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Inevitable Growing Pains

by Mario A. Campanaro

Inevitable Growing Pains

by Mario A. Campanaro

Let’s have a heart-to-heart discussion about the inevitable growing pains an actor faces along their artistic journey. Let’s face it—doing this type of work, and doing it with the level of truth and artistic integrity that it demands, is going to ask the actor to look at, examine, feel, explore, and then reveal certain aspects of the human condition that a non-actor may not have to or be keen on experiencing.

It’s all the trials, tribulations, and discomfort that these obstacles cause that serve as the very stimulus for a greater understanding of life and expansion as artists, and quite frankly, as human beings. All that “stuff” keys us into a greater and more compassionate comprehension of the human condition, so it can then be revealed with integrity and truth within the work.

In order to do this, we must continually work on our awareness within our lives to avoid sleepwalking through our everyday routines. We have to be willing to take things in. We must be willing to take ourselves in—our patterns, our feelings, and our behavior. We have to observe things, really see the story behind every action, and understand why things occur. We have to care!

Our awareness highlights how we can make more informed choices that contribute to our greatest and highest good, as well as to the fulfillment of our artistic endeavors. And much of the time, this is going to be very inconvenient, difficult, tedious, and maybe even heart-wrenching work without any immediate payoff. But the more the actor stays on track, the more they continue to persevere, align, refine, and cultivate their craft, the more the payoff will come when the moment(s) is meant to come to fruition.

It is about trusting the process. It is about respecting the process. And it is about holding oneself accountable within and throughout the process.

When we look at this through a microscope, we see that art mirrors life. We see the very structure in the craft itself as we break down the journey to fulfilling the actor’s dream. By understanding that breakdown on a deeply personal level, we can then see, feel, understand, and execute how we can break down the character’s journey to doing everything they can to fulfill their greatest dream, as indicated by the text.