Summer Lessons Learned
Hello!
It’s been a while I know so this delayed letter is a little longer than my usual entries. I had no idea how intense the past 3 months would be as I completed an 8 week dive studying George in “Sunday in the Park with George” (If you don’t know this masterpiece there’s a great recording of the original cast on Amazon Prime and Youtube), took my solo show upstate to Andes, NY, and prepared to shoot the video for my piece, “This Moment”.
The George exploration was a part of an amazing class at Jen Waldman Studio called Preparing A Role where I got to choose a dream role and really work on my process, taking time every day to craft my vision of the piece and the role. It completely changed the way I view my own work and prepared me for the daunting task of handling this shoot where I was the writer, co-director, producer, and sole performer. So here’s a look at the lessons I learned during this long quiet stretch.
Don’t Let Fear Diminish You
I’m not sure I would have been able to successfully carry out last week’s shoot without the experience studying George. He taught me to push through the fear and embrace the possibilities of the blank page. See, this shoot was my first time creating a detailed shot list, dancing solo on camera, and putting together something that was so essentially me. There was a moment of fear that hit me a few weeks before the shoot date. I thought: “Why don’t I hire a dancer? I don’t know if I’m up to doing it myself. Will I like how my 40 year old body will look doing the movement?”. My amazing friend and creative director on the project, Becca Fox, snapped me right out of it. She’s danced with me for years and knew I could do it, reminding me that this video is about clearly telling the story I wrote. I immediately recognized my questions as fear based, an effort to make myself a little smaller, a little less bold. And, as Jen Waldman often says, an artist must choose faith over fear.
Surround Yourself with People Who Have Done It Before
Next was the battle with the shot list, a spreadsheet of every angle, shot type, and set up I needed to capture to make this video a reality. For someone used to live performance where you just learn a show and do it this was extremely daunting. My first version made little to no sense so I met with my producer, Aneesh Sheth, for help. We sat for an hour on zoom talking through the piece, discussing ways to improve the shot list, and talking through the call sheet. Thanks to her time and knowledge I was able to take the notes from that meeting and make an even more cohesive shot list. Note: It wasn’t suddenly easy. The first time is never easy and it took me 4 hours on the Amtrak to complete it. But I had a map and got it done.
Leave A Little Space for The Possibilities
The most magical part of the process was getting to sit down with Becca and hear her ideas, the imagery that popped into her head as she listened. She played the piece and had me just dance as if no one was there in the studio with the mirrors covered. It brought out emotions and a physical vocabulary I hadn’t thought about myself. We discovered this interesting way of playing with hand tension what connected to my words about slavery and working, the way that my flowing black jacket caught the air as I moved, and ended up with a rough sketch of how I would move in the space. Things that would not have been found without free exploration.
I was so nervous for shoot day but it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. To create something on a blank canvas and open up my heart in a way that I honestly didn’t know how to before George. I cannot wait to share the completed video with you all! I have to take a moment to thank my team: Becca Fox, Neville Braithwaite, Aneesh Sheth, and Steven Ferezy for making is all happen last week. It was so magical to have a day of collaboration in the same room. I’ve missed it so much.
Instead of my usual link I’ll end this summer “Letter from the Artist’ with the letter I wrote to George at the end of my 8 weeks. I hope it inspires you in this time of such uncertainty and possibility.
Dear George,
Thank you for opening up your heart to me. I’ve learned that we have a lot more in common than I thought. I thank you for opening up my eyes. You’ve allowed me to see in a new way. I appreciate the nature around me. Thank you for teaching me to find the beauty. Because of you, I know that I am capable of creating dynamic art and that it is all within me. Thank you for teaching me to trust the power already within me, for finding the fire in my stillness. And thank you for teaching me to be where I am and to let go of the needless expectations of the future. And lastly for reminding me of the importance of family. I will hold those I love closer and vow to remember those around me in my efforts to create.
I cried during my last session with you. You have so much more heart than I think many see. I want to show that to the world. This is not goodbye. We will meet again. I have no more words. So I’ll end with yours. “White. A blank page or canvas. His favorite. So many possibilities…”
Thank you, George, for the possibilities.
Love and music,
Byron