So I learned something yesterday. Twitter + Sarcasm = Recipe for disaster. (or at least it can) Luckily the person to whom my quip was aimed has a tremendous sense of humor, but it got me thinking none the less.
Part of what makes Twitter so great is the ability to quickly fire off thoughts/comments/whatever as they come to me. (I’ve been tweeting for about 3 months now, and am starting to think in tweets. Sad, I know.)
But with the immediacy of Twitter, what happens is that sometimes I tweet before I think. I forget that I’m putting this out for anyone on the entire planet to read! Twitter gives me a sense of intimacy and connection with people (some of whom I’ve never met). And with that “sense” I can make comments that my best friend would read and take one way, and someone I know only through Twitter could interpret completely differently.
Now, I don’t think that it’s resourceful to sit down and obsess over every tweet. But keep in mind that 140 characters is not a lot of room for ambiguity. Clarity is power, and sarcasm is never clear.
That’s my POV. What do you think?
photo credit: TheGiantVermin
I’m beginning to sound like a broken record. Yet again it’s been too long since I’ve posted anything to my blog. Why is it so hard for me to find the time to sit down and write? (It’s only as hard as I make it, right?)
One of my favorite books as an artist is the War of Art by Steven Pressfield. If you haven’t read it, I would highly recommend picking up a copy. In it he talks about the primary struggle plaguing artists – Resistance. He states that:
“…any act that rejects immediate gratification in favor of long-term growth, health, or integrity. Or, expressed another way, any act that derives from our higher nature instead of our lover. Any of these will elicit Resistance.”
Whenever we purpose to create something original, something deep from within our soul – Resistance rears her ugly head and attempts to sabotages us. Resistance lulls us into complacency. She wants us to stay where we are, with what’s comfortable.
I don’t know about you, but the fact that I’m living in Los Angeles and working in an industry with one of the highest failure rates means that I’m pretty much uncomfortable all the time. Rejection, exhaustion, frustration are all words that could easily describe an everyday experience.
Even as I’m writing this I can hear the voice of Resistance whispering her lies. Her voice is smooth, comforting, easy. It takes no effort to give in to Resistance. It takes no thought. But how many things are acheived in life if Resistance is the winner?
Yesterday I let the power of Resistance lull me into missing an opportunity to tier jump. Instead of a get-it-done attitude, I chose to wallow in my story of weakness. I could see it happening. I watched it wash over me like a wave. But, if I sat here and beat myself up over the fact that I let an opportunity pass me by – nothing productive would come from it.
Instead, I acknowledged that I was in Resistance, and chose to take action anyway. I did all the things that I have been putting off for the last couple of weeks, including selecting some new headshots.
So what’s my point? Maybe you’re resisting writing a blog post, reaching out to someone on twitter, posting a video or something as mundane as going to the gym. (a little self-disclosure) Realize that Resistance can be a powerful teacher in illuminating for us the direction we should move.
Whenever we are are growing and moving towards the things we want, we reach beyond our level of comfortability – beyond the reach of Resistance – and she doesn’t like it. Allow Resistance to teach us the direction that we should move. When we are moving in the direction of our dreams, Resistance will show up. Instead of fighting her, learn from her.
What is she trying to keep you from doing? Will you do it anyway?
Filed under: Vlog | Tags: facebook, realityofdoing, sethcaskey, twitter, Vlog
Filed under: Uncategorized, Vlog | Tags: acting, homework, realityofdoing, sethcaskey, twitter, Vlog
With a special sneak peek at End Result (Summer 2009)
I know, I know, I know it’s been way too long since my last post that you probably thought that I flaked out and did what most new bloggers do and stop posting. Well, part of that is true.
I didn’t flake out, but I did stop posting.
This last week was awesomely busy – four days shooting a short film, new survival job, preparing for a trip to Vegas. And with all that, I did what most people new to the world of blogging do – I stopped posting. Posting seemed to me to be this “thing” that I needed to do, wanted to do, but never got around to.
I felt this need to have something insightful to say, something compelling that would captivate you (the reader) and make you want to come back and read more and more. Well, as you can see, I became so concerned with that that I didn’t actually post anything and therefore didn’t accomplish either goal.
I attended my first-ever webinar this week on how to better make use of the phenomenon that is twitter. (which I will write about in an upcoming post) But one of the things that the instructor did was give everyone permission to “not make every tweet profound.” She reminded us that the point of social media is to allow people to connect with each other on a personal, human level.
LIGHT BULB! I don’t have to put so much pressure on myself to be profound with everything I post. I can allow myself to just talk about and share what I am learning. That’s the point right? To share what I’m learning. I’m not an expert yet, so take the pressure off trying to come across as one.
There is so much about this process that actually mirrors acting that it’s scary. As an actor I know first-hand how much more compelling it is to watch an actor who is NOT acting – an actor who dares to be uninteresting and allows himself to just be present in the moment and not try to do anything. When that happens, he is captivating. I want to watch his performance, I want to see more. His performance is genuine, human, flawed. One of the tennents of social meida is transparency and authenticity and just as a good actor allows himself to become transparent in the moment of a scene, a blogger can allow himself to become transparent is his posts.
So, I’m back on course now and have tons of great stuff that I have been learning that I will be sharing. It may not be put together in the most polished and compelling way – but then again I’m not that polished.
In the meantime I’m heading to Vegas and will be posting while I am there and sending updates to my twitter page so follow along and let’s get the conversation going.
Remember, we’re all in this together, and there’s room for everyone at the table.
Seth
Filed under: Posts | Tags: acting, facebook, realityofdoing, sethcaskey, twitter
So apparently I have been under a rock for the past two years, and missed the phenomenon that is Gary Vaynerchuk.
Please forgive me if you already know who this is and have been been following him on twitter for months.
Gary Vaynerchuk has captured national attention as a businessman and Host of Wine Library TV. Gary’s fame can be attributed to his pioneering, multi-faceted approach to personal branding and business building…more
A friend of mine just sent me a link to his site and basically, here is a guy who is passionate about his work and passionate about engaging in the communities in which he finds himself. It’s inspiring.
I poked around his site and landed on this video.
Vodpod videos no longer available.
As an actor, networking is part of my job. It goes without saying that meeting new people and introducing myself to complete strangers is part of the game. But seriously, how many actors love to do this?
How many times have I been at a party or among a group of people that I don’t know and felt intimidated about introducing myself? Afraid to step out of my comfort zone and expose myself to the potential rejection that lies in wait. And not to mention the pressure associated with it. Pressure to say something witty or intelligent. Not to stick my foot in my mouth and embarrass myself. (anybody identifying with this?)
But what I forget – is that chances are – the other people are feeling exactly the same way. Actors are notoriously self-conscious creatures. For reasons beyond ourselves we have chosen a profession in which we expose ourself to constant judgement and scrutiny. As a means of self-preservation, I think we often don’t allow ourselves to connect in new situations for the fear of being judged. I know I do.
But as Gary so simply put it – jumping in and networking in the social media relm is just a handshake. It’s setting fear aside and simply introducing myself to someone.
So how do I do that?
- Be human.
- Remember not to get bogged down by feeling pressure to be witty or intelligent.
- Know that people (including casting directors, agents, other actors, etc.) want to get to know me for me.
So this week, I am going to extend my virtual hand to some new people on twitter and facebook and introduce myself and start a conversation. My feeling is that if I start putting this to practice in a virtual setting, then I train that muscle to do the same work in the real world.
Care to join me in this little experiment?
So if you’re reading this and we haven’t met, please know that I would welcome a handshake from you too.
Remember, we’re all in this together, and there’s room for everyone at the table.
Seth
So what’s the point? Really. I mean does the world REALLY need another blog?
Why do this? Why spend so much time learning about this stuff, setting up a website and sending it out to the masses? Simple really.
It’s something that I have TALKED about doing for a long time.
If I took anything away from President Obama’s innaguration speech it is that we are at a time in this country of great difficulty AND opportunity. It will be those that choose to embrace the opportunity that will make a difference in the world and change it for the better. 2009 is going to be the year of DOING for me.
The great acting teacher Sanford Meisner believed that through the Reality of Doing the actor is brought to life emotionally. He defined the Reality of Doing as follows:
“Whatever you are asked to do, no matter how seemingly small or impossibly difficult, you do 100% truthfully.”
As actors we are asked not only to be a well-trained artist of exceptional quality, but also an expert marketer and entrepreneur. And let’s be honest, the face of our industry is changing rapidly, and there is a choice to be made – embrace it or fight it. I’m choosing to embrace it and this blog hopes to share that journey (and some of the pitfalls I may find along the way)
I have no idea where this will lead or what I will discover – but like in my acting work – often the best moments occur when I let go of any expectations, get comfortable with not knowing, stay present in the moment and really do whatever I am there to do.
I invite you to come along for the ride with me. My hope is that this blog is informative and useful. Please leave comments, feedback and let me know if there’s something that you are doing that’s working well. I want to create a community of actors who are excited about being pioneers in the age of web 2.0 and how we can leverage its power to let the world know who we are.
See you on the road.
Seth
Seth Caskey is an actor, volunteer, marketer, marathon runner and tv addict living the dream in Los Angeles who is committed to creatively connecting and inspiring actors to live their dreams. Learn more about him at www.sethcaskey.com.
The Reality of Doing Blog 