I love the sound of rain. The soft pitter patter of rain drops as they drum across the landscape elicits feelings of cool calmness. A sort of awareness one gets when sitting alone with their thoughts for too long. It’s in these reflective moments that the worries and trepidations of life cease to bore through my mind and I can simply breathe. Life has a way of becoming overladen with responsibilities, judgements, insecurities, and a whole host of other things that produce dissonance within the soul and mind.
Researches have looked into studying the affect of nature on man and how we should take time to reconnect. Which is why I love rain so much. I have never lived in a place that has received much rain throughout the year, so when it does come it’s a fresh relief. A time to stop and listen; to connect back with a part of this natural world and one full of such life giving power. Rain is beautiful to me.
I have come to learn that the true artist reflects nature; that is what we work for in method acting, to hold up a mirror to nature. In this process I have found as well the same kind of connection and relation to nature as with stopping to look up into the falling rain. It causes me to reflect and take stock on life and all its intricacies. The burdens of life fade away and one can almost hear the voice of God I believe. Humanity, its spirit, power, and life-force vibrate in great fields of energy throughout the actor. The stage gives me a true space to be free; it’s addicting.
I can start off a night like tonight completely overtaken with life, and go up on that stage and fail, utterly. Yet, in that next moment I can go back up there and channel all of life into my work and be transformed. It’s a choice we make, what we play. Will life get the better of us or will we allow the stage to help us conquer it. I believe, along with my Coach, that if you show up long enough, you will win. You will find that moment of release and complete freedom where nature is reflected and it becomes art and you can just simply, be!