Cara Winterbottom

[This article is part of a series about how to craft an intentional life using ideas and tools from Constantin Stanislavski’s acting system for working on our inner motive forces. Previous article: Imagination Part 2: Prompts ] In the previous two chapters, I discussed imagination and Stanislavski’s belief in its power to motivate us and move us to action. He believed this would only be the case if our imaginings were actively pursued, coherent and grounded in reality. Stanislavski made it clear that the use of imagination was only effective for developing a believable character (or, in our case, a future goal) if imagined events were achievable. This is where the idea of given circumstances comes in. In the theatre, given circumstances means “ the story of the play, its facts, events, epoch, time and place of action, conditions of life, the actors’ and regisseur’s interpretation, the mise- en- scene, the production, the sets, the costumes, properties, lighting and sound effects, — all...

[This article is part of a series about how to craft an intentional life using ideas and tools from Constantin Stanislavski’s acting system for working on our inner motive forces. Previous article: Imagination Part 1: The Magic If ] In the previous chapter, I discussed how Stanislavski saw imagination as an important tool of the Intellect. I also introduced the Magic If , Stanislavski’s mechanism for stimulating imagination in our daily lives. Using the Magic If , observing the world around us, and embracing our sensory experiences are excellent ways to trigger the imagination. Even so, imagination can be difficult to prompt if our emotions are not in the right place - we are not in the mood - or we have mental blocks to struggle against. This chapter introduces ideas and techniques from Stanislavski that prompt a reluctant imagination. How to prompt the imagination It’s all very well to say ‘use your imagination’ but that can be difficult to do in each moment. It is well-recognised i...

[This article is part of a series about how to craft an intentional life using ideas and tools from Constantin Stanislavski’s acting system for working on our inner motive forces. Previous article: Concentration of Attention ] Imagination is our ability to visualise or conceptualise an object or scenario that is not in front of us and that we may not have experienced before. Imagination is key for an actor to be able to embody a character and make their experiences believable in a play. In the same way, it is also key to setting goals in life and achieving them. To develop the will to see the journey through and deal with inevitable obstacles, we must be able to imagine what the desired changes look and feel like, how they will affect our current life, and visualise how the path of work and perseverance will get us there. Stanislavski described three different types of truth: actual fact , which is reality and truth as we generally understand it (although even this idea is not simple,...

[This article is part of a series about how to craft an intentional life using ideas and tools from Constantin Stanislavski’s acting system for working on our inner motive forces. Previous article: Observation ] The previous article was about observation as one of the tools of intellect that helps us move towards intentional, positive action in life. This article is about a second tool of intellect: concentration of attention . Concentration of attention is advanced observation: where observation is paying attention to something, concentration of attention adds the idea that we can work to concentrate or focus our scattered attention where it matters and will be useful or joyful to us. Focused attention is difficult because our supply of attention is limited. We are also bombarded with demands for it from family, friends, work, hobbies, news, chores, etc. The ease with which we communicate and interact with the world, through our ubiquitous mobile phones and social media makes these d...

[This article is part of a series about how to craft an intentional life using ideas and tools from Constantin Stanislavski’s acting system for working on our inner motive forces. Previous article: Intellect ] The previous article was about intellect as one of Stanislavski’s inner motive forces that drive us to action. Here, I describe observation, one of the tools of intellect. It may seem strange to claim observation as one of Stanislavski’s tools and devote an article to it, as it’s a broad, well-understood concept; Stanislavski certainly can’t be credited for being the first to note its value. We naturally observe the world around us, and observation is a core method in psychology, the sciences, the arts, and in meditation practices like mindfulness. Stanislavski found observation to be of primary importance in understanding ourselves and the world around us. He described its use extensively, and I have already shared some of his teachings in this series of articles. The practice o...

[This article is part of a series about how to craft an intentional life using ideas and tools from Constantin Stanislavski’s acting system for working on our inner motive forces. Introduction: The Triumvirate of Consciousness ] Intellect is one of the three inner motive forces that drive us to action, the other two being emotion and will. If we want to act positively, effectively and intentionally, then we need to work on strengthening our understanding of and influence over each of the three motive forces. Here, I consider intellect. Our intellect is the part of us that thinks, learns, understands, dreams, imagines, plans and forms beliefs. It is both the seat of our rationality and the source of our wildest fantasies. This ability to operate with logic and coherence, and imagine wonderful prospects makes the intellect a powerful engine. However, it is also the part of us that becomes deluded, ruminates, paralyses us with indecision, and takes shortcuts in thinking which result in bi...

[This article is part of a series about how to craft an intentional life using ideas and tools from Constantin Stanislavski’s acting system for working on our inner motive forces. Previous article: Tempo & Rhythm Part 1: Awareness ] In the previous article, I described movement as a sensory activity. For Stanislavski, tempo-rhythm is the mechanism through which movement affects our emotions. He considered it to have a direct effect on our feelings and vice versa. He showed that we have both external tempo-rhythms, relating to the movement of our limbs and the quality of our interactions, and internal tempo-rhythms, which relate to the agitation of our feelings and thoughts. The observation exercise described in that article is about increasing our awareness of our own inner and outer tempo-rhythms, and those of others. The breathing exercise showed how just changing the tempo-rhythm of breathing could effect one’s emotional state. In this article, I describe a few exercises taken f...