip!

 There is a particular kind of energy we can bring to our lives that feels productive, but often isn’t. The frantic energy. The tense determination. The feeling that if we just push harder, move faster, concentrate more intensely, somehow we will get better results.

But what if the opposite is true?

What if we could accomplish just as much, perhaps even more, by dialing down the frantic energy and simply taking a breath?

It is surprising how effectively we can work, create, perform and communicate when we remove some of the tension from the equation. We don’t necessarily need to be less committed. We don’t need to care less. We simply need to stop gripping so tightly.

Tension rarely serves us in life, and it definitely doesn’t serve us in our acting.

Think about a scene that requires enormous emotional intensity. The instinct can be to tighten everything - the jaw, shoulders, stomach, hands, breath. We think that because the character is experiencing tension, our body must be tense too.

But even the most tense scene needs a released physicality.

There needs to be space for breath. Space for impulse. Space for the unexpected. If we lock everything down physically, we can actually prevent the natural flow of the scene from happening. We end up trying to manufacture something that might have emerged much more organically if we had simply allowed ourselves to be present.

This doesn’t mean becoming passive. It means becoming available.

Try taking a regular, conscious breath throughout your day. Not a huge, theatrical breath. Just a simple breath that reminds you that you are here.

I actually just did it as I typed that line.

And immediately, I settled back into my body.

Try it.

Notice what happens when you stop for a moment. Feel your feet. Let your shoulders drop. Allow the breath to move through you without trying to make anything happen.

Sometimes clarity doesn’t arrive because we think harder.

Sometimes it arrives because we finally give ourselves enough space to hear it.

And sometimes the most powerful thing we can do, as actors and as human beings, is simply to take a breath and let ourselves be.

Keep up the great work 

Mark :)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Summer of Showing Up - For Yourself

Summer has a way of pulling us into pause mode, right? Slower mornings, spontaneous weekends, and a gentle permission to take our foot off the gas. And while rest is absolutely essential (more on that in a second), summer can also be one of the most quietly powerful times in your acting journey. Many of you have heard me say ‘do the quiet work’. Chip away at your craft and your career and let the rest of the world do its thing. At Mark Evans Studio , you all know that Collaboration Is Key . And that collaboration isn’t just with scene partners or coaches - it’s with yourself. Your inner artist. Your future goals. Summer is the perfect time to check in with all three.  Here’s the truth: showing up this season doesn’t mean pushing harder - because nobody wants to do THAT in this heat and humidity. It means getting curious . What does your creative spirit need right now? Maybe it’s a reset. Maybe it’s a small challenge. Maybe it’s simply giving yourself permission to reconnect with th...
Read more

Growth in Acting: Why You Don’t Always Feel It (Even When It’s Happening)

One of the biggest reasons actors take class is a simple one: we want to grow. We’re curious, we’re hungry, and we’re eager to feel like we’re moving forward in our craft and our careers. But - and many of you have heard me discuss these themes in class - growth in acting is rarely trackable in the way we’d like it to be. Unlike the gym, where you can see more weight lifted, or a language class, where you can measure words learned, acting growth often happens quietly, underneath the surface. And because it’s not always visible or immediate, we often get impatient. Or worse, we get hard on ourselves. The truth is, just because you can’t feel your growth doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. Part of the reason growth feels invisible is because it happens in small, incremental shifts. Each time you take class, rehearse a scene, take in a note, or attempt a new accent, you’re adding to your craft. But those changes are almost impossible to notice in the moment. Acting is also deeply subjective....
Read more

The Nervous System and the Actor’s Craft

Acting is often described as “living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.” Yet what determines whether those circumstances feel truthful to the actor - and believable to the audience - is not only imagination and technique, but the actor’s nervous system. The body’s physiological state plays a tremendous role in shaping how present, an actor can be in a scene, whether it’s in class, in an audition, on stage, or on set. At its core, the nervous system regulates the body’s stress response, emotional processing, and capacity for presence. When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, we move into “fight, flight, or freeze” mode. How? The heart can race, breathing becomes shallow, and muscles can tighten. While this can sometimes be useful in high-stakes dramatic moments, more often it pulls the actor out of the present, narrows focus, and makes listening to a partner nearly impossible. Instead of responding authentically, the actor becomes self-conscious or mechanical, trapped in...
Read more