How we met

He was cute though not quite handsome. Polite but not exactly well-polished. Smart but not necessarily intelligent. He had a friendly but determined demeanor; his glasses flowed nicely with his smile, balancing his “nerd” appearance and youthful looks.

Roderick — a translation of his actual name, close enough to ensure his privacy while allowing me the morphological analysis — was not mighty but dreamed of being. He did not rule, although he tried to be a leader. He was not admired but connected well with people who inspired him. I seemed to be one of those: a muse.

His insecurity…

I was hesitant to take the job in the first place. Something about it seemed off. Nonetheless, the offer was too good to refuse: healthcare, 401-k, a slightly higher hourly wage than my previous job. Somehow, though, I had a feeling that this was not the best decision for me as much as it looked good on paper. Rather than trusting my intuition, I did what I thought was common-sense: I accepted the offer, not even allowing myself the three-month break I wanted to take care of myself — lose some weight, get in shape, work on personal projects. …

The next time you travel, you will not need a passport. You will not even need a photo ID. As a matter of fact, you will not need any baggage — you will leave it behind. The next place you will go is within yourself. Everything you need, you will find it there.

You will embark on that trip from the place you live in. Sitting on a chair, appreciating the sunset, or cooking in the kitchen. Or maybe, you will be taking a walk outside, away from your smartphone, not wearing earbuds. You will listen to a natural sound…

Who are these people behind interesting voices on Clubhouse? Why do they talk like that? Can I get more of my favorite commenters’ insights? Can I mute an annoying chatterbox on my end while they speak (without leaving the room)? No, and no. You get what you get so, don’t be upset.

Let’s break down the quirky characters you come across in the audio platform— several will indeed describe themselves as “quirky.” Is that even a real adjective? From masters of their game to rude amateurs, you will easily find the types I describe in this piece. Some are making…

Emotionally scarred by a year locked down, uncertain about the future of my marriage (and my own), and still fearful of this virus - the ever-present threat that can potentially kill or worsen one’s health in ways not yet completely understood. I am, dear reader, hanging by a thread.

My thread is holding my young children’s sanity together, albeit imperfectly — they are both showing OCD symptoms, one of them is seeing a therapist. Pre-pandemic, they were an only joy. Or, perhaps, the simplicity of life disguised their issues. …

Performance (and casting) in the post-covid era.

Acting is changing.

When Stanislavsky decided to develop his famous acting method, he was motivated to experiment with a new way of performing. His goal was for actors to focus on naturalism while leaving the physical and vocal training as foundational layers for emotion.
In the Post-Covid era, actors will work their craft after our initial adaptation to the new normal. We will perform virtually more than in person. We will be more physically distant, even when on a stage with the audience present. Like Stanislavsky did, we are reinventing performance.

Casting via self-taped auditions.

Casting, too, is changing. Casting Directors will refine their observation skills and…

The Stanislavsky Acting Method defines motivation by a character’s psychological and physical goals: where are they going, and where are they coming from?
Sometimes an actor feels “stuck” when performing a scene. When that happens, we need to remember what the character wants.

Tennesse Williams, Aaron Sorkin, Shonda Rhimes, Lauren Gunderson: how writers explore motivation.

Writer Aaron Sorkin, in his masterclass, shares that he uses this approach to his writing when he feels stuck writing dialogue. He asks himself what the character wants and what is on their way. Remember: not everything your character says is what they are thinking. The spoken line is just the surface. Tennesse Williams, for example, explored…

Planning is a pleasure.

I love planning. I like doing what I planned even better. There is great pleasure in crossing something off a to-do list. Another thing I love is creating boards. Sometimes they are Pinterest-like vision boards. At other times, they are simple checklists with minimal images for inspiration — like the ones you can create with Trello. Planning is fun. At least when we start. Filled with inspiration, we set goals, create lists, but somehow we fail to cross off all items. Therefore, we do not see results from our planning as often as we desire. But why?

In the TEDx…