Gratitude For Friendship and Love. Blog 144

Good Monday morning!



So - here I am sitting on the terrace - relishing in the now memory of yesterday. What started out as an idea for a modest little lunch to celebrate friendships transformed into a day never to be forgotten - surrounded as I was by so many of my beautiful, funny and special friends. I am a little worse for wear I have to say - but excited to begin today's exploration with Tim Major on our new one-man piece - Conversations of a cupboard man by Ian McEwan - I am hoping Tim has 

recovered too! 

Anne - My Mum x

Daniels Polish Six Piece Band

For those that couldn't be with me, and for all my other friends, soon to be friends, and those of you who kindly read my blog and who I don't know - here some photos to give you a feel for Jasmine Street and the realisation of the Terrace Cafe here at the Granary Barking.Friendship and love are enduring and I am deeply grateful for them in my life - they remind me that we are all connected through the good times and the bad. How blessed I am.

Thanks too to the wonderful Polish six-piece band, to Ros for her beautiful homage to friendship, to Gemma for her divine singing, to Ali, Joyce, Phil, Maciej and Anoula for all their help in setting up! 

Have a great day y'all! 

Keith and Guy

Tim

Gemma singing from Les Mis and Wicked!

Old school friends, Jo, Ros, Jude and Guy

Ali and Keith

Natalie

Ria, Thierry and I

My lovely school friends and Stephen

Me reading Fern Hill by Dylan Thomas

Manifesting The Things You Desire: Blog 143

Namaste!
So - another beautiful morning.

My new friend Veronika teaching me Polish

As every day I am up early! Sitting for the second morning in a row in the early sunshine by the river on the Terrace Cafe at Jasmine Street, The Granary. I am putting the final touches to my 1950's Cafe Installation which will go live today at a small private gathering of friends and family - to celebrate friendship. 

And I was just thinking about how we make things happen in our lives, inviting the imagination to dream up some idea and then making it real. Its the nature of my work, always has been. And sometimes its difficult to articulate.

It might just be a faint whiff of an idea, image, feeling in my imagination. But if it stays simply that it becomes no more than a dream, maybe an impossibility even. There are always detractors when you want to create something that doesn't exist yet. And that's about belief and faith. All too easily wonderful and magical ideas can die before they are born because we talk ourselves out of them, tell ourselves that they are fanciful, expose ourselves to the possibility that others think we are just a little bonkers at best, deluded at worst. 

But the truth is that we are all manifesting things in our lives every minute of every day, whether its a decision to go to the cinema, bake a cake, plan a holiday. Without the idea in the first place nothing would ever materialise in the real world! Kinda obvious really. And of course many ideas never see the light of day - especially when they are left-field, out of the ordinary, require money. 

We are always manifesting. Each thought we have creates an energy flow within and around our physical beings. This energy attracts its likeness. So if you're thinking, "I'm not good enough to achieve this" then your energy - well, isn't good enough -- and you attract less than great experiences.

The opposite experience occurs when you think high-level thoughts like, "I can make this happen!" When you think and feel this you exude an energy of confidence and in turn attract great experiences into your life. Each thought you have informs your energy, and your energy manifests into your experiences. Your thoughts and energy create your reality.

Manifesting Mishaps

Manifestation has become a buzzword lately. Though it's perhaps great that the law of attraction is now trendy, it also can be a bit misleading for those of us who are unwilling to do the heavy lifting. If you truly want to use your energetic power to manifest greatness, you must clear all that blocks you from believing in your greatness.

A Course in Miracles teaches that on some level, you've asked for everything that happens in your life. Your intentions create your reality. There's no need to beat yourself up: Simply recognising how your low-level thoughts negatively affect your life is the first powerful step toward changing your experiences. You can begin your manifesting process by being honest about how your low-level thoughts, energy and feelings of disbelief block you from receiving what you desire. Once you get clear about the blocks, you can begin to clean them up to clear space for positive manifestations to occur.

Many people, when trying to manifest, focus too much on the outside form rather than the internal condition. From A Course in Miracles' perspective, what's important is our internal experience -- whether we choose to experience love or fear. When we commit to our internal experience of love, we begin to attract more love. Many people approach manifestation from a place of "How can I get something to feel better?" Instead, the focus might be: "How can I feel better and therefore be an energetic match for attracting more greatness into my life?" The emphasis must be placed on healing the internal condition, not getting a posh new car or a boyfriend.

The Five Principles for Manifesting Your Desires

Below are my five key principles for genuine manifesting. When practising these steps, make sure to stay committed to the goal of feeling good first and attracting stuff second. Continue to remind yourself that when you feel good, you energetically attract goodness into your life. When your primary function is to be happy, then whatever comes to you is irrelevant. Happiness is your true manifestation.

Principle One: Clear Space

Before you begin the manifestation process, you must take the necessary time to release all your disbelief in your power to be happy. One of the best ways to clear the blocks of disbelief is to meditate for release. Begin a daily meditation practice by asking the universe to set you free from all the limiting beliefs that block you from believing in your greatness. Stay open for signs from the universe, and follow through on the assignments that are brought to you. Universal assignments come in many forms. Maybe you're guided to the relationship that brings up all your issues so that you have to finally heal your fear. Or maybe you lose your job so that you can learn the lessons of self-reliance and strengthen your self-love. Trust that these assignments, however tough at times, are incredible opportunities for you to clean your energy and clear space to call in what you desire.

Your job in this step is to to clear all that blocks you from believing in your greatness. Then allow the flow of life to help guide you to whatever assignments you need to aid in the healing process. Be diligent about doing the assignments, and trust that the more you clean your thoughts and energy, the more positive experiences you will attract into your life.

Principle Two: Get Clear

Clarity is king when it comes to manifesting your desires. You must have clear intentions for what you want to call in -- otherwise you can manifest a lot of what you don't want. Focus on what you desire and then make a list of all that goes along with it. If you're getting clear about the job you want, make a list of all the things about the job that make you happy: the office, the people, the salary, etc. Be unapologetic about what you want. This list helps you clarify your intentions and access a vibrant mental picture of what you desire.

The most important part of this step is to clarify how you want to feel. When you get clear on how you want to feel, you can begin to access that feeling. That feeling is what makes the manifestation come into form. You can write a thousand lists and make a million vision boards, but if you don't clearly feel what you want to experience, it will never truly manifest into form.

Principle Three: Think It, Feel It, Believe It!

Now put these steps together. Take your clear intention and spend time every day sitting in the feeling of what it is that you desire. You might access the feeling through meditation and visioning exercises, or call on the feeling when you're in nature or doing a form of exercise you love. Let the thought inform the feeling and let the feeling take over your energy. The more you feel the feeling of what you desire, the more you believe it is on the way. From a metaphysical perspective, if you believe it then it is already here. So make time for contemplating, thinking, feeling and believing.

Principle Four: Chill!

The next step is crucial to the manifestation process. In order to truly manifest your desires into form, you need to chill out! A Course in Miracles teaches: "Those who are certain of the outcome can afford to wait and wait without anxiety." Take this message with you and allow your faithfulness to guide you into the belief that what you desire is on the way. Also trust that the universe has a much better plan than you do. Though you are clear about what you want, you cannot control the timing or the form in which it comes. Stay calm, relax and trust that the universe has your back!

Principle Five: Know the Universe is on your side!

When you're in the know, you're deliberate about what you want. When you're in the know, you no longer vibrate energy of fear or disbelief. You just know. As your disbelief wilts away, wanting is replaced by knowing. Getting into the know happens naturally. When you diligently practice steps one through four, you will clean your house, get clear and feel happier. This process is healing and powerful, and it leads to a deep inner knowing that you are right where you need to be. Accepting your greatness in this moment, right now, is what manifests more greatness. Being in the know helps you accept that you already are living in your desired manifestation. When you feel it, you live it regardless of what is happening on the outside. In time, the universe catches up with your energy and your desires come into form. This process of allowing the manifestation to follow your internal faith is the true process of co-creation.

Stay Committed to Happiness

Stay committed to this five-step process and trust that you're exactly where you need to be. Is your main desire to feel good? Trust you will be given everything you need to create that feeling. Know that feeling good is the true manifestation and everything else is the icing on the already delicious cake!

So today I am manifesting my little Jasmine Street desire. And here it is, I am sitting in it right now looking at the Terrace cafe with its fifties tables and chairs, flowers and bottles of wine! Just as I imagined it weeks ago, and even better than I imagined it because at every turn new and magical things have turned up, whether it was a Polish man with a double bass slung over his shoulder coming down the steps from the river, or being given the keys to a studio for Jasmine Street way before I expected them! Its surely an adventure and you have to go with it - the twists and turns for good and bad all lead to the place you want to be if your intention is clear and committed. Pretty awesome really!

Have a lovely day manifesting what you want for this Sunday! And my guess is you will get it! I plan to. 

Pre-Launch of Jasmine Street: The Brand and Reader's Feedback Please! Blog 142

Good morning,

Its 6.30 am on the most beautiful Saturday morning. I am sitting in the stillness of the Terrace Canteen here at the Granary where my new Jasmine Street Studio is starting to take shape. The water is gently lapping against the side of the building, and the old wreck of a boat moves in rhythm with it. Its peaceful and quiet and no one is yet stirring in the tugs and houseboats just below. 

I have been working solo on this Canteen installation for the past month or so now. Thanks to the generosity of Steve Drury - Development Director for Rooff who own the Malthouse and the Granary buildings here in the Ice House Cultural Quarter I have been given carte blanche to play. The empty shell of the soon to be terrace cafe lends itself to a foray into the imagination. I suggested some time ago that I would like to prototype a 1950's style cafe environment here, in some part paying homage to the soulful, art saturated cafes of Wroclaw. 

And so I have been madly sourcing wonderful fifties kitsch from ebay, formica tables and chairs, teapots, posters, vases - to create a pop-up installation here. My idea is that this is a changeable thing, flexible and fluid allowing for a different theme every six months or so. I want it to be inviting and eclectic, a move away from the homogeneity of the Costa Coffees and Starbucks. A place that is unique and sparks imagination. So I am testing it tomorrow with a small private gathering to share Jasmine Street with friends. 


I am also working with designer Jon Williams on the Jasmine Street brand, and I would very much like your feedback about the first images for my business card and website. 

Jasmine Street is a simple idea.Its a Creative Lab, or more precisely An Imagination Laboratory. I have already started inviting people in for a cuppa, other artists from a range of disciplines, potential collaborators from 

different organisations, clients for my Voiceworks programme (public speaking, confidence and presentation coaching). Its been fun already! Here is a photo of James Mitchell tackling Fern Hill by Dylan Thomas in his Voiceworks coaching session this week. Kindly reproduced with James' permission! 


I would really appreciate your feedback on the design images - perhaps especially those readers who have been dipping in and out of this and my Cinderella blog since I embarked on my blogging journey last November. Please comment on here directly - or feel free to email me your comments confidentially at jasminestreetlab@gmail.com.

I will listen with care to your comments and put them in the mix as the brand image develops. Thanks for this in advance. 

Here are a couple of the initial images - the intention is that the look and feel is retro - Fifties style, feeling of a place, a street, laboratory. 

There are a few more but I don't seem to be able to capture them on here! Your thoughts will be much appreciated. 

Have a great sunny day! 

Power and Status in Communication: The Actor and Director's Forensic work together: Blog 141

Good morning.

I was in a conversation yesterday about -  funnily enough - conversation. At the core were actually some key questions about power, status and control and in this particular case the thoughts were coming from a woman so issues of gender were at the forefront of her mind in our chat. Although not in a rehearsal process this woman is a very talented actor. And so in the course of our conversation about some troubling stuff we were able to call on our shared references to the rehearsal process, which by definition requires a forensic analysis of the power and status dynamics present in every drama. 

As a director of course I have permission to interrogate character and relationship in the safety (or challenge!) of the rehearsal studio which would not be acceptable in normal relationship, unless a therapeutic or intimate agreement had been made.

In the rehearsal space we ponder the tiniest of moments - the turn of a head, the intake of a sharp breath, the exact physical space between two characters, the touch in passing between two lovers, the tone and intention of a single word. All this is the stuff of our metier and our material. 

So where do we learn this as actors and directors ? Of course we need to create a process and a system through which to build the scaffolding of a piece of drama, driven by the preoccupations of the characters and situation particular to that piece. This is what the study of theatre and drama training offers students. But the reality is that our deepest available resource of course is our own lives which give us the raw and rich material. And here's the rub. Much of that swampy stuff is unconscious.

Most actors and directors like most people in any walk of life have a well rehearsed definition of who they are - most often described in static terms - 'I am a mother', 'I am a great cook' etc, and this serves a useful human classification purpose. Provided of course we don't buy into it hook line and sinker - there laziness lies. This unified persona would appear to satisfy the getting on with everyday life. We can easily sum someone up in a sentence - 'She is cold', 'He is generous', 'She's a flirt' etc;  It would take much more time to go any deeper in the course of every day interaction and frankly we would probably never have time even if we had the inclination.

But in the rehearsal studio we can - indeed we must  - to have half a chance of playing back to an audience the kernals of authentic, contradictory and complex human stories and characters. I cannot leave any stone unturned. And indeed however much I have prepared, explored the language of relationship in the text, had a sense of the rhythm and structure of power and status in the characters - I must also be entirely open to what unknowns emerge in the rehearsal process. And I demand that of my actors too. Its not always comfortable, and I am known for asking them to do all sorts of weird and wonderful things, that would likely get us locked up should a well-meaning psychiatrist happen upon us! 

Its a strange thing - but in my experience good actors are drawn to their art by a deep resonance with this and a willingness to play, expose and explore the stuff that it is to be human  - indeed to be them. Most are startlingly honest in the sharing of insights and experiences that shine a light on the preoccupation of the current piece we are making.  'I know the ecstatic madness of Romeo - I just fell in love and it was like this.....' might a young actor share with his peers. Fed straight into the text and its realisation - this gives a charge and resonance that speaks directly to the truth of this experience, unique and yet common, indeed archetypal. Its the point at which the actor has done sufficient excavation to manage and express an idea, an image or a feeling with depth and authenticity that transcends the actual words she is speaking.

We learn about power and status from the moment we are born - and the subtle gears of control, coercion, freedom play a part in most people's lives to a lesser or greater degree. And mostly we are unaware of them consciously - they play out in our homes, work places as an undertone, a mood music to the intense activity in which most of us are engaged. 

We are going about our business sometimes when suddenly a feeling rises up and we have an argument with a loved one or a colleague. And its often as if it has erupted from nowhere. Something is just not right, we feel bullied or misunderstood, ashamed - only we also struggle to find a way of articulating it. We get hijacked by the emotion. 

Much drama is played out through this emotional landscape - indeed its what attracts most of us to other people's stories and particularly their traumas 

(thank God its not me - we say and go off for a pint after Hamlet). 

So there you have it - we as actors and directors must be technicians of the emotions, understand, locate and resource them and at the same time form and shape them into this communal and shared art form. Its a great privilege to spend time forging a new piece of work with an inquisitive and emotionally generous cast of actors. There is no substitute - apart from great personal relationships of course! 

Have a great day. 

Embracing Change: Blog 140

Good morning! 
And another beautiful dawn...... ah the benefits of being a lark rarely fail to please me!

So - there's been a huge amount of change around over the past few months for me personally and for Arc - and now as I approach my final few weeks with my beloved company I stop for a moment to reflect on the past 29 years - and do so with nostalgia and love, and not a little amazement that they are passed and I am still here! (just!).

I want to give thanks again to my wonderful team and to wish them all the very best as they go forward into the future. I am now focused on completing things - tying up loose ends and making sure my handover is smooth and comprehensive. That's all on the practical level - on the personal level I am saying goodbye to people I have worked with for a lifetime,and that's never easy. Of course - its not really goodbye as I am only moving next door, and we will be close associates going forward, but its goodbye to the way things have been. Of course its also hello for all of us to new possibilities and opportunities not yet dreamed of and that is exciting. I know that Arc will flourish with the dedication and commitment of the team and will embrace new creative energies entering the space.I wish them all the best and my heart goes with them. Arc will always be very special to me - like a child grown. 


In thinking about coping with change - a few things strike me - so I have jotted them down below just in case any of my readers are going through something similar at the moment. Of course the secret truth is that we are always going through change - its life, its dynamic - anything other is an illusion much as fear sometimes makes us want to keep things just the way they are. Tom Peters, the well known management guru ( hate that term!) gave us a radical alternative to 'If it ain't broke don't mend it' - his was 'If it ain't broke - break it'. Whilst wanton destruction is not my metier - I have always liked this idea - it forces us to look more deeply at what we do and how and to question whether there might be another way. In my experience there usually is. Its evolution.

So a few thoughts wrought from my own experience.

As I said change is an unavoidable fact and I have been through many changes recently. Far from ruining my life, the seismic shifts gave me the chance to do new things I had always hoped to do - focus on the novel I have been attempting to write for the past five years, set up Jasmine Street, spend time in my beloved Poland, renew friendships, learn to take better photos, buy a Bromoton bike, spend quality time with old friends, make new friends and more. In the process, I discovered a lot about how to survive when head-rattling transformations are thrust upon you. Here are some of the tricks I picked up along the way. 

1. Don't just do something; sit there. If you’re facing a massive change in your life, your first impulse might be to go into a whirring spin of activity, which is exactly what I did. I later discovered there’s a lot of value to sitting quietly instead. In the realm of language learning, there’s a stage called the silent period: Adults may try to avoid going through it, but if you take a kid and drop her down in Paris for a period of timel, she’ll naturally clam up for a few months. When she opens her mouth, her French will have flowered. Making sense of a major change is a lot like that. You need to allow yourself a fallow period before you can blossom. 

2. Mother yourself a little. When familiar routines suddenly dissolve, it can seem as if all your supports are gone. For a while after I made my decision to leave Arc I had the sense that I was in free fall. It’s crucial, while absorbing the shock of the new, to make yourself feel well taken care of. Prepare nutritious meals for the week ahead, I had a few massages too. You need to take some time for yourself.

3. Ignore your inner reptile. There’s a part of the human mind that is often referred to as the “lizard brain,” because it existed in even the earliest land animals. The lizard brain is concerned with survival; it likes the tried and true, so it’s likely to pop up right now, flooding you with adrenaline warnings of “Danger!” as you veer off course. This was a useful function to have when deviating from the familiar path to the watering hole may have led to an encounter with a saber-toothed tiger. But in the modern world it’s like a misfiring car alarm: pointless and annoying. 

4. Silence your inner 'know-it-all', too. When asked what makes people good at languages the eminent linguist Alton Becker he said 'It helps not to be too clever, clever people don’t like having their minds changed, and to learn a language, you have to change your mind.” If you’re so smart that you can’t rethink your positions, your IQ score won’t do you much good when your life is turned upside down. Becker’s advice applies across the board. 

5. Seek out new perspectives. Zen practitioners cultivate the “don’t know” mind; they work to assume they don’t know anything and in that way see the world fresh. This is a great way to approach change―as an opportunity to start anew, to consider all possibilities. Ask naive, wide-eyed questions of anyone who is doing anything you might be interested in trying. Listen seriously to arguments you might once have dismissed. 

6. Try something new and slightly scary. Why? Because now is the time to explore what it is that you really like. Catch yourself off-guard and see what happens. 

7. Be skeptical of common wisdom. It’s dangerous to live in the aggregate, especially when you’re trying to figure out your next move. One year, everyone knows you need an MBA to succeed at anything. The next, they’re saying that there are no jobs out there anyway, so don’t even try.

8. Learn to live with uncertainty.That anxious feeling that often comes up when you are doing something out of your usual comfort zone does not signal that you’re doing something wrong, only that you’re trying something new. 

9. Say "really?" a lot. When you start to turn this sudden shift in your life to your advantage, you might shake up a lot of people, especially the ones who aren’t happy with how they’re living. To them, your efforts to move forward may feel like a glaring searchlight that needs to be switched off and fast. To their descriptions of the terrible fates that will surely befall you if you dive headlong into a new life, respond with “Really?” Alternatively, “Oh, yeah?” works, too. 

10. Shed your old skin. Discard physical clutter, tired ideas, old routines. Seeing things through another’s eyes can help. Clear the loft, chuck the rubbish, see how its possible to live with not much stuff around you! I focused on a few beautiful things that give me pleasure.

So these are my thoughts for today - may or may not chime I guess - depending where you are.

Have a lovely day and enjoy the sunshine!

Ithaca by C.P.Cavafy (with Sean Connery & Vangelis)

Ithaca by Constantine Cavafy: Blog 139

Good morning on this beautiful sunny day that promises much! 

Simple this morning - just a poem that I return to often and that I love - and particularly speaks to me today.

Ithaka

Ithaka by Constantine Cavafy

As you set out for Ithaka
hope the voyage is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope the voyage is a long one.
May there be many a summer morning when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you come into harbours seen for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind—
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to gather stores of knowledge from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you are destined for.
But do not hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you are old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean. 

Translated by Edmund Keeley/Philip Sherrard