I was in a small two person band, back in my home town. We hadn't come up with a name for ourselves yet, because we were just two friends playing around town. But we started getting hired more often, so a name was needed. I was taking a long walk one evening and saw a yellow post-it note sitting in someone's pristine lawn. This was, of course, an invitation for me to pick it up. On it was written "All Mediums". I immediately took a photo of the paper, sent it to my band mate, and that was our name!
It was a perfect name for us. We both played multiple instruments, sang, painted, danced, did countless other things to contribute to our artistic selves. We spend a lot of time at the conservatory talking about our "artistic self". What even is that? Well... the way I see it, is that everything we can do in our life can be an art form. And when we limit ourselves to a singular view, we loose the artistry.
We spend so much time doing the "acting thing" at the "acting school".... we often get our own selves set in this track that we are "just actors". That's stupid. Our job is to be an artist- to absorb everything in our own way and regurgitate it out.
We spend time working with different techniques at the school. One of which is called Viewpoints, taught to us by the amazing Val Landrum. This technique really helps to open the mind to possibilities that are otherwise overlooked, compartmentalized, or not the "right way" to do it. We look at space, shape, time; physical viewpoints of spatial relationship, kinesthetic response, gesture, repetition, architecture, topography.... we could go on and on- this technique is an amazing vat of limitless inspiration. When first encountered with it, I could not understand the purpose or execution to it. But I discovered, through other mediums, just how much I already practiced Viewpoints. I wanted to be a painter long before wanting to act, and I still paint to this day. So I put the Viewpoints to paper; and topography is tangible! We don't commonly get to see what we create with acting. But when I paint, I can see where I've gone, and how quickly I can change. I can give texture, space, to my piece. Learning to be open to painting is something I am currently trying to remind myself of. But not just to paint- to be every art form I can suck up, so I can truly call myself one of "All Mediums"!
Samie loves going to art museums, but has a horrible fear of statues.
All statues.
It was a perfect name for us. We both played multiple instruments, sang, painted, danced, did countless other things to contribute to our artistic selves. We spend a lot of time at the conservatory talking about our "artistic self". What even is that? Well... the way I see it, is that everything we can do in our life can be an art form. And when we limit ourselves to a singular view, we loose the artistry.
We spend so much time doing the "acting thing" at the "acting school".... we often get our own selves set in this track that we are "just actors". That's stupid. Our job is to be an artist- to absorb everything in our own way and regurgitate it out.
We spend time working with different techniques at the school. One of which is called Viewpoints, taught to us by the amazing Val Landrum. This technique really helps to open the mind to possibilities that are otherwise overlooked, compartmentalized, or not the "right way" to do it. We look at space, shape, time; physical viewpoints of spatial relationship, kinesthetic response, gesture, repetition, architecture, topography.... we could go on and on- this technique is an amazing vat of limitless inspiration. When first encountered with it, I could not understand the purpose or execution to it. But I discovered, through other mediums, just how much I already practiced Viewpoints. I wanted to be a painter long before wanting to act, and I still paint to this day. So I put the Viewpoints to paper; and topography is tangible! We don't commonly get to see what we create with acting. But when I paint, I can see where I've gone, and how quickly I can change. I can give texture, space, to my piece. Learning to be open to painting is something I am currently trying to remind myself of. But not just to paint- to be every art form I can suck up, so I can truly call myself one of "All Mediums"!
Samie loves going to art museums, but has a horrible fear of statues.
All statues.