When I started acting, I was 22 years old. I was really enthusiastic and eager to act. I moved from Brussels to Paris, from the corporate world to the acting industry. All I wanted was to feel that incredible sensation of freedom and give it my all. Therefore, I studied acting with the best acting teachers and read every book.
However, when I acted, I always felt constricted, scared, and blocked, just like I was in the corporate world. I was not able to just be me and access my freedom. It was also rare to see someone who could be completely themselves. It was really frustrating to see all of the work I was putting in. So I realized that the tightness did not come from the corporate world but from inside.
Therefore, I wanted to learn from the best ones out there so that those teachers could tell me what to do and I could be the best. By doing so, I was bypassing myself, my own experience and truth.
I wish that I had known back then that the sensation of freedom and joy that we feel when we are on stage has nothing to do with working hard, being “good”, doing it “right” according to a method or technique. It has everything to do with you.
When you watch my training below you will discover that the truth is the responsibility is always in your hands. You have an incredible instrument full of emotions and none of them are wrong or negative. They are part of the human experience. Thus, studying with the best acting teachers is never going to do anything for you. It is never going to give you the freedom you are looking for because you already have it inside under that layer of conditioning.
When you were a child, you had absolute access to your freedom and instinct. You were truly interested in the present moment. Then, you were taught how to think, feel and behave. Basically, you were trained out of your truth and freedom in order to be “good”. You became a people-pleaser.
This is what I wish I had known when I started acting: I don’t need anyone else to tell me how to act. You don’t need any external authority that teaches you how to act. You just need to remind yourself that you are already perfect and unique and that everything you feel is valid and incredible. You just need to be your instinctive, free, fully alive self. All of the things that make you human (including the fucked up, ugly and shameful parts of yourself) is the gold that you have as an actor. But you have learnt to repress it so you don’t have access to it anymore.
Therefore, the work to do is to undo that conditioning so you can go back to your truth, uniqueness and freedom. That is the only thing you need in art.
Watch my training below to hear all my thoughts on this topic.
After you watch the training, I'd love for you to join in the conversation happening in our private Facebook Group THE INSTINCTIVE ACTORS' SOCIETY. You can get answers for your specific situation directly from me and connect with THOUSANDS of like-minded actors across the globe, so we can move things forward faster together.
If you're not already a member, be sure to request to join ASAP here.
See you there!
Jo Kelly
Creator, The Reset Journey From Resistance to Freedom
P.S. Whenever you're ready, here are two ways I can help you:
Get your FREE training on how to STOP TRYING TO BE A GOOD ACTOR SO YOU HAVE A CHANCE AT BEING GREAT
Get on the waitlist for my program, The Reset Journey From Resistance to Freedom, and stop struggling to access your natural, authentic talent in the audition room or on set. You'll learn how to reset your instrument to be 100% instinctive and free in just 33 days.
GET ON WAITLIST: tobeornottoact.com/waitlist
