I recently started doing private skype coaching for young, aspiring actors. Aside from the obvious rewards like the joy of giving back and a having little extra cash in my bank account each month, there’ been a slightly unexpected benefit these sessions have brought me.
If I do a coaching session during the day, it is inevitable that my performance that evening will be stronger than usual. My acting is more centered, more specific, and more spontaneous. Every time. Without fail. This is no coincidence.
When we engage in the act of teaching even the basics of our craft, and are forced to articulate our process clearly, we actually re-learn the lesson we’re teaching. And if we teach it well, we learn it on an even deeper level than the first time through. We’re not just teaching our students, we’re re-teaching ourselves.
This is why I encourage anyone, no matter what level of mastery you’re at with your craft, to somehow, someway, engage in teaching. Teaching, much like writing, forces us to clarify our thinking. Teaching makes us better.
“Those who can’t do, teach”? What a terrible (and false) phrase!
I think it’s more like this: “Those who are doing, should also be teaching. Because teaching will only help you do it better.”
If I do a coaching session during the day, it is inevitable that my performance that evening will be stronger than usual. My acting is more centered, more specific, and more spontaneous. Every time. Without fail. This is no coincidence.
When we engage in the act of teaching even the basics of our craft, and are forced to articulate our process clearly, we actually re-learn the lesson we’re teaching. And if we teach it well, we learn it on an even deeper level than the first time through. We’re not just teaching our students, we’re re-teaching ourselves.
This is why I encourage anyone, no matter what level of mastery you’re at with your craft, to somehow, someway, engage in teaching. Teaching, much like writing, forces us to clarify our thinking. Teaching makes us better.
“Those who can’t do, teach”? What a terrible (and false) phrase!
I think it’s more like this: “Those who are doing, should also be teaching. Because teaching will only help you do it better.”
If you're a young actor interested in working together via Skype coaching, CLICK HERE
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