In Michael Rabiger's "Directing," he suggests a few exercises to
help an artist discover the themes, issues and obsessions that fuel
artistic creation.
Provide answers to each of the projects below.
#1The Self-Inventory (of your most moving experiences): 1)
Quickly notate at least ten life experiences in which you were
deeply
movedto joy, to rage, to panic, to fear, to disgust, to anguish,
to love, etc. (Dont labor over thisthey should come quickly.)
2) Now go back and organize them into groups, giving names to
each grouping and to relationships between them. Some will be
positive, but most may well be painful. Make no distinctiontruth is
truth.
#2Alter Egos:
1) List six or eight of your favorite, most relatable characters
from literature or fiction. List in order of their importance to
you.
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2) Do the same with public figures like actors, politicians,
sports stars, etc.
3) Make a third list of people you know or have known, but leave
out immediate family if they make the exercise too complicated.
4) Now take the top two or three of each list and write brief
descriptions of what, in human or even mythical qualities, each
person represents and what dilemma seems to typify them.
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5) And finally, write a self-profile (1-2 paragraphs) based on
what the resonances suggest. Feel free to imaginatively round out
the portrait as if you were a fictional character. The goal is to
develop an active, provocative sense of how you see the world and
what youre looking for.
#3Dream Log (recommended but optional): Keep a brief, two week
log of your dreams.
