Plus Points to Failing
[fblike] Whenever you get concerned or frightened of failure, listen to Paul Simon’s Graceland. Listen and know that this Grammy Award winning album would never have happened if Paul Simon had not previously failed gloriously. In Jeremy Marre’s Classic Albums: Paul Simon – Graceland documentary, Simon talks candidly about the tailspin he was in, personally …
An Artist’s Impulse – The Gates
Christo’s The Gates. True answers are within. Provocations come from interaction. The process & the product are interdependent.
Tapping into Your Childlike Instincts
[fblike] “I began to think of children not as immature adults, but of adults as atrophied children.” K. Johnstone “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Pablo Picasso How do we tap back into our naturally creative selves? We were born with the survival instincts to explore. We …
Habits – Stop Falling Back on Them… please
Creating vibrant work requires honesty. Honesty doesn’t reside in habits. Read more…
Actively Waiting
‘Good things come from waiting in the wings for your space, for your timing to present itself.’ A playground lesson learned decades a go waiting to jump in to double dutch… Read more…
Artist Statement
I am a revolutionary who believes in one’s potential not one’s past. I am digging deep, following arts’ roots to the source of humanity… Read more…
Auditions are Two-Way Streets
Actors must come into auditions on a healthier foot than “please give me this job/college spot, I beg of you.”… Read more…
Master Class video – 2011 Actor Devised Theatre
[fblike] Last summer Episcopal School brought Creatively Independent in for a Master Class week of Physical Theatre. It turned into a joyous adventure of actor devised work exploring the themes inside childhood games. This Master Class series is open to all Jacksonville students and will occur again June 25-29, 2012. 9-noon. *Open enrollment, limited space, …
Summer Explorations in Dance & Theatre – MFA explorations
An educational romp through Berkshires’ art in the summer… … Read more…
A Living Study – MFA essay
This is just another clear example of how the seemingly individual threads of my life – work, motherhood, marriage, art – are woven into an intricate and ever-changing pattern of me. Which makes me question are any of us truly individuals? Even inside ourselves, there are many selves. Are we all tiny communities built out of tinier communities, all trying to focus on a common goal?
What am I watching: the performance or the performer?
A critical essay on a strong individual’s exploration inside the dance world. Read more…
Bearing Witness – MFA work
To observe without judgment, to help by not helping at all
Staying, listening, recording… Read more…
Sharing MFA Grad work
[fblike] Hi everyone, This is Jess Pillmore, Co-Artistic Director of CI. I’m currently working on my MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts at Goddard College and would love to share some of my work with you on this blog. My goal for this degree is to explore how to active an individual inside an ensemble and conversely …
Independent – Ownership
So… I volunteered to partner with a student for his small sword test. And unfortunately, that is where my ownership of the experience started and stopped. I thought I was being helpful “just being his partner”, letting him lead the rehearsal process and giving him whatever he asked for. Because of this, I was holding back many things: a personal interest in my work, major skills I could utilize (teaching and coaching) and a point of view….
Independent – Switching Roles
[fblike] Here’s the quandary… how does someone know what someone else NEEDS to learn? They can’t, they can only guess based on statistics and past experience. But we’re not living in the past and education is meant to prepare us for the future. So… what to do? I suggest switching roles. Let the student be …
Independent – Simplicity
As I watch a student try an activity, I see how we’ve truly become creatures of multitasking… and I don’t know if that’s good or not. The more you’re doing the better, seems to be the current motto. With that in our blood stream, are we ever doing one thing well? I ask the students …
Independent – Play
Somehow and somewhere we have lost our ability to play freely without judgment. I’m amazed at the amount of times I need to remind students, of any age, that they have an open opportunity to play within these exercises. They still feel closed off, shut down and simply not willing to let themselves go….
Independent – Unexpected Discoveries
I’ve always been curious about the moment of unexpected discovery and its effect on live theatre. The beauty of live theatre to me is that there is always an opportunity for the unexpected…