Actors: Staying Creative when not Acting

One of certainties of the professional actor’s life is that there are often long periods of time when one is NOT acting…at least not for a paycheck. But just because the actor is not employed, it doesn’t mean he/she can’t be ‘working’ at the actor’s craft. What are some non-acting pursuits we can use to inspire an actor’s creativity? I’ve engaged in all manner of creative outlets over the years: painting (I was AWFUL); leather work (I’m just not good with tools; Writing ( I’ve written short stories and started more than a few screenplays…actually finished one but have too much respect for writers to even think of identifying myself as one).

Through the years the one non-acting creative muse I’ve followed with some consistency is photography. Now I don’t for an instant claim to be an accomplished photographer. In no way am I a ‘professional’ photographer.

But being ‘professional’ at a non-acting creative pursuit is decidedly not the point. Photography is a creative outlet that lets an actor use and improve powers of observation, use of color, texture, line, shape, motion, blah, blah, blah. And to top is off, it’s relaxing.
Sometimes one gets really lucky and can combine an actual acting job with a creative hobby

such as I did while working on THE ALAMO.With the advent and rapid improvement of low cost, high quality digital cameras, literally anyone can take to the streets, the hills, the suburbs or the country and spend an hour or a day observing and documenting the sights that may some day inform a character, a poem, a story, a play, a film.

To see more of the photos I’ve taken around Austin you can check out my galleries on PBase. When you’re not acting or preparing to act, what do you do to fulfill those creative instincts and urges that fuel the compulsion to be an actor?